The Three Components That Must Work Together
Every warehouse racking project has three core pieces. Material procurement. Installation labor. Permitting and compliance. All three need quotes. All three have different timelines. All three must coordinate or the project stalls.
Material procurement means choosing new versus used, domestic versus foreign manufacturers, and managing pricing with lead times. You’re looking at the number of uprights, beams, and wire decks your facility needs. Storage becomes an option if you’re taking a phased approach.
Installation labor gets quoted separately from material costs. Timeline coordination with permitting drives the schedule. You might need to work around existing operations. The labor quote sits alongside the material quote as a distinct line item.
Permitting and compliance involves working with city inspectors, creating CAD drawings with specifications, and timing inspections correctly. You can’t have inventory on shelves during inspections. The permitting quote completes the third piece.
The integration matters most. A single vendor managing all three components means one point of contact through planning, procurement, permitting, and installation. Everything moves together instead of you coordinating three separate contractors.
Stage 1: Facility Planning and Layout Design
Start with understanding how your warehouse flows. Receiving area placement drives everything downstream. Case storage requirements differ from pallet storage needs. Material handling and picking areas need different configurations than shipping and outbound zones.
Product specifications create clarity. What do your products weigh? How are they stored – pallets, cases, or individual items? Storage method requirements determine racking type. Load capacity needs flow from product weight. Shelf level requirements per bay depend on product dimensions.
Capacity planning turns requirements into equipment counts. Number of pallet positions needed. Uprights and beams calculation. Wire deck requirements. Aisle width considerations. Maximizing square footage utilization without compromising safety or accessibility.
Strategic Positioning for Multi-Location
The planning stage changes completely when you’re launching multiple facilities. If you know you’re launching four facilities over the next 18 months, planning happens differently. You understand the general layout that works across locations. Product storage stays consistent between sites. The approach scales instead of reinventing the wheel for each facility.
This is where early positioning creates value. Know your requirements across all locations and procurement becomes strategic instead of tactical.
Stage 2: Material Procurement Strategy
Multi-location scenarios show how procurement strategy differs from single-facility thinking.
You’re launching five facilities over 18 months. Each facility needs roughly 1,000 uprights plus beams. Total requirement: 5,000 uprights across all locations. Beam quantities vary based on shelf level preferences at each site.
Now evaluate procurement options. Domestic manufacturers offer one pricing tier. Foreign producers from Vietnam or China present different pricing. Used material procurement delivers 30-50% savings. You can even mix approaches across different facilities based on each location’s specific needs.
Early Procurement Advantages
Procuring early locks in pricing before increases hit. The projected 15% price jump over 18 months means buying now saves real money. You secure availability ahead of need. Storage costs run $4,000-5,000 per month. Hold material for three months until your Seattle, Las Vegas, or Dallas facility is ready.
The math works. Storage for three months costs $12,000-15,000. The 15% savings on delayed price increases covers that cost several times over. You control timing instead of racing availability.
Planning 18 months ahead of final installation gives you options. Permits get designed in advance. Data gets gathered before construction starts. You’re not scrambling during facility launch because the groundwork is done.
Stage 3: Permitting and Design Documentation
Permit design requires detailed facility plans. CAD drawings of racking layout show exactly what goes where. Load capacity specifications prove the system handles your products. Compliance with local building codes varies by jurisdiction. Working with each city’s specific requirements takes time.
Timing drives the inspection process. You can’t have inventory on shelves during inspections. The facility needs to be clean for permit approval. This coordination between installation schedule and inspection availability matters. The sequence is fixed: permit approval first, then installation, then inventory.
Documentation requirements stack up. Detailed racking specifications. Load calculations and engineering stamps. Building code compliance proof. Requirements vary by region and facility size.
Getting Data Ahead of Time
The critical insight: get data ahead of the process so you’re not stuck with inventory on shelves when trying to schedule inspections. Proactive approach prevents delays. The inspection process runs smoothly. Approval timeline shortens because documentation is complete and accurate.
Companies that handle permitting as an afterthought face delays. Companies that front-load the permitting work move faster through installation.
Stage 4: Material Procurement Execution
Lead time realities shape procurement decisions. Domestic new racking runs 4-8 weeks in current market conditions. Used material delivers in 2-3 weeks when available. Foreign producers vary by source and shipping logistics. Specialty items may run longer than standard configurations.
Procurement Timing Decisions
Direct to installation works fastest. Material arrives and goes straight to install. Procure and store creates strategic positioning. You buy now, store short-term, and install when facility is ready. Phased procurement for multi-location means coordinating deliveries across different sites. Just-in-time versus advance purchasing becomes a risk management decision.
Quality and specification management ensures material meets permit specifications. Load requirements must match. If you’re expanding existing systems, compatibility matters. Brand consistency across facilities might be required for operational or aesthetic reasons.
Storage between phases costs $4,000-5,000 monthly. This matters for multi-facility rollouts. Material sits protected while you prepare each location. Price protection justifies the storage cost. Ensuring availability when you need it prevents project delays.
Ted Hodges - CEO & Founder
Ted Hodges is the Founder and CEO of Conesco Storage Systems, a company he started in 1986 to provide turnkey warehousing products and services, including the repurposing of quality, used material handling equipment. With over 40 employees across the country, Ted and his team serve customers of all sizes throughout the different stages of the warehousing lifecycle.
