When you are ready to move from your current warehouse location to a larger facility, you'll want to organize and stage your products, so they are ready for your commercial moving service to load onto the trucks. Here are some helpful tips you can use as you prepare to move to a larger warehouse:
Load Boxes Onto Pallets
Even if you don't currently use pallets to store your inventory, you may want to consider using them during your move. Pallets let you stack boxes and move entire groups of inventory quickly and easily. Load pallets with the heaviest boxes on the bottom, and reserve lighter or more fragile items for the top. Use plastic wrap to secure the boxes on each pallet, so they don't shift or fall during the move. You can rent a pallet jack to move the pallets near your loading dock for easy transfer onto the moving truck.
Disassemble And Bundle Shelving
If you are taking your warehouse's shelving with you to your new location, disassemble each section as you remove and box up the inventory stored there. This will help to keep the packing process organized, and it can also help to ensure you don't leave any stray inventory behind on or under the shelves. Use heavy-duty zip ties or metal straps to bundle sections of shelving and frames together for easy moving. You'll want to make sure you don't bundle too many pieces together, as this may lead to bulk, heavy stacks of shelving that are difficult to move. Use flatbed dollies to transport sections of shelving to the moving truck. If you don't want to disassemble everything yourself, you can ask your commercial moving company if it offers this as an additional service for your moving package.
Organize Your Staging Area
As you prepare for moving day, take the time to organize your staging area so the movers can simply transfer your inventory and warehouse items onto the truck. Shelving bundles can line the walls of the truck, while the middle of each truck can be reserved for your pallets. Place shelving in front of your pallets of goods to follow this order, and arrange each pallet in the order you want them loaded onto the truck. This will help to make the unloading and unpacking process easier. Label each pallet with large pieces of paper that indicate which types of inventory they pallets hold, and tape the paper to each side of the pallet for easy visibility.
As you talk to local commercial moving services about the transition to your new facility, ask which types of additional service it offers. In some cases, you may be able to have the warehouse professionally packed, which leaves your staff free to handle other tasks associated with moving.