Archive for November 29th, 2014

Troubleshooting Major Storage Issues To Achieve Business Growth

Source: http://www.optimumorg.com/dyn/operations-development/supply-chain-excellence/inventory-management/

Britain has become the self-employment capital of Europe with no less than 4.5 million Britons working for themselves. This is over 15% of the country’s total workforce.

Many reasons have been put forward for this trend. Perhaps the lack of paid employment opportunities is forcing peoples’ hands. Perhaps there is a stronger entrepreneurial culture in the UK which drives more people to try their hand at going it alone than is the case in many other Western economies, including our European trading partners.

Whatever the explanation however, new entrepreneurs will quickly be confronted by formidable challenges in seeking to move their business forward. One of the biggest obstacles is going to be the issue of storage. A lot of agony later can be spared by troubleshooting major storage issues to achieve business growth.

To begin with, use of space in the home or somewhere attached to the house might be attractive in terms of keeping costs down but this will soon seriously inhibit the possibility of growth due to inevitable restrictions of space. It will also have a major impact on domestic life. An understanding and supportive partner will be essential for anyone in a family environment. Even if little inventory is required, paperwork, record keeping and other requirements will quickly mount. Security will also be an important issue.

Most new entrepreneurs and small businesses will probably have no idea how to go about developing their own storage systems. I am amused with my new discovery of Warehouse Storage Solutions Company, one of the UK’s largest providers of mezzanine floors and other storage solutions to cater to any business’s needs.

Any business reaching this stage of development will find it essential to have relevant guidance from an experienced storage provider, otherwise their costs will quickly escalate and have a major impact on profitability. “Turnkey” packages with electrical works, sprinklers, groundworks etc will greatly assist the efficiency of a storage project. It will be better to have the appropriate guidance on what is needed from an independent provider which doesn’t manufacture it’s own range of storage equipment so that there is no conflict of interest.

Now that cloud computing has come of age, devices can talk to each other. An account with any of the leading cloud storage providers means that you can text or email a customer and organise mutually agreed times for the delivery of their order. Customers will be looking for a prompt response when ordering, so keeping up with mobile and cloud advances will be essential.

Whichever of the best providers you choose will makes little difference. Dropbox, Google Drive or iCloud all offer some storage capacity for free with the option to upgrade as business storage needs grow. If you’re a Microsoft user and a 365 subscriber, there’s also the option of unlimited storage via OneDrive as it rolls out in the coming months.

Efficient relocation will either make or break any business as it expands. UKRS is an efficient relocation service which is popular amongst many new business starters. It will be essential not to fall between two stools, either by overexpanding capacity before there is a need or by not thinking big enough and being unable to meet customer expectations. Issues of Health and Safety must also be carefully addressed so discussing your needs with a reputable storage provider is more important than ever.