“You have to spend money to make money,” as the old saying goes. But there’s a similar sentiment that we’re all about here at RMH Systems: “You have to spend money to save money.”

Sometimes warehouse managers take a look at the price of new pallet racks and balk at the cost, or they don’t think that hiring a warehouse optimization consultant is worth the cost. We’re here to tell you that it’s simply not true, because taking time to make sure that your warehouse is up-to-date — and as efficient as possible — is an investment in your company that can pay off in a surprisingly short amount of time.

Today we’re going to take a look at the most common ways that working with our warehouse product company can save you money, and why you probably shouldn’t put it off much longer.

An Optimized Warehouse Can Prevent Expansions

Getting a brand new warehouse is exciting for most warehouse managers, but they’re also tasked with putting off construction of one for as long as possible. Not only are new buildings expensive, but they also have to be loaded with brand-new pallet racks.

By hiring a professional warehouse consultant, you might be surprised at how much space you can save. If you’re completely out of space, it’s time to build a new warehouse. If you simply have your warehouse redesigned —  RMH can handle the disassembly and reassembly — you might be able to save 20% or more space, which could delay the need for another warehouse for years to come.

A Smoothly Working Warehouse Can Reduce Your Workforce

Once a warehouse starts working more efficiently, you should be able to reduce the number of workers you have. A better-organized warehouse means fewer people looking for particular items, and a warehouse that sends boxes directly to carton flow racks skips the step of putting it on pallets.

New Pallet Racks Can Prevent Collapse

Because pallet racks are huge pieces of steel, it can be hard to think of them as ever having problems. But they bend under the thousands of pounds over time, and that can cause big problems. Not only are you losing inventory, but you also have the cost of replacing them.

By replacing your pallet racks periodically, you can stop catastrophic collapse from happening. This will protect everyone on the racks, the racks themselves, the forklifts underneath, and, of course, the employees. And speaking of which…

Preventing Accidents Saves Money

It might sound callous, but preventing accidents in a warehouse can save a whole lot of money. Yes, the most important aspect of it is that it’s stopping you and your co-workers — and friends — from getting injured. But there’s no denying that accidents in a warehouse have quite a few negative consequences. First of all, you’ve lost a trained employee for a time, and might have to temporarily replace them with someone who isn’t as efficient. Second, the employee might sue you, and that could end tanking the entire company. Finally, an employee accident is going to bring OSHA to your door, and while they’re levying fines for the employee accident they might just find more violations as well.

RMH carries an excellent line of warehouse safety products. Rack protection prevents racks from getting hit directly, which can prevent rack collapse. Dock area defense protects your employees every day they’re loading and unloading, and might just save a forklift from going over the side as well. Elevated work platform safety rails and ladders protect employees from falls, and guard rails delineate the spaces that employees can walks and materials handling systems should avoid.

Again, protecting your employees is paramount, and in doing so you’ll also be avoiding many money-losing situations.

Wire Partitions Prevent Theft

Sometimes wire partitions are for the safety of the warehouse workers. Many warehouse designers decide to put these cages up in order to keep workers away from electrical boxes, high-speed (and highly dangerous) machinery, and even robots that are working behind the mesh.

But another reason to have wire partitions installed is to prevent theft. After all, small and high-dollar pieces of merchandise are pretty easy for employees to walk off with, so it’s best to keep them locked up. (That cage in every Sam’s Club that holds the video games and consoles are certainly a testament to that, protecting these items from both shoppers and employees.) And sometimes it’s not merchandise; items such as electric drills, drill bits, and electronic measuring equipment should also be locked up so that no one walks off with them.

Ready To Save Some Money?

Like we said, investing money in your warehouse is just that: an investment. If you’re not making your warehouse as efficient and safe as possible, you could be wasting money every day. Instead, call the experts at RMH and we’ll give you an excellent idea of how to make your warehouse as efficient as possible. Contact us today!