A well-organised stockroom can provide many benefits for your business. Some of these include making products easier to find for quick shipment, creating optimal conditions for product preservation, increased employee productivity, and saving money.

But is your stockroom as good as it could potentially be? Here are four ways in which you can create a stockroom that works for you:

Get the correct shelving and storage units

Each product is unique and needs to be stored in a way that suits its unique qualities. Obviously food products need to be stored according to the correct temperature and alongside other foods that won’t contaminate it.

Ask yourself some questions before you decide on the most appropriate storage solution. What type of products are you intending to store? Take into account not only what these are, but also their dimensions, and how much stock will there be in the stockroom at any given point in time.

Also, how heavy are the products that will be stored? It is important to choose the correct load-bearing storage units for your products, whether it be plastic, metal or wire storage. It may be advisable to overestimate the amount of weight-bearing you need so that there are no potential mishaps.

Another thing to consider when choosing shelving units is how it will be utilised. Do you frequently move products around? Then you probably require mobile shelving (basically shelving on wheels). How high is the shelving going to be? Do you need storage that requires easy labelling options?

Go vertical

Many people don’t utilise all of the space they could be by only using horizontal space. Instead why not store products both horizontally and vertically? From the get-go buy the tallest storage racks and units that are able to fit comfortably in your stockroom. Even if you don’t have enough products to fill the space yet, it is a great way to prepare for future expansion.

Out with the old

Old or obsolete stock taking up space can be more of a liability than an asset. You may be holding on to products simply because you bought them and not because they are providing value. Keeping old stock doesn’t bring you in money so why not get rid of it to make space for products that will sell?

Getting rid of stock can be done by either selling it for a discounted price or taking it to stock liquidators. You can also sell old stock to clients by using the buy “x” and get “y” for free technique. The last method is great since clients like getting free stuff and while making them happy you can free space up in your stockroom.

Temperature control

Maintaining a comfortable stockroom temperature is not only good for preserving the integrity of the products you store but also for employees who work in the stockroom. The perfect temperature can increase the longevity of many types of products as well as improve employee productivity, as has been proven time and again.

When it comes to optimal stockroom temperature for employees, there is consensus that anything between 70 and 73? Fahrenheit (21 to 23? Celsius) is best. However, this may not be ideal for the products you store. Find a happy medium between what is good for product preservation and what is good for employee satisfaction. A good tip is too rather go colder than warmer.

Aside from the use of air conditioning that can be set at a constant temperature, make sure there are windows in the stockroom that are easy to open. Also frequently monitor the room to avoid extreme fluctuations in temperature.