“Warehouse storage” can be a funny thing.

To most people, even those working in the industry, the term conjures up images of massive pallet racks, stretching to the ceiling and filled to the brim with tightly-packed goods waiting to head out to their final destination. Proper warehouse storage, however, goes above and beyond simply storing the incoming and outgoing products – you’ll need to keep a careful eye on your own assets and supplies, too.

From the humble RFID scanner to the advanced handheld tablets and devices we use during our everyday work, there’s a lot of tools that go into warehouse management and operations. And, as you can likely imagine, these tools have to go somewhere, right?

Monitoring and managing warehouse assets can be a tough job on the best of days, but a solution many modern warehouses have turned to are asset lockers.

What are asset lockers?

Asset lockers, also known in some cases as key cabinets, are any warehouse equipment locker specifically given over to the storage of the tools your team needs every day.

The difference, however, is that these cabinets have been given a specific log system to track and manage the tools inside. This can be as simple as a nearby notebook or log sheet, or as complicated as an electronic system linked in with your WMS to digitally monitor the usage of these items. 

By keeping this asset log at the point of storage for these devices, you can better manage what tools are being used when, as well as keep a log of any tools that might encounter an issue through the day, so other workers know not to use them until they’ve been repaired.

It sounds like a simple change, but this update to how your devices are logged and used throughout the workday can make all the difference. 

How can my warehouse use asset lockets & key cabinets? 

Using these lockers in your warehouse is simpler than you might think. 

The first step is to make sure you have enough storage for everything. By using Vanguard metal storage lockers or warehouse storage cabinets, you can better set up a dedicated storage area for your warehouse’s specific tools and supplies, ideally in an area that can be easily accessed by your employees. Of course, if you don’t want this area too easily accessed, security cages can be used as well.

After the storage has been set up, you’ll need to figure out where everything is going to go, and then make sure these locations have been clearly marked and communicated. This is a little easier said than done – think about all the times you’ve put something away, absolutely convinced that everyone else will know where it is, and then nobody can find the thing you just put away. Creating asset lockers involves a lot of open communication and record keeping, but it’ll be worth it in the long run.

From there, you just need to decide how these assets are getting tracked. Start with a simpler solution if you have to: create some kind of manual entry process like a spreadsheet or even a physical notebook to get your teams in the habit of tracking and monitoring these assets even more closely than usual.

This step is perhaps the most key to having a key cabinet. Better asset tracking allows your teams to better know what tools and supplies are in use during the day, and where in the warehouse they may be located. Once these ideas take root in your daily operations, you might just wonder what you ever did without them.