AN INSIDER'S VIEW: WAREHOUSE DENSIFICATION.
TODAY'S BUZZWORD OR TOMORROW'S NECESSITY?
During Covid, consumers’ freezers were chock-full of their favorite ice creams, frozen vegetables, prepared meals, and pizza. Consumer behavior changed overnight as restaurants and food service operations were closed and Americans were eating in. The demand for frozen food increased an estimated 40 percent and consumers continue to rely on the convenience.
As demand skyrocketed, the country’s cold storage infrastructure, which averaged 35 years in operation, faced significant pressure to meet the influx of demand. Warehouses built in 1988 were not constructed to meet today’s dynamic food supply chain and customer buying patterns.
FlexCold, a new cold storage entrant with its first operational location in Jacksonville, Florida, saw the opportunity to build a new model of 3PL cold storage and logistics. With an integrated approach to real estate, technology, and operations, the FlexCold team (set out) to realize significant efficiencies. The design and programming of the building was key to delivering on its value proposition and it started with FLEXSPACE Mobile Racking.
WAREHOUSE DENSIFICATION WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO FLEXCOLD?
At FlexCold-Jacksonville, we designed the warehouse around the FLEXSPACE Mobile Racking System. The numbers tell the story: our 150,000-square-foot warehouse has 25,000 pallet positions. With a traditional double-deep or multi-deep system to achieve the same 25,000 pallet positions, the warehouse would have been 75,000 – 80,000 square feet larger.
By converting the empty aisle space to usable storage capacity, we have been able to densify the storage capacity which reduced our building footprint. Increases in efficiency and long-term value have been immediate—less land, less energy, less utilities, decreased travel times. Also, the impact on our team’s productivity has been impressive, and we’re in the process of assessing how our decreased footprint and travel times and 100% accessibility have dialed up our service levels and customer experience.
MEET MAURICE GRIER
GENERAL MANAGER AT FLEXCOLD-JACKSONVILLE
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Maurice Grier, General Manager at FlexCold-Jacksonville, is a 30-year cold storage veteran. He has spent his career managing productivity, inventory efficiency, and profitability in traditional multi-deep cold storage environments. FlexCold-Jacksonville is Maurice’s first experience with the FLEXSPACE Mobile Racking System. He shares his observations and how he quickly became an ardent supporter of mobile racking.
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DENSIFICATION
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FLEXSPACE Mobile Racking System converts empty aisles to storage capacity
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Smaller building footprint reflects densification of storage capacity
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A smaller building footprint delivers sustainable profitability with lower building costs, operational costs and labor cost
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Reduced travel time increases productivity and efficiency
IMPACT
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SINGLE-SELECT ACCESS
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FLEXSPACE Mobile Racking System eliminates multi-deep pallet management
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All pallet positions are front-facing, 100% accessible
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Less handling, less damage and decreased inventory loss
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Eliminates duplicative, unprofitable pallet touches
IMPACT
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VISIBILITY
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Ability to “see” inventory levels with single-select system
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All pallet positions are visible
IMPACT
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Higher occupancy and accuracy due to ability to see “open” availability
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Greater throughput activity with more profitable moves per hour
TIME
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A smaller building footprint decreases travel time from dock-to-stock
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Fewer pallet touches and movement with single-select accessibility
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More time spent on profitable pallet touches
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Less opportunity for lost inventory, greater labor productivity
IMPACT
“When I first saw the mobile racking system and the operator pulling product out of an aisle and needing to go across to a different aisle, I was concerned at how long it would take for the aisle to open. However:
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It takes less than one minute for the aisle to open
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Factor in the time it takes in a two-deep environment to access the back position (at least two moves)
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There is more time unproductively moving pallets (and increasing risk for damage, tipping and losing inventory) than waiting for an aisle to open
In addition, the single-select racking eliminates honeycombing. The
front-facing positions allow us to immediately see open positions. We
can achieve 100% occupancy with full accessibility to every pallet position.”
Densification =
More efficiency, less space, so many advantages
As Maurice Grier has indicated, densifying cold-warehouse environments with our mobile racking system is an unbeatable, highly cost-effective solution for today’s uptick in demand for frozen products.
Densification =
More efficiency, less space, so many advantages
As Maurice Grier has indicated, densifying cold-warehouse environments with our mobile racking system is an unbeatable, highly cost-effective solution for today’s uptick in demand for frozen products.