5 ways to increase your production space
UK manufacturing is thriving. We’re currently the world’s eighth largest industrial nation making up 11% of the UK GVA, 44% of total UK exports, 70% of business R&D, and directly employing 2.6 million people.
If current growth trends continue, the UK will break into the top five largest industrial nations by 2021.
Great news for manufacturers all over Britain – but if manufacturing is growing in the UK then so is the floor space it occupies – businesses need room to grow.
If you are looking to increase your production area then here are five ideas to help you reduce your storage floor space and give you room to expand.
1. Replace bulky foam or EPS packs with “on demand” alternatives
- Airsac can be quickly inflated as required, gives maximum protection and minimises the amount of space taken up in storage before use. Pallets of foam can be replaced with one box of inflatable bags.
- Instapak produces moulded and engineered cushions on demand, is fast, offers maximum protection and takes up minimal storage space.
2. Lose the loosefill
- A paper filler system is one space saving option. A compact block of paper can fill as much void as 6 packs of loosefill – it’s smaller, easier to store and doesn’t spill all over the warehouse floor!
- Airbags are another space saving substitute.
3. Investigate timber crate alternatives
- Look at solutions that are less bulky, easier to store, made of lighter material and could save money on final shipping costs, too. To find out more read our blog https://macfarlanepackaging.com/blog/struggling-timber-crates/
4. Reduce the wall of bubble wrap
- Switching to a 200m “tight wound” bubble means that you can decrease the storage space of bubble by 38%. The longer length also allows you to make fewer roll changes at the packing station therefore increasing productivity.There are also on demand systems which allow you to inflate the bubble as and when you need it eliminating the need for bubble storage completely. NewAir I.B. Flex can inflate up to 90 ft of material per minute!
5. Switch to “Just in time” delivery of packaging
- If you are buying direct from a manufacturer you may be tied to large MOQs meaning that packaging can sit in your racking, unused, for months.By switching to a distributor who sources packaging on your behalf it can be stored off-site and delivered “JIT” to meet your production schedule. This helps with warehouse space and cash-flow as you purchase stock only when it’s needed.
Macfarlane Packaging can help you identify packaging solutions to reduce the amount of space required for storage. Potentially giving you more space for production.
Contact us today to see how we can help: www.macfarlanepackaging.com/contact
References:
UK Manufacturing Statistics: https://www.themanufacturer.com/uk-manufacturing-statistics/