What you should do prior to a warehouse move
Moving to a newer, more extensive setup for your business can be an exciting time. However, if you are unaware of the logistics required to facilitate your move and ensure you control everything, it can all go wrong quite quickly.
This is especially true when looking at moving warehouses.
From setting up your new place to receive your inventory and equipment to packaging up your old warehouse ready for them over, it is an operation that requires careful planning and even more careful execution.
Warehouse transition plan
Your warehouse transition plan will help you organise them and make sure everything gets seamlessly from one location to the next.
Firstly, before doing anything in your new warehouse, you need to assess what the future looks like for your company.
While growth will have facilitated this move, what prospect for further expansion is available for the future for your company and what can you put into place now to help ease any changes in the future.
From implementing the newest tech to fully optimising the space by taking on what you have learned from previous growth periods for your company. If you have plans, make sure your warehouse can accommodate them now rather than changing things in the future.
Even if you do not use the facilities for a while, if they are in place, you can be sure when you are ready to expand, so is your warehouse.
Ask yourself the following when making plans to move;
● Who do you need to tell of your move - landlords, utility suppliers, vendors, employees, financial backers etc.?
● Who is doing what before, during and after the move?
● What manner do you need to keep running during the move?
● Can you remove any old or dead inventory or equipment before moving to avoid taking it with you?
● What is your moving budget?
● What is your moving timeline?
● Do you need to take existing equipment with you, or is it more cost-effective to buy new equipment?
Moving checklist
Once you have completed the above, you need to consider the logistics move and what equipment you will need for the move.
Plan your timeline from now until moving day and book in your removal company quickly to avoid having to pay over the odds or not having anyone available.
Look at how long the move will take you realistically and what you need to take care of the old building once everything is out.
If you need to hire specific services to assist with cleaning, move or buy moving accessories from Evo Supplies, do this as soon as possible.
Next, you need to organise your inventory and take stock. Rundown what you are holding and consider running a reduced capacity in the immediate days before and after the move. This will help you to settle in faster and reduce what you need to pack.
Organise employees and how you will have on hand to assist with the move and who to continue working with. Have people in charge in both warehouses to facilitate a smoother transition.
Have contact numbers for everyone to hand in to help things run smoothly and make everyone aware of their personal responsibilities before the move.
