The cost of storage for freezer warehouses is astronomical. Apart from the building cost itself, other considerations such as the warehouse’s size, refrigeration controls (ex. automation), electrical utilities, insulation, flooring, and more can increase costs.
Boston Appraisal & Consulting Executive Director Thomas Jensen, in an article for New England Real Estate Journal, said the refrigeration sections of these warehouses alone could cost over $125 per square foot to construct. Often, the cost of construction exceeds the resale value of the property.
You’d want to start turning a profit fast to recoup your expenses. One way you can do this is to maximize storage density and outfit your staff with a fleet of equipment, such as narrow aisle forklifts, to move inventory into those dense storage locations. By doing so, your storage cost per item will be lower, but you’ll have a bigger inventory, allowing you to recover operating costs faster and gain a profit.
Counterbalance Forklifts vs. Narrow Aisle Forklifts
A forklift is essential to any warehouse’s efficiency and effectiveness. This piece of equipment addresses common warehouse problems, including slowdown and backlog. But not all forklifts are designed the same; a counterbalance forklift (for traditional storage warehouses) is different from a narrow aisle forklift.
- A counterbalance forklift is large and bulky, requiring 12-15 ft. aisles to turn. A narrow aisle forklift, as the name suggests, has a compact design. It can turn properly in aisles that are less than 12 ft. wide.
- A counterbalance forklift is designed to drive up close to pallet racks to pick up a load. A narrow aisle forklift is designed for loads in high racking or storage.
Most cold storage facilities are smaller than traditional warehouses. It means you need to optimize your pallet rack organization to store and access items easily. For a cold storage warehouse, a smaller forklift will be best.
The Benefits of a Narrow Aisle Forklift
A VNA (Very Narrow Aisle) Forklift allows you to navigate your cold storage facility more efficiently. Its compact design and maneuverability give your inventory at least 65% share in storage space. You can install a double-deep pallet rack system to double that usage share without worrying about the forklift’s performance.
The Bendi VNA forklift, in particular, improves business performance in many ways:
- The Bendi VNA forklift operates in aisles as narrow as 7ft. You can access higher racks, increasing your storage capacity.
- It has rotating steering, improving efficiency and increasing productivity.
- The forklift is available in a range of truck sizes that meet your cold storage facility’s diverse needs.
Total Warehouse carries the innovative Bendi VNA forklift for freezer warehouse managers. It is part of our forklift equipment rental line. You may test the machine out in your warehouse before fully committing to it.
WATCH: The Bendi in action at a freezer warehouse facility.
