Managing a business is tough. There are countless different tasks you need to attend to on a daily basis to ensure the company continues to operate smoothly. Many of these are within your control and can therefore be solved quickly, whereas others can catch you unawares.
Take, for example, a storage issue. Suppose you are tight on space on your corporate premises, and you unexpectedly run out of room. In that case, it can cause the entire business to slow down or cease functioning properly unless you solve the storage problem rapidly.
Unfortunately, for many business owners or managers, storage is largely out of their control. They only have so much space to work with; when it is gone, it is gone.
However, this is not to say that you can’t solve a storage issue. In fact, there are many different ways of tackling the problem, depending on the specific issue at hand, how bountiful your budget is and whether you have the bandwidth to accommodate sweeping changes.
To help spark ideas about how to solve your storage issue, here are four different solutions for you to consider:
Rent a storage box
One of the easiest ways to solve your storage issue is to rent temporary ‘space’ in the form of a storage container. These can be easily delivered to your site and stored on premises with minimal disruption caused to your business processes.
What’s more, because they are watertight, secure and compact, you don’t have to worry about looking after them or check on the goods you store inside them. As long as you have a safe place to leave them on-site, you can fill them up or empty them at your discretion.
Even better, if you need to move items from one location to another, the company who lend you the container, such as Portland Storage, can transport it for you.
Find a larger building
Another great option for your business if you are struggling for space is to move to a larger premises. Although it might be an expensive option to take, it is likely to pay off in the long run.
Consistently running out of space and disrupting your internal workflows can eat away at a company’s productivity and reputation, until there is little left to salvage.
Staying on premises which are no longer fit for purpose because of the extra cost is a false economy.
If it is slowing your growth, causing customers to be angry due to late deliveries or quality control issues, or preventing you from being productive, then it is time to move on.
There are several ways you can finance a larger building. You can pay for it outright, take out a specialist business loan, or rent it off another company. You could even keep your current premises, rent it to another business at a competitive rate, and then use that to pay most of the rent on your new place.
Don’t over-stock or order
A common reason why many businesses become stuck for space is because they over-order stock from their suppliers, or expect to shift more products than they actually do.
This could be due to unexpected market changes, but it is more likely because senior management have misread the demand for their products or services.
It is a tricky balancing act to manage. On the one hand, you need to make sure you have enough supplies in order to cater to sudden demand, and you need to have a sufficient number of finished products waiting to go at any time, so that you buy yourself enough time to create more.
Unfortunately, if you miscalculate severely, it could create major problems within your business.
For example, you may have to adjust your delivery times from your suppliers, or be unable to work efficiently due to the lack of space.
If this is a problem you are struggling with, start by conducting detailed research on your market, and how many of your products are sold throughout the year – at what times and by whom. This will help you work out when to increase your stock, and when to let it wane.
Fit a mezzanine to your storage facility
Lastly, you could fit a purpose-built mezzanine floor to your warehouse or storage facility, to make better use of wasted space. Often, large warehouses have incredibly high roofs, which create vast amounts of empty space, crying out to be used.
By building a mezzanine (or even a permanent second floor) you will have far more space to work with.