Steel Warehouse Buildings
Whether big or small, Box Metal Buildings can provide you with the steel warehouse building kit or distribution center you need at an affordable price.
Look at the below steel warehouse building key points and contact us to begin the process. Our experts are ready to design the warehouse you need at an affordable price.
Loading Docks
Loading docks are important in warehouses because they serve as the primary point of entry and exit for goods being shipped and received. They allow for the efficient loading and unloading of trucks and other vehicles, which is critical for maintaining the flow of goods in and out of the warehouse. Additionally, loading docks can also be used to transfer goods between different areas of the warehouse, such as between storage and shipping areas.
The location of the loading docks will likely determine the rest of the warehouse layout, so make sure this area meets your needs.
Interior Columns
The advantage of interior columns keeps the overall building price down as it distributes the rafter load to the ground. But these columns must be located so as not to impede product movement. Send us your floor layout and our design team will evaluate what is needed and create a custom plan that will be efficient for the building design and for the customer's overall needs.
Doors
One of the most important aspects of choosing or setting up a warehouse space is the size and location of the doors, as well as their type. Warehouse doors come in many formats including roll-up, overhead, sliding etc.
It’s important to consider the size and type of doors needed for the types of vehicles and equipment that will be entering and exiting the warehouse, as well as the volume of traffic. The larger the door, the more the inside of the building is exposed to the elements each time that door opens, so selecting the right door can help improve energy efficiency.
Bear in mind that all doors will require different types of maintenance, which is important as proper door maintenance can prevent potential safety hazards and help to keep the warehouse running smoothly. Let us know the desired door type and our team will include a design that will work with these doors for installation and wind loading.
Building Height
If your building is tall this allows for extra vertical racking, this is a flexible way to quickly increase your warehouse storage capacity.
Racking and shelving can be a great way to increase your storage space but bear in mind that the higher the items are placed, the harder it can be to retrieve them.
Low-level racking should be used for fragile items to lessen the chance of breakages, and for heavier or bulkier items so it takes less effort to move them.
If you don’t need vertical storage, you could consider adding a second floor. A mezzanine floor is a good way to maximize floor space without a full warehouse redesign, and you can also install a mezzanine conveyor for safe and efficient inter-floor transport. Let us know your vertical rack requirements and we will design frames to meet or exceed these requirements.
Aisle Widths
It’s likely you’ll be using forklifts, pallet trucks, and other lifting equipment in your warehouse space. Make sure to have enough aisle space for forklifts and lift truck traffic. The width required will generally be based on what models of forklift or equipment you are using as they will vary in terms of turning radius and reach. Try to give forklift operators as wide a path as possible to lessen the risk of collisions or accidental product damage.
Goods Flow
Fast-moving and best-selling items should be as close to the packing area as possible. Commonly bundled items such as batteries should also be close at hand. You could utilize ‘forward staging’ to improve picking speed by having areas of fast-moving stock closer to the packing area. Slow-moving items should be in a separate zone. However, be prepared for these fast-moving items to change to make sure your forward storage solution can suit a range of product sizes to suit any eventuality.
Consider if your products need to be in a temperature-controlled environment. If this is the case, you'll want to consider how the items are taken to and retrieved from this space and how long that journey takes. Ideally, you want these items to arrive at the warehouse space and be unloaded and transported to the correct area as quickly as possible.
Changing the warehouse space can be costly and time-consuming, but inefficient processes can be more damaging long term.
Laying out the warehouse sequentially can be a good idea, with each warehouse process having its own zone, with the neighboring zone being for the next process. Make sure each zone is given ample space to expand (even temporarily) as required.
Products
When setting up your warehouse, it may seem obvious, but the type of products you’ll be storing and distributing should be considered.
Things like the size and shape of your products should be taken into account as this dictates what type of storage systems should be used. Items that don’t stack can cause headaches when trying to place them in standard racking, so you may need to consider an alternative storage option.
Some products you want to sell may have special storage requirements, for example, food products may need to be in a temperature-controlled environment. Hazardous materials also require special storage considerations and to be kept away from certain other products.
Fragile items also often require special storage or handling considerations. It’s often good practice to have nothing placed on the floor itself during storage as this can lead to pest damage, damp, and mold, especially in non-environmentally controlled environments.
Overhead Cranes
An overhead crane can be designed into the building to move product in whatever area is required. Overhead bridge cranes or monorail cranes can make light work of heavy loads. Overhead Cranes have a longer expected life as compared to forklifts and don't require as much maintenance. If an overhead crane makes sense let us know the expected maximum Ton lift required and the area needed for lifting and we can design a structure that meets your crane requirements.
Cold Storage
Cold Storage of products can be achieved for the entire building or specific building sections using Cold Storage Panel Systems. There are several products that require cold storage like foods, Nutritional supplements, botanicals, bio-pharmaceuticals, books and artwork, craft goods, cosmetics, chemicals, organic textiles or specialized products. Make sure to include your cold storage plans if you intend on warehousing these heat sensitive products.
Heating
The correct heating and cooling system is important as it affects the productivity of employees and can lead to an uncomfortable working environment. There are many ways to heat a warehouse, such as gas heaters, electric heaters, and radiant heaters, but some have a larger cost or carbon footprint than others.
In loading areas, air curtains could be used to keep cold or hot air out of the warehouse. In the summer, however, fans may be required to help distribute fresh air. Let us know your plans for heating and if required, we will adjust our building design to accommodate these items.
Insulation
With open dock doors, productive employees and possibly cold storage it is a good idea to limit your energy loss by using the best insulation possible.
Whether it be fiberglass or spray foam, Cellulose, Aerogel, or Prodex you want to stop these items. Condensation, Heat transfer, Air transfer, no support for pests or mold and mildew. You need a functioning Vapor Barrier to help with this. The best time to insulate your building is during warehouse construction.
Retrofitting insulation will cost more due to the time and complexity added. Let us know your insulation needs and we will design our building to accommodate the required insulation type and thickness.
Lighting
Good warehouse lighting will make a difference to any warehouse space, and it is surprising how often this is overlooked. Employees are more productive in brighter light as they can see what they’re doing more clearly, and are less likely to make mistakes in picking, packing, and reading paperwork. It may be worth adding additional task lighting and workspace lighting to packing stations for this reason.
Improving lighting can also decrease the chance of accidents as the employees can see what they’re doing better.
Installing new lighting also gives you the opportunity to save money on your energy bills by opting for energy-efficient LED lighting, this type of lighting doesn’t give off heat so it can also save money on air conditioning costs. Let us know your lighting needs and we will adjust our design if required.
Translucent Panels
These panels can be added to either the roof or the wall of the building providing natural light where it is needed. An array of translucent panels in the roof can provide a great deal of light during the day. Of course the arrangement of these roof lights needs to take consideration for roof and light maintenance. A worker must be able to clean or maintain the roof without risk of injury. Let us know your shelving or equipment layout and we will design a Translucent panel arrangement that will work for both use and maintenance.
Egress
Many Walk doors will be needed to make sure your employees are able to exit the building if an emergency takes place. A continuous and unobstructed path is required from any point of the building to the outside. Panic hardware and door closers are needed to ensure employees safety. Let us know the required egress locations and we will design a building that will allow for walkdoors in these locations.
Fire Suppression Systems
A fire suppression system may be required on buildings over a certain square feet. Let us know the required fire suppression system and we will adjust our building design to properly suit and perform with this system.
Solar Panels
Solar Panels can be a good investment to offset power consumption costs of a distribution center. It can power lighting, heating, air conditioning and water heating. If solar panels seem to be a good option for your project, let us know and we will design a roof that will accept the additional loading from these panels.
Standing Seam Roof Panels
The use of standing seam roof panels can add cost up front, but save money over time. Standing seam panels are raised and attached with a clip interlocking the panels together rather than being penetrated by a Roof screw. As the building ages, the neoprene roof screw washers begin to break down, and as the building cycles from hot to cold over time, leaks are more likely to occur. For a warehouse that will be used to keep the weather out for its life, we recommend this added protection to ensure the lowest maintenance for the future. We use several different types of standing seam profiles and will have one that works with what you need.
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