There is no one-size-fits-all solution that’s guaranteed to give you ultimate warehousing efficiency – nonetheless, in oversized freight shipping. However, there are standard recommendations for storing and handling oversized loads. A solid supply chain strategy requires a custom approach based on the product, unique goals, and challenges of the manufacturer or distributor.
Addressing key considerations for the warehousing of bulk, heavy cargo, and overweight loads of products will help boost your warehouse efficiency.
Optimizing Warehouse Location for Efficient Transporation
It’s best to optimize warehouse location based on proximity to the end destination. For manufacturers shipping large and oversized items that are heavy haul shipping often means utilizing rail for cost efficiency. Therefore, finding rail-served sites or those near a transload terminal can be important. This allows the movement of shipments partway to their destination via rail, and then by trucking services for the last-mile delivery.
Businesses that need significant square footage may opt for lower-cost industrial real estate locations. However, that won’t always translate to lower overall costs if the transportation spend is higher.
One solution can be to split inventory, storing faster-moving products closer to their end destination and slower-moving or safety stock in a more cost-efficient location.
Figuring this shipping process out is not always simple, yet collaborating with a strong 3PL partner that has a broad network of industrial warehouses can be the solution!
Storage Method Analysis of Heavy Equipment
Bulk, heavy, and oversized products may or may not be able to be stacked. Including engineers on your team can help determine how high things can be stacked or the best way to package and store heavy haul freight goods for damage avoidance.
Proper engineering helps maintain safety in warehouse buildings. These professionals’ knowledge is essential to ensuring the warehouse floor, or even the parking lot, and the racking can withstand the weight of the product and equipment. Engineers can also help determine the best warehouse layout for efficient material flow and safe handling of products ensuring safe and efficient transportaion.
Warehouse Capacity for Oversize Loads
Optimizing warehouse space utilization depends on your specific situation.
For instance, a JIT inventory strategy could be cost-effective for an industry with mild seasonal peaks. For bulk and oversized items, which occupy significant space, operating with lean inventory levels means that every square foot of your warehouse is used more effectively. Instead of dedicating large portions of your facility to holding excess stock, a JIT approach reduces storage costs and frees up valuable real estate. Precise demand forecasting becomes critical, as any misalignment can lead to costly delays or stockouts that are more difficult to rectify than with smaller, more easily handled items.
Some companies may choose to lease dedicated warehouse space and operate at 60% capacity for most of the year. If being caught without warehouse space during critical times is a large risk, it may be worth it to pay for unused square footage. This strategy allows them flexibility to build up inventory before the peaks or consolidate inventory in case of emergencies.
Utilizing Specific Transporation Equipment
Oversized and overweight products require special equipment for handling such as cranes, heavy-duty forklift equipment, clamps, and a spreader bar. For example, the weight and shape of goods may necessitate clamps instead of forklifts for things like paper rolls.
Purchasing and maintaining the proper equipment to handle oversized and overweight goods can be insanely expensive and lead times for them can be an issue. Engineers also need to ensure floors or outdoor spaces can handle not only the weight of the product but also the weight of the machinery to handle the product. Working with a 3PL that already has the equipment, the ability to service it regularly, and knowledgeable engineering staff helps address these challenges.
Labor and Leadership
Hiring qualified warehouse staff can be challenging at best. However, finding hard-working and trainable employees is an effective approach since warehouse staff requires consistent safety training and must learn how to use specialized equipment. This ensures safety, which is a top priority in every aspect of warehouse operations, whether handling small items or managing large heavy loads of bulky products and chemicals that could result in a serious injury.
Labor planning around rail switches is critical to accommodate constantly shifting service times. Warehouse staff schedules should align with carrier operations. However, overtime and scheduling of workers during overnights and weekends may be necessary to ensure prompt offloading to minimize demurrage costs.
Partnering with a 3PL that consistently and proactively communicates with the rail carrier helps prevent delays and misunderstandings while helping address these labor-related issues.
Efficient and timely warehouse operations are also paramount as more manufacturers adopt just-in-time strategies again (after the COVID swing to a ‘just in case’ model’). A delay in shipment with a JIT strategy can seriously impact production down the line.
Work with a 3PL shipping company for optimized warehousing
A supply chain strategy tailored to your products, goals, and challenges drives warehouse efficiency. Partnering with a knowledgeable 3PL to develop your custom warehousing strategy helps overcome the storage and handling challenges of bulk, oversized, and overweight goods.
The right 3PL partner has a broad network of rail-served industrial warehouses and experts to determine storage methods best suited to your specific goods. They can help optimize warehouse space utilization, address equipment requirements, and ensure optimum warehouse staffing. This helps minimize costs, maintain proper inventory levels, and keep goods moving on schedule.
Connect with WSI to learn how we can help you with warehouse optimization.
Margot Howard
Margot Howard is a Freelance content marketing writer and strategist with 10+ years of experience. Margot worked in corporate sales for many years before transitioning to content marketing. She writes for B2B SaaS, software, and service companies, especially those in shipping and logistics, Sales Tech, and MarTech.
