When many people consider spring cleaning, they think about improving their attics, basements, entire homes or garages and sheds after they’ve created piles of clutter or stored a lot of items over winter. Yet, a warehouse usually becomes just as cluttered and disorganized during winter months. When spring arrives, warehouses owners and managers should always clean thoroughly in and around their facilities to improve efficiency, production and workflow and make their buildings and sites safer for employees and visitors.
To make your warehouse an optimal production and distribution location this spring, follow these simple cleaning and organization steps:
Dump All Unwanted Items
During winter, many warehouses store items that can more easily be disposed of during warmer months. For example, they might stack folded cardboard boxes in a closet or storage room because wet weather turns these items into mush in an outdoor dumpster. They might temporarily store old equipment or metal scrap as well. In some cases, they just set these items aside with the intent of disposing of them, and then piles form because busy winter orders and bad weather disrupt disposal plans. Whatever your reason, it’s time to move these items into a truck or roll-off dumpster and get rid of them per your local municipal and commercial waste disposal or recycling rules.
Clear Away Winter Debris
The near-constant movement of people and equipment in and out of a warehouse in winter can lead to a buildup of debris associated with cold weather, such as rock salt, gravel, mud and other types of dirt and grime. No matter how much you clean throughout the season, this debris accumulates indoors until the weather turns warmer. Small particles can find their way into equipment and cause damage to motors, fans and other parts through buildup and overheating. Salt and chemicals used to keep walkways and roads clear of ice and snow can dry out lubricants used as sealants and corrode certain metals. Production can grind to a halt and workers can experience accidents. It’s important to remove the bulk of the debris from the floors, around equipment, under mats and in areas outdoors using brooms, brushes, pressure washers and other methods.
Maintain and Repair Equipment
Once you’ve cleaned the warehouse building and surrounds as thoroughly as possible, you need to improve the state of the equipment, including indoor manufacturing and distribution equipment and indoor and outdoor vehicles. The buildup of debris isn’t the only thing that can adversely impact equipment. Temperature changes affect equipment as well. Metal expands and contracts so much that it can lose its strength and durability. Seals crack even with adequate lubrication. Rubber and plastic break down. Spring is the perfect time for scheduling a Pallet Rack Inspection before warm weather ramps up warehouse traffic. Beyond cleaning the equipment and repairing or replacing parts, you should also consider installing protective gear that can make future cleaning and repairs easier from season to season.
Kick Winter Bad Habits
In winter, all warehouse floor and dock related activities become more of a struggle because of cold air seeping indoors. Many warehouse managers allow workers to do things that they would never permit at any other time of the year, such as piling up wooden pallets indoors in unapproved areas, allowing tools to remain at workstations at the end of the day or permitting aisles to become partially blocked by chairs, carts, racks and other obstacles. Yet, good habits like maintaining an adequate amount of floor space and storing tools properly are critical to guaranteeing uninterrupted workflow and employee safety. In springtime, revisit appropriate warehouse safety best practices. Use meetings, emails and posters to remind everyone why these procedures are necessary. Additionally, re-institute penalties for those who fail to follow the rules.
Become a Creative Organizer
Lastly, since production and productivity can increase at any time, it’s important to make certain that the warehouse is well organized. Even if you feel like the current setup is fantastic, take a moment to look at it from a fresh perspective. You might realize you’re not using valuable available space as efficiently as possible. For example, you might install more vertical shelving and rack units to take advantage of the space above the floor area below high ceilings. If you’re using older equipment, you might investigate new, slimmer designs that perhaps also offer energy efficiency or automated options that increase productivity. You might realize that you can pass items from one side of the warehouse to another faster with a conveyor, which can decrease floor traffic and related accidents.
Early springtime is the best time to clean, perform maintenance and repairs and make warehouse upgrades because the weather isn’t extreme. It’s warmer and drier without late spring rains or insufferable summer heat. For many warehouses, spring also is a slower period between holiday and warmer weather rush order scenarios. Don’t lose this valuable opportunity to make your warehouse cleaner, safer and more efficient and productive.
