Storing equipment, parts, products, and more is a concern for many types of industries, from warehouses to retail locations, factories, and even home garages. This is a major need for obvious and not so obvious reasons.
It’s important to have a durable and versatile solution that can help keep these things organized and safe. There are a few reasons industrial shelving is so sought after. So, this guide will break down those reasons, the types you will find in the market, and how to determine which type will be best for your space.
What Makes Industrial Shelving Essential?
Industrial shelving is designed to hold large and heavy loads. It is made to last, which gives it an edge, especially when compared to regular home options. The shelves are made of strong materials like steel and metal and can last in high-stress environments.
Enhanced Durability: This is known for its durability. It is made from quality materials designed to last and can hold a large amount of weight without buckling under the pressure. This makes it a reliable investment because the shelves will last a long time. Plus, they will continue to work as they should, even if they are under constant use.
Customizable Design: One benefit is that it is adaptable according to the setting it’s in. It can often be adjusted to fit a certain height or width, depending on the unit that is being used, and the needs of its owners. It’s constantly changing, which is an excellent feature that works for a company that needs it for various reasons.
Better Organization and Efficiency: Because the shelving is oftentimes organized, it is easy for employees to recognize and classify parts. They can easily find what they are looking for without much downtime from having to search for the item. The overall outcome is usually better than expected.
Safety: An organized space is a safe space for obvious reasons. Industrial shelving can help prevent people from tripping over products or equipment that’s not put away in a proper space. When things are stored properly, employees are less likely to become injured or have an accident. Click here for safety rules in a warehouse.
Industrial Shelving Types
When it comes to selecting industrial shelving, there are a few different options on the market. It will depend greatly on what it will be used for, but here are some of the options that are more common in industrial settings:
Boltless: This type of shelving is popular for its ease of assembly. It goes up in a flash, and the fact that it can be done without the use of nuts and bolts is another added bonus. It is typically easier to move and customize as well. For some companies, they may need to change the layout on the fly, and boltless shelving allows them to do so.
Wire: Wire shelves make it easy to see what’s behind and allow airflow, which can be especially helpful if you’re storing food or electronics. It’s also simpler to move wire racks than heavier versions, which can be useful if you have a smaller area or a mobile setup.
Steel: Steel is incredibly durable and able to support heavy objects. These shelves provide durability that lasts, so you can easily stack machinery pieces, bulk items, inventory, or other large pieces of industrial shelving.
Pallet Racking: Typically, in the more extensive warehouses, pallet racking holds oversized items, or you can use numerous pallets racking to stock many products at once. These shelves stack on top of each other, using all the storage space vertically instead of wrapping around a wall or on the floor. This means they provide a lot of square footage with easy access to stored objects.
Mobile: When mobility is your biggest need, mobile shelving is a versatile option. The shelves have attached wheels and can be wheeled in and out of space, which is helpful in an ever-evolving workspace.
The Best Way to Pick the Right Industrial Shelving
The selection of the best industrial shelving can typically depend on what and how much you need to store, how much floor space you can devote to storage, and how to access stored objects when necessary. Here’s what to consider when you’re shopping for your new shelves.
Assess Your Space: Check your available space. How much square footage do you have and how high can you stack the shelves? If you want to fill a nook or cranny, be sure to choose a style that provides storage space vertically.
Determine Weight Requirements: The weight of your items also will have a big impact on shelving. Heavier items, like the ones frequently stored in industrial storage, will need incredibly durable shelving. This likely means steel or pallet racks.
Consider Accessibility: Consider how easily you need to access your stored objects and how often you will need to do it. If you’ll want to move your storage around for easy access to certain items, explore a mobile shelving option. On the other hand, if you prefer fewer shelves and want something that will be easier to adjust and move around, aim for boltless shelving.
Think Long-Term: When you purchase your shelves, look for ones that will last you a lifetime or be, at the very least, easy to improve and rebuild. You obviously want to avoid spending your work budget over and over again purchasing replacement or updated shelves. Check out this resource to see how to successfully plan for long-term goals: https://www.strikingly.com/blog/.
Optimizing Industrial Shelving for Maximum Benefit
Even though the industrial shelving has been set up, there are still some small and large enhancements you can implement to ensure the maximum organization of space. Here are some top tips.
Label everything: Make sure you are labeling your things so that employees don’t have to guess where to locate important items.
Keep it clean: Dust and dirt buildup can lead to erosion if left for too long. This can become unsightly if you don’t have a layer of paint protecting the shelf material.
Balance the load: To avoid tipping, be sure that the weight limit is even on both sides of a shelf and distribute the weight so that heavy items are lower on the shelf, which reduces the change of shifting.
Conclusion
For one thing, industrial shelving isn’t really about mere storage. It is about creating more space, greater efficiency, order, and safety. This is an investment that will quickly pay off with all the time saved, productive work, and with minimal worries about accidents. Best of all, you don’t have to replace or fix your new shelves because they will last longer than you even expect.
