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The Wilkins Group
BY APPOINTMENT TO HIS MAJESTY THE KING WILKINS (HENLEY) LTD T/A PALMERS OF WINDSOR REMOVAL AND STORAGE CONTRACTORS BY APPOINTMENT TO HIS MAJESTY THE KING WILKINS (HENLEY) LTD T/A PALMERS OF WINDSOR REMOVAL AND STORAGE CONTRACTORS
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The Future of Warehouse Storage: Trends in Secure & Flexible Business Storage

Five Trends Shaping the Future of Warehouse Storage

Warehouse storage has leapt from stacks of static racking to technology-rich ecosystems that rival advanced manufacturing plants. Logistics and operations managers now juggle soaring eCommerce volumes, unpredictable demand spikes, sustainability targets, and ever-shrinking delivery windows—all without compromising security or stock integrity.

Wilkins Storage has witnessed this evolution first-hand over 140 years in Berkshire and the wider South-East. The five trends with the greatest impact today are warehouse automation, climate-controlled storage, demonstrable sustainability, real-time data, and dynamic palletised layouts.

Understanding each will help you future-proof your commercial, business and eCommerce storage strategy.

Warehouse Automation

1. Warehouse Automation Becomes Business-Critical

Automation has shifted from experimental to essential. Autonomous mobile robots weave through aisles, conveyor-fed automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS) lift pallets twelve metres high, and voice-directed pick tunnels keep operatives hands-free. These technologies cut labour costs, boost throughput and reduce health-and-safety incidents.

Why are businesses across Berkshire, London and the Thames Valley accelerating adoption?

  • Labour shortages and rising wages after Brexit make every manual task more expensive.
  • Peak-season spikes—think Black Friday or Singles’ Day—are impossible to manage if every carton is handled by people alone.
  • Customer expectations for zero-error fulfilment grow each year; fashion and electronics returns already exceed 25 percent.

At Wilkins Storage, our automated storage facilities combine AMRs with high-density shuttles that deliver up to 800 picks per hour, while human supervisors oversee fragile or high-value stock. The result is a hybrid workflow: machines handle the repetitive lifting, people handle the nuance.

Climate control

2. Climate-Controlled Storage Safeguards Sensitive Stock

Heatwaves no longer stop in southern Europe; UK warehouses now see internal temperatures above 30 °C. Pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, premium spirits and even craft coffee can spoil in hours. Modern storage facilities therefore offer multiple temperature bands in one location.

  • Ambient zones (roughly 15 – 25 °C) protect packaged food, DIY hardware and printed materials.
  • Cool chambers (8 – 15 °C) suit luxury chocolate, nutraceuticals and fine art.
  • Chilled areas (2 – 8 °C) keep biologics, cheeses and boutique beer kegs safe for distribution.

Wilkins’ Reading hub uses sensor arrays to monitor temperature and humidity 24 / 7. Any deviation triggers alerts to on-call engineers and appears instantly on clients’ customer-portal dashboards. For companies shipping nationwide from Berkshire—or importing via nearby Heathrow—this tight control ensures products land with customers in perfect condition.

Climate storage

3. Proving Sustainability—from Roof to Racking

Buyers for high-street multiples and blue-chip manufacturers now include carbon data in every tender. According to the UK Green Building Council, up to 70 percent of warehouse lifetime emissions occur during daily operation, not construction. Wilkins tackles this on several fronts:

  • A 500 kWp solar PV array generates around 40 percent of our annual electricity.
  • Intelligent LED lighting with PIR sensors reduces energy per pick by two-thirds.
  • Rainwater harvesting supplies battery wash stations for material-handling equipment.
  • A strict zero-landfill policy diverts stretch-wrap and cardboard to local recycling partners.

Choosing a partner with verified low-carbon credentials strengthens your own ESG story and can even unlock preferential carrier rates as networks chase Scope 3 reductions.

4. Real-Time Data Software Drives Decisions

Stock that isn’t visible can’t be optimised. Advanced Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) now connect via APIs to Shopify, Magento, SAP and Oracle, feeding live data back to your team. Wilkins’ WMS refreshes inventory every sixty seconds, flags ageing batches, predicts pick-face congestion and reroutes SKUs based on velocity. Operations managers receive daily exception emails and weekly BI summaries, allowing them to shift marketing spend or procurement orders before slow-moving stock clogs prime locations. When paired with our eCommerce fulfilment and business storage services, customers have cut holding costs per unit by up to 18 percent and improved carrier OTIF scores by double digits.

Dynamic Warehouse layouts

5. Dynamic Palletised Layouts Add Flexibility

Traditional static aisles waste cubic metres and slow order cycles. New-build warehouses—particularly along the M4 corridor—now favour mobile bases, adjustable racking and modular mezzanines. Practical benefits include:

  • Push-back lanes that double storage density for identical SKUs without widening the footprint.
  • Carton live flow racks that feed high-velocity pick faces and slash travel time.
  • Clip-together mezzanine decks that appear for Q4 surges, then fold away during quieter Q1 months.

Wilkins’ in-house design team can turn CAD layouts within 48 hours, ensuring clients pay only for the cubic metres they need. This flexibility is equally valuable for a start-up scaling from a garage in Oxford to a national retailer, or a mature enterprise facing fluctuating seasonal demand across the Midlands, London and the South-West.

Conclusion: Secure Today, Ready for Tomorrow

Conclusion: Secure Today, Ready for Tomorrow

Green credentials are no longer optional for tender success. Our Berkshire campus:

  • Operates a zero-landfill policy—all cardboard and stretch-wrap are sent for local recycling.
  • Holds ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 27001 certifications, reassuring enterprise buyers.
  • Reports carbon data at SKU level so you can embed emissions into P&L modelling.

Working with a sustainable partner helps you meet Scope 3 targets and win eco-conscious customers.
Wilkins Storage stands ready with secure specialist storage, fully automated zones, and expansive coverage across south-east England. Future-proof your commercial, eCommerce and business storage today—before your competitors do.
Talk to our team today and discover how effortless scaling can be—book your free consultation at https://www.wilkinsstorage.co.uk/contact.