After Henry Ford proved the moving belt (assembly|manufacturing} idea, big volume fabrication) took on a purpose: that of acting as the grinding mill for a consumerist culture. Manufacturing became the source of mass goods for a use-now-discard-later mentality of materialistic utilization, so thus manufacturing itself became very systematized, including the warehousing of materials and spares. Among the newer models to benefit storage are cantilever racking to stack lengthy materials like pipes, lumber and beams; and materials cages with wire partitions to separate smaller items in large numbers. Both methods save storage space while maintaining things highly organized for easier access and removal.

Storage of materials is at times thought of as an art or science in itself, and good stores managers —among many other names like materials inventory supervisors— are most times hard to find. For micro- to small-sized production concerns of lateral organizational relationships, storage management may be performed well by the enterprise head himself if he can remember to keep in mind the top three aspects of good storage management. These are:

Materials organization. Method is the essence of the exercise. Used by nearly all multiple-elements such as in information, materials organization consists of placing the materials so that they are easily found and accessed. Classifying and storing them by a certain system —usage, requirement, size, product, type and so on— is the overriding principle. The supermarket method of showing off the goods, by variety and usagePurpose, is an excellent starting storage system when coupled with easy access and retrieval. Shelving and racking are excellent systems to aid in materials organization.

Stock control. Materials are used and hence inventories run low to be refilled. Keeping records of the volumes of what stocks so their levels are known at any poit of time is an important part of storage management. While this is now less problematic} with the use of compurers, a computer remains just a machine restricted in its functions to the instructions of its user, more especially when the computer program sufferes some glitches. The human factor is still crucial, and ability is often invaluable.

Purchasing and replenishment. In any kind of storage task, space is limited. In any sort of production, the rate of parts usage is nearly always known. No manufacturer wants to stock over than needed or run out of inventory to use at anytime. The trick is to know the time to restock materials, from where and how much. This is a logical extension of inventory control, but remains a factor per se, for lacking a good ordering and replenishment method the storage effort will end up with undesirable results of wrong materials, overstocking of materials or, worst, no materials.

Storage management is not a factor to neglect in a production or even sales enterprise. Like an army that fights only as good as its supplies, it is the availability of materials to feed the production side that keeps the enterprise running. Without satisfactory materials control in storage management, there might be little production, if there is at all.