What is industrial Storage

If you carry out a search on the internet for “What is industrial Storage” there is a wide variety of results ranging from shelving and racking solutions to huge warehousing facilities and outdoor storage offering both short and long term industrial storage facilities.

As you can imagine, the person browsing must be incredibly frustrated by this wide range of search results and hopefully begin to refine their search based on their storage needs, location and more precise phrases related to the items they wish to store

We hope that having read this article you will have a better understanding of what options are available from industrial storage companies and the factors that need to be considered in order to select the industrial storage solution best suited for your needs.

What to consider when choosing industrial storage options

The main factors to consider are:

•    Time: The length of time you need industrial storage facilities will determine whether you need short or long term storage.
•    Cost: The long term cost will influence the decision to rent space, lease premises or buy a warehouse unit or outdoor facility outright.
•    Size: Calculating the quantity and size of each item will determine the amount of space required.
•    Perishability: This will determine if you need an indoor covered space, a temperature controlled environment, or outdoor storage
•    Legislation: Customs and excise controls, duty payments, movement restrictions, permits and authorised supplier agreements and movement traceability requirements.
•    Value: The value of the items will determine insurance needs and physical security requirements such as CCTV, keyholder access, fencing and gated access requirements.

INDUSTRIAL STORAGE – OUTDOOR

If you have product or industrial equipment that will not be affected by the elements, outdoor storage in secure yards like Merritts can offer a popular option for large scale industrial equipment that will eventually be used outdoors such as construction materials and vehicles, or plant and equipment used by agricultural, petrochemical oil and gas industries.

INDUSTRIAL STORAGE – INDOOR

If your products definitely need to be stored indoors or under cover, the following are the most widely used indoor industrial storage options:

Industrial Warehouse

Indoor warehousing facilities like Merritts are able to provide the safe storage of valuable and perishable goods. These facilities can also be used as a safe place to carry out maintenance or refurbishment works, or to demonstrate products to would be customers.

Bonded Warehouse Facility

A bonded warehouse is a secure facility, where goods liable to import duty or VAT are stored, for a period of time until the goods are ready to be sold or moved to a new location.

This method of storage has obvious benefits for sellers who import and sell goods liable to these charges. By using a HMRC approved facility, they are able defer payment of import duty and VAT on their goods and equipment. Using bonded warehousing enables the purchase of goods when finance and exchange rates are favourable and helps manage cashflow.

Portable Warehouse Buildings

If you have outdoor space on spare land but need a to provide indoor storage, you might consider erecting a portable structure. These can range from stainless steel framework structures, to tents and inflatable shelters. If you choose this option don’t forget to review any additional costs for heating, lighting, security risks and insurance cover.

Small Self Storage Lock-Ups

These can range from individual small garage sized units to large warehouse complexes that have been divided internally into smaller units.

The concept is that you rent the unit according to your size requirements for an agreed period and are given key holder access to the main door and your lock up. These facilities are usually quite secure and have CCTV monitoring. These storage systems are most suitable for small items and may also include shelving units and racks.

WHAT INDUSTRIAL STORAGE SOLUTIONS CAN MERRITTS OFFER?

Merritts’ secure industrial storage facilities contain over 80,000 ft² of internal warehouse space on multiple sites. We are also an HMRC approved bonded facility which is a great benefit to UK machinery agents and distributors who may import machines that have not been sold.

We are able to provide transport from any UK location as well as insurance for the transport of equipment into stores, the offloading and handling, and then insurance to store goods whilst in our facility.

Our industrial storage facility has overhead cranes capable of lifting 20Te. This heavy lifting equipment is particularly useful for customers who require dedicated space to lift machinery in order to carry out repairs and maintenance.

We specialise in all types of large industrial style machinery. This includes printing presses, textile manufacturing machinery, food processing machinery, CNC machine tools, injection moulding equipment, extrusion machines and furnaces.

In the past, we have also stored modular housing units, commercial freezers for food manufacturers, and insulation and foam blocks for a mattress manufacturer.

All Merritts’ industrial storage warehouses are controlled by a warehouse manager and dedicated admin team. Our sites are enclosed with 2.4m palisade fencing and equipped with intruder alarms and CCTV to protect against break-ins and damage. We also only allow authorised personnel to enter the facility using hi-tech access control systems.

Conveniently located in the East Midlands, with easy access from the M1, whether you need a short or long term secure storage solution, our industrial warehouse is ideally suited to meet your requirements.

If you’d like a quote for your industrial storage needs, please get in touch: