Smart locker sizes for delivery: Turnkey and modular system designs

When it comes to locker systems, size is top of mind. Learn about typical installation sizes for locker design systems and choosing between turnkey or custom locker solutions.

Modular, oversized, built for parcels or designed to spec: lockers come in all shapes and sizes, but the best of them are technology enabled, built to last and offer configuration options.

See what’s available in the newest generation of smart locker systems when it comes to size and design.

Smart lockers transform parcel & asset management 

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Two options with endless possibilities

Whether you’re considering function, aesthetics or a combination of both, a bank of uniform lockers stretching endlessly down a wall simply doesn’t cut it for most spaces. The best modern smart locker design systems—whether pre-configured or custom—come with options.

Choosing between a turnkey or custom smart locker design system boils down to three primary considerations: available space, available cash flow and available time.

The rise of turnkey 

In the past, the cost-per-door for smaller locker system designs did not always justify the investment. That’s changing. Providers are now entering the market with affordable turnkey systems specifically designed for smaller footprints and lower volume needs.

Configured to meet the most common delivery and storage requirements, turnkey locker system designs offer simplicity, convenience and fast delivery. Turnkey designs typically start with four columns made up of 28 to 52 doors. Expansion columns might increase that capacity anywhere from 10-50 additional doors.

Standard and turnkey doesn’t mean every door needs to be the same size. The best turnkey designs make the most of the space they will soon fill by offering multiple sizes of lockers in the same unit, with compartment dimensions ranging from small, which might accommodate a laptop, to oversized compartments large enough to fit a computer monitor.

A typical configuration includes a central control column of 5-10 doors of various sizes and 3-4 additional columns that include various sizes. Because many smart lockers are designed for parcel, mail and document delivery, the mix of locker compartment dimensions often reflect the average mix of parcels sizes handled in mail rooms.

A girl carrying the shipping box

The benefits of customization

Imagine offering ten different people a bucket of building blocks and asking them to assemble a long rectangle. It’s pretty much guaranteed that no two will have a similar configuration. That’s the beauty and value of modular design.

Custom-designed locker systems sound more expensive than turnkey, but that’s not always the case. Depending on specific requirements, it’s possible to find a custom system that costs relatively the same per door as many turnkey systems with similar capacity.

Because they are made to spec, custom systems might take longer to manufacture and deliver, however, the affordability, extensibility and scalability they offer make them well worth any additional wait time. Note that sourcing a locker system from a US-based manufacturer can reduce some of that wait with faster shipping.

Based on the principle that one size does not fit all, modular locker design systems accommodate any space and any need. Like turnkey locker setups, modular locker design starts with the standard control column package and options to expand, but that’s where the similarities end. Need a few oversized lockers or rear-load functionality? No problem. Have an unusually shaped space to work with? Design a system that fits. Whether it’s a simple or complex workflow that must be managed or varying volume and space requirements that must be accommodated, modular has it covered.

Like the building bricks analogy suggests, there’s no typical configuration involved with modular locker design systems. That doesn’t mean you’re on your own. The best smart locker providers offer the industry experience needed to design the perfect smart locker setup for any need.

Final considerations