As a business grows, storage needs grow too. More products, materials, files, and equipment accumulate. Office and workspace can quickly become cluttered. Staying organized is essential for efficiency, productivity, and workplace safety. Creative storage solutions can provide the structure growing companies need while making smart use of available space.
Maximizing Vertical Space
Office steps and ladders are an inexpensive way to take advantage of untapped vertical storage. Mounting shelves or cupboards high on walls and stacking storage containers create room for frequently used items and paperwork. Sturdy, weight-rated office steps and ladders give safe access up to ten feet high. Look for non-slip steps and heavy-gauge steel construction supporting up to five hundred pounds for durable quality able to handle daily use. For warehouses and production facilities, heavy duty steel steps and platforms provide workers with access to high storage areas or machinery in a cost-effective way that makes the most of valuable square footage.
Getting Off the Floor
Floors need to be kept clear for foot traffic, making them less practical for storage. Stackable plastic bins on wheels or casters allow contents to be easily moved around workspaces. Choose rectangular bins that neatly fit under standard desks, tables, and workstations to conserve space while keeping items orderly and accessible. For larger spaces like warehouses and supply rooms, steel shelving on 5-inch casters offers durable, mobile storage able to handle heavier loads. Boltless rivet construction allows shelving units to be relocated or reconfigured as needs evolve.
Suspended Storage
Hanging shelves, racks, bins and cabinets from ceilings, pipes, or rafters clears floor and wall space underneath for other uses. Suspended storage is ideal over workbenches or assembly tables in manufacturing facilities and maintenance shops. Perforated steel platforms and wire mesh shelving allow visibility while supporting evenly distributed weight up to two hundred pounds per four feet. Durable plastic bins hang from steel frameworks, keeping contents clean, secure and weighing under thirty pounds each when full for safety. Enclosed hung cabinetry features doors to conceal contents. Key considerations when installing suspended storage include weight limits, mounting hardware and providing worker access via wheeled office steps and ladders.
Dividing Large Areas
To efficiently section off different workflow areas, storage units like cabinets, shelves and lockers can double as room dividers. Floor-to-ceiling steel shelving with reinforced beams divides space while offering plenty of storage for everything from boxed bulk items to smaller tools and supplies up high. Narrow rows of open bookcases separate workstations in open offices. Ventilated wardrobe lockers provide employees secure storage for coats, personal items and uniforms. On casters, these movable room dividers include storage while delineating work zones as operational needs change.
Getting Organized
An orderly workspace contributes to productivity. Stackable trays, compartment boxes and desktop caddies organize office supplies and small items within easy reach. Files stay tidy in lateral filing cabinets with hanging folders and ball-bearing drawers. They come in lockable models to secure sensitive information. Clear acrylic desktop accessories like pen, paperclip and business card holders keep frequently used items handy while minimizing workspace clutter.
Oversized Item Storage
From engineering departments to art studios, oversized paper and materials are part of the workflow. Legal- and ledger-size drawer cabinets provide easily accessible storage for large-format items. Full extension drawers on smooth ball-bearing slides create an ample thirty inches of deep space for storing oversized documents, artwork, blueprints, posters, and other materials neatly flat and protected. High quality slides allow smooth access to even heavy loads. Consider models with storage drawers able to handle up to two hundred pounds for robust everyday use.
Industrial Storage
Companies involved in manufacturing or distribution require storage and materials handling solutions made for heavy-duty use. Rugged, modular steel shelving bears heavy loads up to 13,000 pounds per section. The open architecture design allows convenient access for storing and retrieving items. Stackable plastic bins keep bulk hardware, parts and components easily organized. Wide-span shelving with sizes up to ninety inches between supportive upright frames creates open space underneath to store pallets and large containers. Heavy duty platform trucks allow workers to efficiently move work in process along assembly lines. Industrial cabinets and tool chests organize equipment, parts and personal protective gear while keeping them clean.
Thinking Inside the Office Box
Finding space for the expanding volume of items businesses accumulate takes some creativity. Repurposing furniture already on hand for storage needs is a budget-friendly starting point. An old cabinet or kitchen hutch can store office supplies and small equipment. Bookcases divide space and hold monitors, printers, manuals, and accessories. Surplus wooden crates become instant cubby shelving for mail, paperwork, and projects in progress. In manufacturing and warehouse settings, a pegboard tool organizer mounts easily to a wall to neatly stow frequently used gear. Wire utility carts stash everything from spare parts to safety equipment. Depending on the type of workspace available, many everyday items adapted for storage can provide cost-conscious solutions.
Careful Storage Planning
Setting up efficient business storage takes planning. List all categories of items needing organized room to grow. Measure available space and look critically at existing storage furniture and equipment to determine if it meets current needs. Identify goals like freeing up floor space or providing secure record storage. Prepare for future needs like warehouse expansion or new product lines that bring added inventory. Research organizational systems like labels, scanner tracking and inventory software to make finding things fast and foolproof no matter how much a company grows. Rethink spaces like empty corners, tall ceilings, and wide hallways as potential storage real estate. Engage worker teams for input – no one knows better what is needed close at hand for improved daily workflow.
Conclusion
With some forethought, even small businesses can optimize space for organized storage success as they expand. Maintaining an efficient, clutter-free work environment ensures companies have the right things conveniently close at hand so they can concentrate on productivity and profitability. As companies grow and evolve, introducing creative storage solutions provides flexible space able to adapt to changing organizational needs, even when square footage is tight.
