High density shelving is an increasingly common sight in warehouses these days.

As warehouse space becomes more costly to maintain, and the density of products required to keep up in today’s marketplace and economy grows ever larger, warehouses are more pressed for space than ever before. This is where high density storage comes in – by allowing you to keep a larger volume of inventory in a smaller area, you can make better use of your current facility and store more products without costly relocations or major building renovations.

However, when planning to install high density storage, one question remains: where am I going to put it all? If you’re considering installing some high density storage to help with the crush of products you need to store but you’re not sure how to make it work with your current shelving options, here’s a few tricks we’ve found to help your warehouse accommodate the new shelves:

Figure out what shelves can be moved/replaced:

We’re not saying you have to get rid of any of your existing warehouse shelves, but the first step to installing high density shelving should be to figure out what can be moved to make room. Bigger shelves like pallet racks might be too inconvenient to move if they’ve been safely secured into the ground, but smaller items like wire shelving and steel shelving could be prime candidates for relocation when you have to move in the bigger stuff. When you’re trying to figure out where your new shelves can go, doing some relocation of your current shelves could be the best way to do it.

Measure your aisles:

Aisleway space is critical for any warehouse, especially with high density shelving to make sure workers and forklifts can still safely access the shelves and products contained within. Wherever your new shelves are getting placed, measure the distance between your current shelves and compare that with the size of the shelves you plan to install and make sure there’s enough room to work.

…And Keep It Mobile If You Have To:

A lot of high-density shelves offer movability or portability by being installed to a shelf track or even offering motorized mobile shelving systems that can help you with more compact areas. If you find yourself pressed for space but still need the additional shelving for your inventory, installing mobile options can help reduce the overall footprint the shelves take up while still allowing access to the items stored within.

Look Above (And Below):

Particularly if you have mobile shelving installed, using second floors is a great place for more dense shelving as it offers additional, accessible, and well-defined space. The space right below overhangs or mezzanines is a common destination for high density shelves thanks to the space and boundaries it offers, and this could help your warehouse avoid a lot of moving around when it comes time to install the shelves.

Got any other questions about how high-density shelving can help your warehouse? Contact Shelving.com today!