Storage/Staging: Facility consolidation merges two parts rooms into the space of one

During a merger of two busy shops into one at a new location, RDO Equipment Company optimized inventory storage while preventing business disruptions. Inside the new store, the equipment dealership specializing in John Deere products now houses agricultural, consumer and construction products.

The relocation of parts departments was seen as a key challenge, and the ideal solution would keep everything easily accessible from the parts counter. With double the inventory in one space, meeting this goal would require minimizing time spent walking up and down aisles.

“We considered a number of different storage options for the new location, including racking and shelving,” says Terry Burchill, aftermarket manager for the combined store. In the old stores, parts were housed in a combination of steel shelves, pallet racks and display fixtures. The new store would require something considerably more efficient. “We decided that cabinets would do the best job at optimizing the available space,” he says.

The new back-to-back drawer units with overhead storage cabinets left enough room above them for a mezzanine, should there be a need for additional storage in the future. The cabinets came already assembled and fitted with drawer partitions specified by the customer. Rather than shipping the cabinets directly to the new store, the supplier shipped them to the old locations so that RDO could load them up before the move. They were delivered completely stocked to the new facility.

Burchill also purchased additional cabinets with overhead bins for the new special tools room. Tools that had been scattered throughout the tool rooms at the old stores are now stored neatly. “We fit our special tools from the two stores into a space the size of one of the old tool rooms,” Burchill says.

Stanley Vidmar
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