How To Keep Your Warehouse Safe & Efficient Throughout 2025
A Message from the Warehouse Systems Team
We’re all looking to increase our efficiency. Make doing business easier. To that end, the Warehouse Systems team at Cromer has something important to share. One thing to say for all of us going into 2025.
Be proactive on your warehouse maintenance this year.
Being proactive gets you ahead of the challenges, FDA inspections, and reduced productivity associated with downtime. Not to mention improving workplace safety.
Deferred Maintenance: Easier Now, Piling Up Problems Later
Deferring maintenance makes warehouse operations easier now. You have more budget available, and less “unnecessary work” taking up time. It doesn’t get rid of the problems though...in fact, it usually makes them worse.
Proactive maintenance follows the “a little cost now to save bigger costs later” practice. Otherwise, the maintenance you defer comes back to bite you later, in the form of higher repair costs.
These are requests we’ve received over the past few years.
- “We need to get the dock seals and brush seals going ASAP! We have an inspector coming in.”
- “Our exterior door won’t close, and we are trying to lock up.”
- “Our exterior door won’t open, and we are trying to stage deliveries.”
- “A forklift operator tried to open a dock door that was jammed - now it won’t move at all, it’s crooked, and the tracks are broken.”
- “The dock’s jammed. There's too much trash build-up under it.”
- “The dock board partially collapsed due to stress cracks. Can you fabricate a repair ASAP? It’s one of only a couple of docks.”
What do they all signify? Someone who wasn’t proactive.
Never Underestimate Maintenance
Everything in the warehouse is important—its docks, dock doors, restraints, high speed doors, roll up doors, balers, compactors, and more. When a piece of equipment goes down, it becomes a race against time.
A minor PM invoice could have caught the problem sooner. Now it’s an emergency issue...and much more expensive.
When Should You Schedule Warehouse Maintenance?
Some of us might say that the warehousing industry’s ‘busy season’ runs from January 1 to December 31! So when do you schedule? When proactive maintenance makes sense, regardless of season.
Let’s share an example. Late Spring to Early Fall is a busy period for distribution. What happens the most during that time? Breakdowns on equipment and jamming doors.
Will proactive maintenance stop those? Yes, it can (though accidents do happen). The best time to run it? In the early Spring and late Fall – ‘bookmarking’ the busy period. This puts your warehouse in its best possible position for smooth and safe operation.
Warehouse Design Can Help or Hurt – If Yours Hurts, Ask a Design Consultant
A warehouse's design must foster the success of its team. Many are set up toward that goal. Is yours?
If the team has trouble with pile-ups, blocked aisles, or frequent storage overload, you may need the help of a design consultant. This is a warehouse expert who can identify solutions to make a warehouse more efficient. To help you get the most out of your “cube.”
If that sounds helpful, here’s our Warehouse Design page.
Final Word: Proactive Maintenance Boosts Team Safety
Avoiding downtime and repair costs is a big reason to do proactive warehouse maintenance. Safety is a bigger one.
Safety’s always a hot-button topic because it’s always at risk. A damaged rack can drop boxes on someone. A wobbly ramp can tip over a forklift. Being proactive with your maintenance means those risks stay as low as possible.
Warehouse Systems keeps an eye out for new safety products all the time. We have products to help you improve safety for docks, rack, forklifts, and more. Check out our latest flyer for more details.
Until next month!
-The Cromer Team
Cromer Material Handling
Deal of the Month
2012 DOOSAN ELECTRIC – $16,000
For the January Deal of the Month, we have a small Doosan electric, the B20T. This is a three-wheel truck with a brand new battery (added by us!).
The B20T has a 4,000# capacity, with a three-stage mast and side shifter. This is a smaller forklift, only 42 inches wide, with a 75-inch turning radius. It’s ideal for a smaller yard, or for facilities who want to test an electric in the field.
Cromer’s offering this Doosan at only $16,000. There’s only one, so hurry and pick it up!
To get this Deal, call Cromer at 800-464-3225 and ask for the January Deal of the Month!