Moving a Warehouse: How to Relocate Without Stopping Shipments

Moving a warehouse starts with the new layout

The truck is the easy part. What decides whether a warehouse move goes well is whether every pallet, bin, and rack has an assigned place in the new building before anything leaves the old one.

• Draw the new layout to scale. Dock doors, staging lanes, rack rows, aisle widths that suit your lift trucks, pick areas, packing stations, and the office
• Check the building. Clear height, floor condition and capacity, sprinkler coverage, lighting, power for chargers, and door sizes all limit what can go where
• Number every location. Label rack bays, levels, and floor positions before the first load arrives, and enter them in your inventory system
• Map old to new. Each current location gets a destination, so a pallet can be labeled once and put away without a discussion

A sound warehouse move plan also puts your fastest-moving items closest to packing and the docks. A relocation is the one time re-slotting costs almost nothing extra.

Warehouse relocation checklist by phase

A small stockroom can compress this. A large distribution building often stretches the move phases across several weekends.

How to handle a warehouse inventory move

Inventory accuracy is the first thing a move puts at risk. Product that is counted, labeled, and scanned at both ends stays found. Product that is simply loaded does not.

• Ship down and purge. Run stock levels lower in the weeks before the move, and sell, return, donate, or scrap what is obsolete. Do not pay to move dead stock
• Count before. A full physical count, or a round of cycle counts, gives you a clean starting number
• Label every pallet and tote with its contents and its new location. Wrap and band loads so they survive a truck ride
• Scan out and scan in. Record each load as it leaves and as it is put away, and keep a simple manifest for every truck
• Freeze what is in motion. Items on a truck should not be available to pick until they are put away
• Count after. Recount the new building and reconcile differences while the move is still fresh in everyone's mind

Moving pallet racking: teardown, permits, and reinstallation

Pallet racking is an engineered structure, not furniture. How much it can safely hold depends on its design, its condition, how it is assembled and anchored, and the floor underneath it. That is why moving pallet racking is usually a job for a racking specialist rather than a general crew.

• Inspect before teardown. Bent uprights, damaged beams, and missing safety clips should be replaced, not reinstalled
• Ask about permits early. Many jurisdictions require a building permit for storage racks, and the fire code may add requirements for high stacked storage, such as sprinkler coverage and aisle widths. The rules and height thresholds vary, so ask the local building department and fire marshal before you order or install anything
• Install to the manufacturer's specifications. That includes anchoring to the floor. It is also good practice to post the load capacity where operators can see it
• Have it inspected before a single pallet goes up
• Sequence it. Racking for the first phase has to be standing, anchored, and labeled before that stock moves. If you cannot empty the old racks in time, buying or renting some racking for the new site may cost less than a shutdown

How to phase a warehouse move so shipping continues

1. Reserve and overstock first. It is the stock you touch least, and it gives the crew practice before the critical loads
2. Slow movers next. Orders for them can ship from whichever building holds the item that day
3. Fast movers and pick faces last, ideally over a weekend, so they are unavailable for the shortest time
4. Packing and shipping stations move with the last wave and are the first thing set up at the new site
5. Switch receiving on a set date. From that day, inbound freight goes to the new address. Tell suppliers and carriers in writing

Give customers the cutoff dates in advance, ship ahead where you can, and build extra stock of your top items at the new building before the final wave. Running two buildings for a few weeks costs rent and labor, but usually less than stopping shipments. Night and weekend loads keep trucks out of the way of daily operations. See weekend and after-hours moves.

Forklifts, conveyors, and items that need a specialist

• Lift trucks and pallet jacks. Ask your dealer about transport. Propane cylinders and large batteries have their own handling rules and often travel separately
• Conveyors, mezzanines, and dock equipment. Have the installer or manufacturer take these down and rebuild them
• Hazardous materials. Flammable, corrosive, or otherwise regulated products should be moved by a carrier qualified to haul them. Your safety manager and that carrier can tell you what applies
• Scanners, printers, and the network. Test wireless coverage in the new aisles once the racks are up, because steel and stock change the signal. See moving IT equipment and servers
• The warehouse office. Desks, files, and computers move like any office. Our office move checklist covers it

Only trained, authorized operators should run lift trucks during the move, at both buildings. Agree on a traffic plan for docks and aisles before the first truck arrives.

What to ask commercial movers about a warehouse move

• Will you walk both buildings before quoting?
• Which parts of the job do you handle, and which need a racking installer, an equipment dealer, or a freight carrier?
• Can you load on nights and weekends, in phases?
• What trucks and equipment will you bring, and what do you need from our docks and lift trucks?
• How do you document each load?
• Can you provide the certificates of insurance both landlords require?

Allpoints Moving Services is a family-owned, licensed and insured mover based in Metro Atlanta, in business since 1999. Our commercial moving crews handle packing, furniture disassembly and assembly, loading, and unloading, and we regularly work nights and weekends. Tell us what you store, how it is stored, and who else is on the project, and we will tell you plainly which parts we can take on.

Commercial quotes are free and carry no obligation. Request a quote or call (678) 886-0944.