Designing a low-maintenance warehouse space is a matter of choosing the right material and the right spatial configuration. When these two factors combine in the right way, what results is a warehouse that is functional, efficient, and possibly even trendy if you’re into that. Keep reading to find out more.
Choosing the Right Materials
In order for your warehouse to be low-maintenance, it needs to be built from low-maintenance, high-quality materials. If your warehouse is being built from scratch, you have an opportunity to have the best warehouse and you shouldn’t skimp on the cost. If you’re renovating an existing warehouse, don’t worry. You can still achieve low-maintenance, high-quality status.
Epoxy flooring is one of the best materials you can use for a warehouse floor. It’s extremely low-maintenance and only requires the occasional mopping or buffing. It’s scratch-resistant, crack-resistant, and even stain-resistant. Because of these qualities, it will last a very long time before you have to replace it.
For the roof and walls, metal is the most durable, reliable, and most economic material you can use for a warehouse. When you choose a good contractor – for example, Archway Brick and Tile – they’ll be able to go over all your options with you.
Setting Up the Right Spatial Arrangement
When thinking about the spatial arrangement of your warehouse, you should consider the environment you want your employees to work in. It’s a given that your warehouse is going to be full of machines, tools, products, supplies, and people. That means that it can get cramped quickly.
Warehouses can be hot and uncomfortable if there is too much “stuff” jammed inside. You should aim for a free-flowing environment. You should have wide aisles and high-quality fans. Having a lot of doors and windows can reduce the amount of interior lighting that is needed since these lights produce quite a bit of heat.
How can making the warehouse comfortable for employees reduce warehouse maintenance? Well, for one, when your employees are less stressed and comfortable at work, they can focus more. This means less accidents, less broken equipment, and less cleaning. You’ll also be able to look forward to more productivity which means less wasting of resources.
It’s not hard to set up a low-maintenance warehouse. All it takes is following the few steps above. When you build your warehouse from the right material and choose a spatial layout that makes employees comfortable, your warehouse will run so smoothly that maintenance will be the last thing on your mind.
Emma is a freelance writer based out of Boston, MA. She writes most often on health and education. When not writing, she enjoys reading and watching film noir. Say hi on Twitter @EmmaSturgis2