Warehouses are generally noisy, dusty, and distracting environments, which makes them dangerous places to work. Employees are asked to perform repetitive work, the conditions can be hot and humid, and aisles might be cluttered with materials.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers were becoming more conscious about the sources of the food they put on their tables, forcing a shift in supply chain transparency. Now, in a time of increased health concerns and supply chain troubles, there is an even more urgent need to secure consumer confidence with the assurance of food safety and reliability.

Warehouse operations are an essential part of every manufacturing and retail operation. And there’s a close correlation between customer satisfaction and an efficiently-run warehouse. The COVID-19 pandemic was a catalyst for eCommerce growth, with nearly 20% of retail sales now taking place online, compared to just 15% in 2019.

While techniques to maintain and track inventory under a roof are well-established and somewhat ubiquitous, outdoor storage still lags in performance as many businesses ignore some of the basic rules that they followed when setting up their warehouse. While the warehouse space might be packed with advanced scanning and conveyor equipment, high bay racks served by aisle pickers and perhaps even robots, outdoor areas tend to suffer from lack of attention to the same level of precision and order that is valued in the warehouse.

In this article, we will discuss outdoor storage by differentiating between simple bulk storage facilities and yard management facilities, which are used to store containers, trailers, and trucks.