Did you know that commercial storage goes far beyond furniture, office supplies, and company products? If you’ve ever wondered how certain pharmaceutical products make it to your local store’s shelves, commercial storage facilities play a significant role. Certain warehouses are solely designed for pharmaceutical purposes while others are capable of sharing the space with other commercial products.
OnDemand Storage has been proud to serve pharmaceutical companies and biotechnology. These products and materials require very specific needs, making it very important to offer the best possible amenities in our warehouses. There are several important factors that go into commercial storage facilities for pharmaceutical and biotech products. Here’s everything you need to know about commercial storage facilities and the logistics that go into pharmaceutical storage.
Commercial Storage
As the name suggests, commercial storage refers to storage for businesses. There are many characteristics that make up commercial storage including logistics, warehousing, and distribution. Some businesses use commercial storage to clear up space, storing away items like office supplies and furniture.
However, most businesses utilize commercial storage for the management and distribution of their goods. Warehouses often include amenities that self-storage facilities don’t have, such as logistics services and heightened security systems. Some businesses also appreciate commercial storage facilities with an attached distribution center.
Security
One of the most important elements of any commercial storage facility is security. Warehouses commonly offer heightened security features that ensure your items stay safe and well maintained. Since you won’t always have access to your products, it’s important to know that your belongings are secure at all times.
When looking for a commercial storage facility, pay close attention to their security features. The best storage facilities include CCTV monitoring, coded access, and a fully fenced exterior security system. When you’re relying on others to take care of your products, it’s important to make sure that they’re prioritizing security.
Climate Control
If it’s possible, try to find a warehouse with climate controlled storage units. You may not need it for your items, but it can be helpful to know your products are safe against the elements. For some business owners, climate controlled warehouses are a requirement. For example, perishable foods must be stored at certain temperatures to avoid spoilage. However, even furniture can be vulnerable to changing temperatures.
Storage Size
Generally speaking, the best commercial storage facilities have a wide range of storage unit sizes for business owners with large inventories. If you’re not sure what size storage unit you need for your business, the on-site staff should be able to help you. Overall, it’s best to leave some empty space for incoming products while making the area as accessible as possible. In other words, make sure you find a space that doesn’t contribute to potential accidents, clutter, or health hazards.
Layout
Layout can be an important part of organizing your storage space. Size and layout often work in tandem, but it’s important to analyze them separately. Size determines what items you plan to store, but layout helps you figure out how to access your products. When it comes to layout, prioritize functionality over anything else.
For example, organizing your products by alphabetical order can help you and on-site team members find specific items easily. If you’re storing a different kind of product that doesn’t suit that style of organization, you can separate them into zones. Consider creating a digital map to keep track of all your products and provide them to on-site staff members.
Furniture
Furniture is often stored away for long periods of time, especially when it’s not needed right away. Generally speaking, commercial storage for furniture should be climate controlled, especially if they’re made of wood, leather, or metal. Transport furniture very carefully and make sure they’re stored in a functional manner. Make the storage space accessible and make sure that furniture is stacked properly.
Amenities
If it’s possible, find a commercial storage facility with well-rounded amenities. If you can find a warehouse that offers high quality security, climate control, and a distribution center all in one building, that is the most optimal solution. Other amenities to consider include 24 hour or extended access, commercial vehicle storage, or pickup and delivery. Consider all of your products, your budget, and any other required warehouse logistics.
Storage for Pharmaceuticals
The aforementioned information mostly applies to general commercial storage, but a lot that changes with the pharmaceutical industry. Understandably, there are many steps that need to be taken when transporting and storing prescription medications. Prescription drugs are highly susceptible to outside elements, making it essential to find a fully optimized commercial storage facility.
In compliance with the prescription drug marketing act of 1987, pharmaceutical representatives must store prescription medications in secure and climate controlled spaces. This ensures that all prescription and over-the-counter medications are safe and effective. This also prevents any dangers related to expired, misbranded, or counterfeit medications.
Storage for Biotech
Similar to pharmaceutical storage, biotechnology includes delicate and important items that could contribute to harmful situations if mishandled. To protect team members working in the warehouse and consumers, there are several factors that need to be considered when choosing a commercial storage facility.
Pharmaceutical storage and biotech storage share many needs: required climate controlled environments, inventory management, and intense observation for removal of expired materials. Labels are required for all biotech and certain equipment is essential for handling certain objects.
Warehouse Layout
The layout of a warehouse for pharmaceutical goods is one of the most important elements of storage. External contamination, bacteria, and temperature changes can all negatively affect prescription medications. Layout should also include security measures that ensure specific people are entering and exiting the pharmaceutical area of the warehouse.
When it comes to pharmaceutical warehouses, there are two common layout designs. A through pattern directs pharmaceutical inventories into one side of the facility and out the other side. In contrast, a circular layout allows traffic to flow through different areas of the warehouse. In summary, through layouts allow specific exit and entry into the facility while circular layouts support several commercial storage needs.
Storage Areas
Overall, pharmaceutical storage areas need to be clean, temperature controlled, and secure. Safety measures should be put in place to prevent unauthorized individuals from entering the space. All prescription medications and pharmaceutical items should be dry and properly labeled with any specific temperature needs.
Prescription medications, products, and materials should be properly handled to prevent cross-contamination. Removed and/or rejected materials need to be separated from any other pharmaceutical materials. The pharmaceutical storage space should be constantly monitored and temperature should be maintained to prevent contamination.
Temperature
Due to the delicate nature of prescription medications and other medical equipment, a climate controlled warehouse is required. Even a slight change in humidity can negatively affect pharmaceutical products. With these points in mind, climate control must be prioritized when storing prescription medications.
Climate control includes regular, consistent monitoring of temperature fluctuations. Warehouse lighting must also be kept in mind since it can also change the pharmaceutical area’s temperature. OnDemand storage offers climate controlled warehouses, allowing us to work with several pharmaceutical companies.
Inventory Management
For the safety of consumers in need of prescription and over-the-counter medications, regular inventory checks are required to monitor the expiration dates of all pharmaceutical products. Inventory management is already an integral part of warehouse operations, but it’s even more important when working with products susceptible to contamination.
On site team members need to be on the lookout for products that have been damaged, exposed to the elements, or expired. Any rejected pharmaceutical items need to be identified and placed in quarantine. If a product has expired or shows signs of damage, it must be removed immediately. These preventive measures ensure that all pharmaceutical products are accurate and safe when they reach consumers.
Inspection and Cleaning
Regardless of whether or not pharmaceutical products are stored in a warehouse facility, the best commercial storage companies should always keep their spaces clean. This is even more important with pharmaceutical materials. To ensure the safety of consumers, products need to be correctly labeled in case they need specific storage requirements.
In general, pharmaceutical areas of the warehouse should be kept as dry as possible unless specifically stated otherwise. Sanitation precautions and pest-control are required to keep the products safe from contamination. In the case of spillage, protocol needs to be followed to dispose of the waste properly.
Removal
A proper pharmaceutical storage facility should have several designated areas for removed items. In case of rejected, expired, or recalled items, there should be another storage area for disposal and re-evaluation. If there are items that could be harmful if exposed to outside elements or without strict supervision, they need to be separated from the main area with added security. If anything is broken or damaged, the product needs to be separated from usable stock.
Security
When dealing with prescription medications and pharmaceutical items, security should be a top priority. Access to the storage facility should be limited to professionals and company owners. Even so, access to certain parts of the storage facility should be designated to specific personnel, especially if these materials are vulnerable to the elements.
For pharmaceutical companies, security should include 24 hour video surveillance, restricted access to certain areas of the warehouse, and alarm systems. On Demand offers heightened security features to ensure the safety of your pharmaceutical products and biotech. Our on-site professionals are well trained and prepared to supervise all of your products.
Delivery and Transport
Distribution and transportation of prescription medications, biotech, and other pharmaceutical materials can be very difficult. It’s very easy to damage or expose pharmaceutical products to the elements if team members aren’t careful. Thankfully, there are steps that can be taken to prevent potential damage, contamination, or cross-contamination.
If it’s necessary, temperature should be monitored and recorded when the product reaches their destination. In general, everything should be well documented and receipts should be included with every shipment. Travel containers should be durable to prevent any damage, but any signs of impairment need to be recorded and reported immediately. OnDemand Storage provides professional, well managed pickup and delivery services for pharmaceutical and biotech companies.
OnDemand Storage
OnDemand prides itself on being one of Boston’s best logistics and storage companies. Our state of the art warehouses have supported several pharmaceutical companies, even biotechnology! OnDemand sets itself apart from other warehouses due to its convenient pickup and delivery services.
OnDemand’s full-service storage facilities are climate controlled, providing a safe place to store pharmaceutical products. We also offer logistics services for companies in need of professional transportation, management, and distribution of goods. OnDemand makes pharmaceutical and biotech storage safe, temperature monitored, and secure. Contact us today to learn more about our warehouse services!
