During the past 14 years I have designed almost every warehouse / distribution facility that Always Equipment Inc. has installed “Used” & New Pallet Rack, Conveyor, Mezzanines and Steel Shelving in.

One of the most important things I have learned is it is never too early to look at potential layouts for your facility. Most companies wait until they have found their new facility, signed all the paperwork and are ready to move in before they look to see how the storage system they need will fit. Yes this approach can work out in the end but not as well as most people hope. In order to properly layout a facility you really need to look at how column spacing in that facility will affect your overall layout and design of the storage system.

For an easy example let’s take a look at a company that uses lift equipment requiring a 12′ turning aisle. In this scenario the easiest layout is with a 40′ on center column space this allows a row of rack on each side of your column with a double row down the center (4′ pallet + 12′ aisle + 4′ pallet + 4′ pallet + 12′ aisle + 4′ pallet = 40′). As you can see that works out perfect but what happens if you have a column spacing of 30′ on center?

As you can see with the same example above you wind up with columns in the center of your aisles this is not good, it wastes space and can even be a safety hazard when lift equipment is traveling down the aisle.

This is just one of many situations where it pays to look at potential layouts prior to purchasing or signing a lease on a new facility.  Many companies require different type of lift equipment or have other variables that will affect the layout of their new facility.

The easiest way to overcome the hurdle of designing you facility is to have a professional do it for you. If you contact Always Equipment Inc. we offers a free layout and design service. If you are local we will visit your potential facilities or you can have the real estate agent just forward us the dimensions.  We will give you the optimal layout based on your needs and the buildings you are considering, to help you make an even more informed decision.