Let’s cut straight to it, your warehouse is typically a place where hundreds of thousands (and then some) dollars or product are stored. And, if anything happens to those products, be they an outside company or yours – you’re going to be looking at the sharp end of the closing stick. Your warehouse will be a pivotal point in the supply chain, and if you aren’t taking all of the measures possible to protect your business, then you’re going to be the one to lose out in the long run. 

Photo by American Public Power Association on Unsplash

Insurance coverage is a no-brainer when it comes to warehouses. But the real meat and potatoes of your back-up are going to be your power supply. It is often the case that not enough factories, plants, and commercial warehouses have an appropriate generator. In fact, some don’t even have a back-up plan. 

Consider the following reasons and implement them in your business.

Power Outages

It has been reported that blackouts and power outages have been on the rise since 2003. What does this mean for your business? It means you are more likely to experience one now than ever before. 

Generally, you’ll find that these outages will be caused by hurricanes, storms, snow, ice, and other severe weather issues. These disturbances will knock-out the power to your warehouse, and now you are playing the waiting game. Will the lines be back up before your customers are in contact? 

Planning and Preparation

The absolute disaster moment of the power going out to your warehouse is something most people don’t like to think about. But the relief of knowing you have an industrial diesel generator on your side will mean you can handle the situation appropriately. The actual chances of a total power failure from a man-made issue, blackout, or a natural disaster or not as slim as you may think. So being proactive and having a generator fitted long before you ever need to call it into action is essential.

Basics

You will want to make sure that you have a generator that is large enough to keep your critical systems all online. You would want to work with an industrial generate a provider to get a good overview of what you’re going to require. You can also talk to them about your future plans, and this will go some way to ensuring that you are never going to suffer from a downtime disaster.

Ahead of calling for quotes, get access to your energy usage numbers too. This will give them a very clear picture of your requirements.

ATS

It is incredibly likely that you will benefit from an automatic transfer switch. This is a clever piece of kit that will monitor the utility power, and the moment an outage is registered, it will take over onto the back-up generator. When power is restored, it will then automatically switchback, and the generator will shut down.

Maintenance

Of course, the idea of having diesel generators fitted and ready to go will give you enormous peace of mind. But you should consider the maintenance requirements too. Your generator will need to be tested regularly to ensure that everything is operating as it should be. Much like a car, you’ll need to take the generator over from time to time, or depending on the company, perhaps they have a maintenance schedule as part of their package.

Fuel Planning

How long would that last in the event of an outage? If the answer happens to be that you’re not sure, then you need to check stocks right now. Consider how you intend to make sure your generator is running beyond a few hours if you have to. Refueling will be an essential part of your planning. And in the case of a flood, have you ensured that your generator is built to keep running or at least protected.

Fuel is going to be a crucial part of the whole operation, and if you hadn’t already thought about now is undoubtedly the time. And in the case of a flood, have you ensured that your generator is built to keep running or at least protected.

The very bottom line is that all businesses are going to be heavily reliant on gas and electricity to keep themselves up and running. And right now, we’re talking about storage facilities, pharmaceutical suppliers, hospitals, and food businesses.

And it is impossible to say that your business world at some point suffers from a black hat or a power outage. It is more likely and ‘if’ a situation not ‘when’. So research generators, and have one fitted as soon as possible to avoid that downtime disaster.