As more companies promise same-day arrival or two-hour delivery, warehouse demand is increasing1. Warehouse space occupancies are at record highs while supply chain issues are forcing B2B and B2C companies to overbuy².

Given these challenges, it can be easy to underestimate the impact of the warehouse environment.  Ignoring it, however, can negatively impact your bottom line in multiple ways, especially since both new and existing warehouses are contending with severe labor shortages³.

Turning to temporary heating or cooling solutions can provide robust and fast solutions to resolve temperature and environmental control issues. Especially when a warehouse requires temperature control solutions only a few months out of the year, rental solutions can prove ideal. Leasing equipment also shortcuts the time and energy required to demonstrate the capital expense ROI (return on investment) needed to invest in long-term solutions.

Temporary cooling and heating solutions can positively impact your warehouse environment and ultimately, your business, in multiple ways. Here are three:

1. Enterprise planning – Rental solutions can serve as pilot test cases to demonstrate the value of longer-term heating, ventilation and cooling system investments so that you can ensure line-item inclusion in upcoming capital expense budgets. The impact of these temporary solutions can provide you with a business case that demonstrates the ROI a controlled indoor warehouse environment can provide in future years.

2. Employee comfort – Both during the hottest and coldest times of the year, rental solutions can help maintain temperature and humidity levels to meet employee comfort needs. Providing a comfortable work environment makes good business sense, especially given the importance of employee retention and the current labor shortage4. A comfortable environment also helps keep employees safe. A UCLA study published in 2021⁵ found that hot weather significantly increases the risk of accidents and injuries on the job.

Similarly, research has shown that cold stress impacts worker performance in low-temperature environments^{6, 7}.

3. Quality control – Effectively controlling temperature and humidity levels in warehouses is vital to creating the right storage conditions for many warehouse products. Most warehoused goods, including electronics, paper and perishables need to be stored in controlled ambient conditions. Pharmaceuticals must be closely monitored if stored in a warehouse. Temperature and humidity variations may even render medicines ineffective or potentially unsafe.

Trane can provide you with a tailored solution to match your warehouse needs – and a contingency plan to help make sure rental solutions are ready when you need them. Trane engineers work with your operations team to conduct an in-depth assessment of your environmental control needs. They carefully select the right solutions to meet your temperature and humidity control needs and deliver and install the rental units to integrate seamlessly into your warehouse operation.  Contact Trane to learn more.