As consumers, people are quick to buy things that they think they need. According to The Wall Street Journal, Americans spend 1.2 billion dollars on commodities and services that they don’t need. It has continuously increased from 5% in the 80s to 11% in early 2000s. And what year is it now? It’s 2015. Judging by the behavior of the present consumer group, it hasn’t receded. In fact, it could’ve blown into a bubble. Because of the unwavering “support” to the supply industry, people become owners of all sorts of things that will later end up being thrown in the garbage, handed down to other people, sold in a flea market or thrift shop, and worse, left in the attic for the consumption of rats and cockroaches. Yuck! Storage has always been a problem for homeowners everywhere. When you have a ton of things that you thought you need at first, and then years later, decided you don’t, that’s where the problem arises. Warehouse managers, just like a typical homeowner, also suffer the same problem about storage. If not more complex since the operation is way bigger and stakeholders are involved. If something happens, it could be bad enough for the warehousing business to close. Nothing should be put to risk. And because the stakes are high, effective storage system should be applied. In order to devise an effective storage plan, the root problem should be determined. Common warehouse storage problems include too much inventory and a poorly-designed warehouse. Here are some ways you could fix the problems and have an effective storage system. 1. Find more space using temporary or outside storage. If you’re a warehousing business, chances are this doesn’t apply to you, as the “temporary” or “outside” storage, already pertains to you. So proceed to number 2. 2. Redesign warehouse. Redesign is a death sentence. It’s a daunting task to undergo: it’s costly, takes up too much time, and eats up the time that could be spent doing business and earning profits. But if you’re concerned with the long run that your business will take, redesigning is the perfect solution to a poorly-utilized warehouse. In this case, here are some tips on redesigning your warehouses: • Measure the amount of space you will work with. • State the fixed parts of the warehouse, such as doors, walls, clearances, etc. • Have an understanding of the product stored • Identify the storage condition zones • Provide contingencies. • Evaluate contingencies. • Implement recommendations. 3. Create more space. Warehouses should have the ability to be flexible to the amount of load it will house on for the next couple of months or so. Creating more space is a fairly common task in warehousing. How do you create more space if you are given a fixed space/square meters of lot? A typical warehouse uses bulk storage and light racking system, as these methods applies well when fast moving items come in large quantities and are stored in bulk, while slow moving items are stored in steel racks. To create more space, a warehouse manager can pick among the following options: • Vertical Cube Utilization The vertical cube pertains to the space above loads, total building clearance, the space above cross aisles, the space above work and pick areas, and the space above docks. Utilizing the vertical cube will increase storage density. • Tunnel Rack The area over the cross aisles can be utilized through “tunneling the rack” which means converting the storage area in back-to-back rack sections. This option increases storage capacity by 5 to 1o percent. • Rack Over Docks Putting up racks on the docks can be a great way to store packaging materials. • Mezzanine Building a mezzanine above work areas provides about 50 percent vertical space utilization. Mezzanines can be used as bulk storage areas or process areas. This is an expensive option though. An effective storage system will cost you a few bucks, maybe even more, but it’ll save you from future trouble. So always make sure your storage practices are adequate and a-okay.