Editor’s Note: This is the second in a series of blogs examining the most efficient and affordable ways to optimize existing warehouse space
Thanks to near universal access to the Internet and web’s elimination of geographic boundaries, many companies today are turning to e-commerce as a way to increase their customer base. While this usually results in more business, it also typically requires more warehouse space.
One of the most efficient and cost-effective ways to optimize your existing space — without having to invest heavily in new construction or renovations — is to install work platforms. These sturdy, steel structures allow warehouse operators to utilize vertical space, maximizing their cost-per-square-foot.
Expansion Requires Planning
Klaus-Dieter Wurm, vice president and managing director for SSI Schaefer, a German systems manufacturer and integrator based with its US headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina, recently told DCVelocity.com companies that enter e-commerce don’t always consider the full consequences before taking action.
“If a company wants to enter the e-commerce world, then the sooner they are up and running, the better,” Wurm said. “It takes a long time to build something new.”
Ready to Go in Just a Few Weeks
Constructing a new warehouse or spending capital on expanding and/or renovating your existing facilities can delay entry into the e-commerce marketplace. But it doesn’t necessarily take a long time to install work platforms. In fact, they can often be purchased, delivered and installed in as little as a few weeks.
Todd Brendel, chief engineer for Wynright, an Elk Grove Village, Illinois, based structural solutions company, said work platforms can let companies position themselves for the expansion e-commerce offers more quickly.
“While the time in new construction is quite long, (a work platform) can just bolt together like a kit,” Brendel said. A standard work platform can be installed from start to finish in as little as six weeks, compared to the months or even years required to get a construction project financed, planned, approved and built, he said.
Work Platforms Can Be Adjusted to Fit Your Needs
Another great benefit of work platforms is control and flexibility. While work platforms can be installed in any configuration you need, they also can be disassembled and rebuilt in different configurations should your warehouse needs require it, at little or no additional costs.
Bahrns has been helping warehouse operators use work platforms to find space solutions for many years. If you are looking for the most efficient, affordable and fastest way to increase your warehouse capacity in order to expand into e-commerce or for any other reason, contact Bahrns today and let our specialized, personable technicians help you discover the work platform solution that works best for you.