10 Tips To Help Your Warehouse Move Go Smoothly
Moving a warehouse or a distribution center is a daunting task, and the logistics behind moving your distribution to another location are quite difficult. With experience and time, moving a warehouse gets easier, but will still always require the services of a seasoned professional local moving company – and even that’s not a guarantee of success.
To help you through the process of a warehouse move in Florida City, we’ve put together a list of some of the best tips you can use to ensure a smoother, easier transition, regardless of the size or complexity of your warehouse.
1. Hire Your Moving Company Early
A warehouse move is, obviously, not a small logistical problem – so don’t wait for the last minute to hire your moving company. Being able to compare rates for different companies and talk to supervisors, or even getting logistical help pre-move from your moving company is a great idea, so you should try to lock down a good moving company as soon as possible.
2. Make Sure You Have Everything You Need At Your New Facility
This includes shelving, forklifts, communication devices, safety gear of all kinds, and other logistical necessities. You want to minimize interruption, so make sure you set these up beforehand if you’re not bringing them with you.
3. Take The Opportunity To Clean House
This is a great time to get rid of obsolete inventory and ensure that what you have left to move is properly categorized and organized, so take stock of what you’ll be taking with you – and what should be left behind or trashed.
4. Evaluate Your Facility Layout
Are there improvements to be made to your current facility layout? Instituting them when you move to a new warehouse is a perfect way to help your staff get used to the flow of things quickly, as they won’t be confused – the whole warehouse situation is new, so it’s easier to adapt to changes in workflow and layout.
5. Make Sure You Have Enough Supplies
You may think you do, but moving an entire warehouse is different than, say, wrapping a couple pallets for returns or shipping. Your warehouse move is going to take a lot of material, so make sure you have boxes, plastic wrap, wardrobe bars, anti-slip tape – everything you’ll need when packing up.
6. Organize Your Team
This depends on the organization, of course – if you hire a full-service moving company, your team may not have to even lift a finger, just punch in at the new facility.
However, if you are getting your team involved in the move, make sure you have a clear organizational structure, and assign clear roles and responsibilities to each employee helping with the move.
7. Don’t Forget About The Offices
Chances are you’ve got more than one office in your warehouse. These may not seem like priorities, but don’t make them afterthoughts. You’d be surprised how inconvenient it is to be without a copy machine or a printer for a day or two. So make sure that you assign someone to pack up and prepare your offices, as well as your main warehouse floor.
8. Prep Your New Warehouse
You won’t want any interruption of services after moving your warehouse, so organize phones, network connections, utilities, power, waste removal, water – every service you’ll need – before you arrive at the new facility.
You may also consider reducing deliveries at your current facilities in the weeks leading up to the move so that you don’t have to move and check in as much inventory, but some may prefer the opposite – having the inventory on hand so that they don’t have to check in a new shipment in the new warehouse right away.
9. Be Safe During The Move
If you’re not using a full-service mover, there’s a good chance some of your staff will be using machinery and doing tasks that they don’t typically use in their day-to-day jobs. Emphasize safety as you move above all else, and be on alert for problems that could endanger employees.
10. Keep Expensive Equipment Safe
The best way to ensure your expensive equipment – stretch wrappers, milling machines, power conveyor lines, or other expensive, specialized machinery stays safe during the move is to hire competent, professional movers.
Orange Movers – Your Warehouse Moving Service Experts In Florida City
If you’re undertaking a warehouse move in Florida City and need a professional local moving services provider, talk to Orange Movers today.
Our expert movers are seasoned professionals with plenty of knowledge about all aspects of warehouse moving, and can either take over for your team for a full-service local move, or assist your team when it comes time to move pre-packed inventory and equipment – the choice is yours.
There is no better warehouse moving service in Florida City than Orange Movers. Learn more about our services, our expertise, and rates on our website, and get in touch for a quote or consultation today.