Choosing Storage for Manufacturing and Industrial Environments

Adding the right storage to your manufacturing or industrial environment can have a tremendous impact on the organization, productivity, and efficiency of your operations. But in this environment, not just any storage will do. Whether you need standard shelving or more sophisticated high-density mobile storage, every product must be able to stand up to the daily wear and tear of the manufacturing environment and fit seamlessly into daily workflows. To help manufacturers select the best storage solutions for their environments, our storage experts have compiled a list of key features to consider before choosing your storage solution provider.

Heavy-duty steel construction.

Heavy-duty steel can withstand the daily wear and tear of the manufacturing environment, and a heavier gauge, such as 16 or 18, will help ensure shelves, doors, and drawers won’t sag, bend, or warp over time. The longer your storage lasts, the longer your investment is protected.

Customizable, reconfigurable accessories.

Storing items in a high-density mobile system or locker in an orderly manner streamlines retrieval and return on the factory floor, and the right accessories in the right places can noticeably boost this type of efficiency and productivity.

Fully-hinged doors with 3-point locks.

If your storage option includes a single- or double-door entry point, look for a fully-hinged door with a 3-point lock. This design prevents the door from bending and warping, and it deters unwanted entry and protects items inside from unauthorized access.

Ventilation.

When humidity or dampness are factors in your stored items, air circulation is critical. Generous ventilation will allow air to flow more freely through the storage unit and will help minimize the effects of moisture.

Easy assembly.

Uptime is critical in manufacturing, so you’ll want storage solutions that can be set up quickly. Look for assembly that is fast and simple and doesn’t require an excessive number of tools to put together. If you’re purchasing a more sophisticated storage unit, choose a provider with a strong reputation for installation support.

Durable finish for easy wipedown.

In some manufacturing environments, keeping surfaces clean and sanitized is critical to ensuring the safety of personnel and products. In these cases, storage units must be capable of sustaining frequent daily wipedowns and the finish needs to be able to stand up to disinfectants and other cleaning chemicals.

Compact.

Limited space on the manufacturing floor can place limitations on storage options. When square footage is restricted, look for high-density storage systems, as this type of storage can up to double storage capacity compared to traditional fixed-shelf storage systems.

Flexible.

Storage products for manufacturing should be made to work together so that once you’ve invested in one solution, you can add other products as needed without having to abandon the first one. A flexible storage solution will also be able to accommodate storage products you already have, such as shelving, bins, and bags, so you can reuse these items and not have to completely start over.

Lifetime warranty.

Once you’ve identified the storage solutions that will work best in your operation, look for the lifetime warranty. A lifetime warranty is the best warranty a storage provider can offer, and it will provide you with full peace of mind that if anything goes wrong with your storage products, you’re protected.

It’s tempting to choose a manufacturing storage provider based solely on price, but buying the cheapest storage products will almost always end up costing you more in repairs, replacements, and downtime. Working with a reputable manufacturing storage expert is the best way to not only get exactly the right storage to benefit your operation, but also to invest wisely in solutions that will last.