The warehousing landscape is undergoing a transformation spurred by the evolving needs of retail chains and e-commerce giants. This shift presents a timely opportunity for warehouse owners and property managers to reimagine their spaces as multiuse facilities. Repurposing warehouse space to accommodate retail and e-commerce enables a variety of businesses to maximize space to reflect current market demands and new shopping norms.
With this transformation comes a new set of logistical challenges ranging from access control and management across segmented spaces to environmental control, safety, and security. Faced with these challenges, security entrances have emerged as a mainstream solution, offering a versatile approach to address the multi-faceted needs of modern warehouses. Let's explore the ways that warehouse space can be repurposed and how security entrances play a pivotal role in enhancing flexibility and security while expanding revenue and growth possibilities.
Repurposing Warehouses for Office, Entertainment and
Production Use
With their expansive layouts and high ceilings, warehouses are like blank canvases waiting to be transformed. Plus, transforming existing space into a multi-purpose space enables today’s businesses to expand profits by maximizing utilization of existing space.
According to Forbes in “Why Retailers Are Converting Stores Into Fulfillment Centers,” many businesses are turning their retail stores into online fulfillment centers. For example, DSW is expanding retail stores into what they call the "store of the future" to combine retail shopping space with online fulfillment in the same footprint. Subsequently, by fulfilling e-commerce orders in its stores, DSW’s 2021 revenue of $3.2 billion showed a 43% increase over the prior year.
In addition to retail and e-commerce, warehouses can be repurposed or utilized in a variety of innovative ways:
- Office Spaces: In a post-pandemic world where remote work remains prevalent but physical office spaces are still necessary, warehouses can serve as versatile office complexes for a wide range of applications including mixed use office space, professional services and even medical facilities.
- Entertainment Venues: Warehouse space can be revamped to host live music events, art exhibitions, or cinema screenings, offering a vibrant hub for cultural experiences.
- Production Spaces: With industries like biotechnology on the rise, warehouses can be repurposed for manufacturing or testing facilities, catering to the burgeoning demand for industrial space.
These options allow warehouse owners and managers to maximize operations and create new sources of revenue from their exiting spaces. Even if complete repurposing isn't possible, warehouses can benefit from reimagining their utilization. In any event these expansive spaces require robust security measures to ensure people, property and assets are protected.
Securing Warehouses with Security Entrances
As warehouses transform for multi-purpose applications, it‘s crucial to prioritize the safety and security of personnel and valuable inventory within these reimagined spaces. Deploying a comprehensive secured entry workflow strategy is both highly effective and cost-efficient to help mitigate risk and maintain compliance.
Here's how security entrances play a key role in this transformative process:
- Prevent Unauthorized Access: Security entrances help control and manage entry and egress to a facility and its interior spaces. And they eliminate the risk of tailgating and piggybacking into secured areas, providing robust protection for sensitive areas within the facility.
- Detect Intrusions: Coupled with biometric and access control systems, security entrances detect unauthorized entry attempts in real-time, enabling prompt intervention by security personnel.
- Deterring Unauthorized Access: Security entrances prevent unauthorized entry by monitoring or controlling traffic, bolstering overall security measures.
Implementing Layered Security Entrances
An all-encompassing, layered secured entry solution that's customized to the specific workflows of distribution, logistics, retail, and warehouse facilities ensures comprehensive protection. Every stage, from perimeter control to screening processes, is meticulously crafted to prevent theft and shrinkage more effectively. Implementing a layered security entrance solution safeguards against potential security breaches and ensures the safety of all those on premises. By applying this approach, you can rest assured that your facility is impervious to unauthorized access and your inventory is well protected.
Securing Your Warehouse Tip Sheet
The evolving landscape of warehousing demands innovative solutions to maximize flexibility and security. Warehouse owners can optimize operations while safeguarding valuable assets and personnel by repurposing spaces, embracing innovative security solutions like industrial curtains, and deploying sophisticated security entrances. As the industry continues to evolve, a proactive approach to security and flexibility will be paramount in ensuring long-term success in multi-purpose warehouses.
