When you’re on the lookout for a Newark, NJ industrial property for sale, you’ll probably have a long checklist of factors to include – cleanliness and good organization probably being one of them. However, once the own the property and begin to use it, cleanliness becomes a bit of a chore, and falls by the wayside. A lot of property owners do the bare minimum required for compliance.
While this may save you some money, it is not ideal. Having a clean working environment is important, not just to keep problems at bay and boost employee morale, but also so the goods stored at your facility are in good condition.
In this blog post we will share some tips for cleaning your warehouse properly. Forward these to the responsible staff members, and it will help them get things done better, and quicker. And if you’re still looking for the perfect industrial property, reach out to Blau & Berg – we’ve been serving this area for decades, and have valuable market experience that we will use to get you the perfect property.
Warehouse cleaning 101: Tips for maximum efficiency
Here are some tips that’ll help you get that Newark, NJ industrial property for sale all nice and clean, and keep it looking clean year-round with minimal effort.
- Make a cleaning schedule that’s updated as needed
From iThink Logistics: “The primary duty of maintaining a warehouse is to keep it clean regularly. The space in the warehouse is huge and thus it gets dusty easily. Therefore, you must maintain a cleaning schedule to clean your warehouse at regular intervals. This will ensure that your stocks are safe and the employees working in the warehouse are working in a safe environment. This also reflects the overall value your company possesses. Areas like the shelves and small storage areas should be cleaned and dusted every single month. This is a must to do to avoid items and packages from becoming isolated or damaged.”
- Empty out the trash bins daily
If your garbage cans are full to the brim or overflowing, not only will that look awful, but it might cause people to litter because they have nowhere to throw their waste. In addition, taking out the garbage is a quick, easy step that immediately makes things better. Get some sturdy garbage bags for all the trash cans in your facility, and set a regular schedule for them to be emptied. It doesn’t have to be daily if it’s mostly dry waste and the bins aren’t full by the end of the day. You get extra points for using biodegradable bags.
- Assign different areas to your employees
iThink Logistics explains: “The best way to ensure that all the areas are maintained equally is to assign each area to individual on-site. A picker can be assigned to areas like shelves or conveyor belts. This means that each worker has to work in their areas diligently without making a mess before leaving that will require any further clean-ups. If this schedule is carried out regularly then it helps with workload a lot better and makes every significant shift efficient.”
Not only does this distribute the workload evenly, but it also ensures everyone has something to do, and that everyone’s familiar with the cleaning process. So if a staff member is unable to come in for a couple days, you won’t have a cleaning issue – someone else can step into their place.
- Keep cleaning supplies handy (and consistent)
In any organization, proper management is extremely important if you want to use labor and resources efficiently. So while we’re discussing cleaning, it’s important to note that you should keep cleaning supplies handy for when they’re needed. They’ll need equipment, cleaning products and other items. Find out what they need to take care of the machinery and premises, and provide them with those in advance of requirement.
Also make sure you stick to the same products, because muscle memory and product familiarity is a huge thing. If your employees see a different kind of product every time they head to the storage cupboard, they’ll be put off because they have to spend an extra ten minutes getting used to it. This way you’ll ensure your Newark, NJ industrial property for sale is always clean.
- Clean as you go
iThink Logistics states, on their website: “If the machinery is not working properly at other times, then it doesn’t matter how clean you keep your warehouse during the scheduled cleans. It is very essential that the staff clean litters such as metal items and metal shavings. They should be advised accordingly to maintain the firm standards and keep the area free from hazards. If after an operation is taken care of, the left overstock must be tidied up and kept in proper places before it turns into an accidental situation in the warehouse.”
- Turn the inventory oftener
If you have stock that’s been sitting there for a while, it can get obsolete and expensive, and it will sit there attracting dust, adding to your problems. Dust can potentially damage a product, and it’s generally a liability you want to avoid. So, if you find out that some stock has been piled up in the warehouse for a while, make sure it’s cast out and recirculated, so you save space and keep things fresh. It’s also important to keep your stock up-to-date. If that means you need to build a mezzanine or get additional storage space, then so be it.
- The importance of floor labeling
From iThink Logistics: “Floor labeling is very essential for every warehouse. It is particularly designed to keep the sectors organize and for identifying stocks easily. If you have the proper record of each isle and if you have the detailed data of the stocks contained in those isles, then it will be way easier for you to access the stocks. This will not only save an ample amount of time but also will make assigning the areas to clean to each employee much easier. As each aisle or area will be properly labeled, the employees will be clear of the portion assigned to them.”
So, these were some of our best tips on how to make sure your Newark, NJ industrial property for sale is clean and hazard-free. You should always aim for a clean, employee-friendly space that boosts morale and has high efficiency. Next, let’s discuss some issues that’ll come up as you start to get more organized with your cleaning and garbage disposal.
Minimizing waste and recycling
As you get the cleaning organized, you’ll have a little more time on your hands, which you can dedicate to solving the problem of waste management. Our country’s got a huge waste issue, and every organization – however big or small – contributes to it on some level. You probably throw away pallet wrappers, pallets, loads and loads of plastic, broken equipment, and bottles of cleaning supplies. Let’s think about how to change this so your facility’s a little bit more eco-friendly.
iThink Logistics says, on the subject of recycling: “It does not matter whether you are a big firm or a small chain business; recycling is the most vital part of any industry. This is the most you can do for your environment while running an organization that can cause harm to the environment. Recycle bins should be made available at every firm so that employees don’t go on dumping litter any time they want to throw some kind of litter. This ensures that the supplies that are being used during the operations are reused instead of being replaced. Doing something for the environment is becoming more and more important, considering the recent state of the environment. It is our duty as a citizen of the country to do our part for maintaining the environmental balance.”
If you can talk to suppliers and encourage them to use biodegradable materials in their packaging, or to remove unnecessary packaging, that would be another good step. Usually, eliminating packaging isn’t an option, because businesses exist to make a profit, and wouldn’t spend extra money on packaging that isn’t needed for safety or compliance. However, if you’ve found somewhere they can make an improvement, by all means let them know! They may welcome the suggestion – even if it doesn’t directly impact their bottom line.
Looking for a Newark, NJ industrial property for sale?
Get in touch with the Blau & Berg company. You deserve a space that you are proud of, that serves your purposes and that is efficient and scalable. Don’t settle for a place that doesn’t tick all the right boxes simply because you’re short of time. Instead, work with us.
With decades of market experience in NJ, we’ll work with you and find the best property for you. We know your time is precious, and we’re more than happy to take your instructions and roll with it. We won’t rest till you’ve found the perfect property – which you will, with our help.
