Does your distribution center, warehouse, or manufacturing operation need to make better use of the space it currently occupies? Or perhaps, your company has seen some growth and you are considering whether a move to a larger facility would be beneficial? Boston Industrial Consulting can help your company decide what would be the best fit for your business whether rearranging the square footage you currently have or optimizing within a new location.
As companies grow, space and storage demands increase, and often face the dilemma of making the facility they occupy more spatially efficient and productive. Or, perhaps the space is too congested and a decision has been made to move to a new facility that can provide the room to grow further and optimize the space from the outset. BIC’s Industrial Engineers offer their expertise for improvements in areas such as: supply chain, analytics and slotting, material handling and automation, warehouse management systems, master planning / programming, and plant layout to create a detailed plan for consolidation or expansion. Here are a few examples of improvements some of our clients incorporated in order to use their square footage wisely.
- Space Savers – Use of high density storage methods allow for greater storage utilization in the same square footage. This may mean using space that goes vertical such as the addition of a mezzanine level, a VLM (vertical lift module), or potentially moveable shelving. All provide denser storage utilizing either the same or a reduced footprint. Automated or robotic shelving can make finding items more organized and efficient.
- Layout Analysis – For businesses that have large machinery, our engineers can evaluate the layout and design of your operation and develop options for the optimum layout. BIC is leading the programming and development of a detailed design for one client that focuses on optimizing manufacturing workflows and accommodating new, state-of-the-art furnaces, automation, and pressing equipment.
- Doing more with less, whether increasing storage capacities, expanding manufacturing capabilities or preparing for future growth – all are in the forefront of today’s business. BIC’s recent experience for a client’s warehousing was to recommend a solution that increased storage capacity by 40% over traditional pallet racking and maintained 100% selectivity of all items. This increase in density was accomplished by implementing Mobile Pallet Racking, a semi-automated high-density pallet storage system. This system maximized the utilization of the available clear height and reduced the number of aisles required for slower moving Inventory.
