Your shelving plays an essential role in optimizing your business operations. Whether you own and operate a warehouse facility, or you have on-site storage space at your retail location, you need to make sure your merchandise is organized and accessible for the purposes of tracking inventory and keeping your store stocked with in-demand items.
While commercial and industrial storage solutions like shelving and bins are designed to hold up to a lot of abuse and manage heavy loads, over time, any product will start to show signs of wear and tear. You need to keep an eye out for warning signs of deterioration so that you can update your shelving as needed before you suffer an epic failure. Is it time to update your shelving? Here are a few things to consider.
Shelving is Outdated and Difficult to Repair
When you spend the money for quality shelving, it should last a long time and provide extensive use value. Over time, you may even be able to extend the usable life of the product by repairing minor damage.
However, there is going to come a point when it makes more sense to update to newer products than continue patching up damage. When your shelving is so old and outdated that you become inundated by constant repairs, you could find that the expenditure of time and money simply isn’t cost-effective anymore.
You might also find that your products are so old that they’re no longer supported by the manufacturer. If this is the case, replacement parts for repairs may not be available. This is a clear sign that it’s time to update to newer products.
Major Damage
Whether you use pallet racks, robust wire shelving, or other types of industrial shelving (or all of the above), you are bound to suffer damage over time. Some types of minor damage can be repaired with little cost or labor. However, you may eventually start to see extensive damage like bowing, bending, breakage, corrosion, or other dangerous deterioration.
When this happens, the damage may be too expensive or widespread to make repair feasible. Although outright replacement can be pricey, at some point it becomes the more cost-effective option for long-term operations, especially if the damage creates a safety hazard for workers. What you want to avoid is failure and collapse.
Why Inspect and Update Shelving?
Frequent inspection of shelving and storage environments is wise for several reasons. For one thing, it can help you to set a benchmark for deterioration and damage in order to track the progression and make informed decisions about repair and replacement.
In addition, however, it can help you to update shelving before a major catastrophe occurs. When you replace shelving in a timely manner, you can avoid safety hazards and prevent accidents, protecting your workers and reducing liability. You’ll also avoid snafus that could lead to damaged merchandise and unnecessary loss.
Finally, you have the opportunity to upgrade to newer products that improve overall efficiency. With regular inspection and timely updates, you’ll get the most out of your shelving and preserve an organized and efficient workspace.