So you’re about to open up your own business or set up a new location – congratulations! Getting things up and going for a commercial venture can be tiring and stressful, but, don’t worry: You’re in luck. Rather than have to deal with trial and error situations or have to deal with a bunch of research and run-around, here you’ll get an all-inclusive look at some of the top business organization methods to help make your business venture a success.
From sales floors, business stockrooms, warehouse organization, to setting up industrial facilities, we’ll cover a wide range of easy storage solutions. These will help you set up your space and get it ready for efficient, quality-driven productivity.
Sales Floor:
How you set up and organize your sales floor will obviously have a lot to do with the sort of products that you’re selling. If you’re going to be focusing more on apparel, then you definitely want plenty of racks that you can hang clothes on and a bulk supply of clothes hangers. Instead of relying completely on clothing racks, though, consider creating sections that feature shelving units for folded clothes, as this helps to give more dimension to a space and keep it from feeling monotonous.
If you can create various zones where you display merchandise in multiple ways, then this can help create a sense of “product plenty,” where customers go through your store and leave with the feeling that you offer a lot of varied products, even if you actually don’t.
Pay particular attention to key sightline areas, such as endcaps (the areas at the end of aisles), areas near windows, and zones where people may tend to congregate, such as waiting in line to check out or to use a fitting room. These areas should display your hot-ticket items (the things you really want to call attention to and sell).
Stockrooms and Warehouses:
While displays are extremely important on the sales floor, stockrooms and warehouse organization are absolutely vital for day to day efficiency. Even if you’re running a warehouse that acts as a transport or storage facility for different products, having a space that’s organized will increase productivity and reduce costs.
When you have a space that’s poorly organized, time is inevitably wasted looking for things, while inventory, tools, and equipment are more likely to get lost, damaged, or even stolen. In these spaces, you’ll want to invest in some industrial grade storage. Plastic pallets that are also stackable are great options for storing bulk supplies, and they tend to last longer than wooden pallets.
Plastic storage bins – also stackable – and nesting totes are also great options. These allow you to keep items separated and labeled, providing you the ability to quickly find what you’re looking for and to keep track of inventory. When purchasing easy storage solutions for these spaces, focus on things that feature vertical elements, as it’s more advisable to go up with your storage in order to free up as much floor space as possible, in turn allowing you to store more merchandise or equipment. Large wire baskets would be perfect for these spaces, even out on the sales floor, as they allow for bulk storage and usually feature wheels that make it easy to move them from location to location.
Industrial Facilities:
Like warehouse organization, factories and other industrial or mass production facilities require a great deal of careful setup. You’re going to want to make sure that your processes flow in an efficient manner, and that equipment is placed in areas that are ideal for their operation purposes. Try to keep equipment that requires cooling or access to specific sources of power close to where these elements are supplied, as this cuts down on how much you have to spend to run piping, ductwork, etc.
Consider purchasing some stack racks, as these provide great storage and work stations ,while also maintaining neatness, through their ability to stack or nest on top of one another when not in use.
Depending on the types of materials you’re working with, you may consider metal or plastic storage bins and other easy storage solutions for your space. Metal is a great option if you’re looking for something that’s durable, especially for operations or storage needs where plastic may not hold up to the job.
If you’re dealing with a lot of tools and equipment that won’t be a worry for plastic – unlike chemicals that could damage them – then plastic would probably be a good bet, due to it being lighter and often cheaper. Plastic storage containers tend to be a little easier to move and require less upkeep (no worries about rust).