How to design your warehouse in 7 steps
The ultimate guide to the ideal layout –
How to plan the perfect warehouse design? It seems like a quite simple thing, but in practice it is much more complicated. Make sure you have an excellent preparation as it ensures the best results. Read Storeganizer’ s warehouse design tips and create the ideal layout. Step 1. Understand your business
It all starts with your business and its needs. Before you start designing a plan you need to ensure all data have been gathered and interpreted. In other words: understand your business. What business needs are you fulfilling? How can you make current operations more efficient? What about future needs?
These data include various components.
- Volume of receipts
- Stock turns
- Returns
- Order volumes
- …
You need a clear and detailed view of these data in order to determine the overall size of the future warehouse, the number of loading docks, storage capacity and staging. Think about those needs short and long term.
To make the right choices you need to analyze your product types. Dimensions, weight, demand levels, receiving picking unit, … It’s actually all about storage as it determines the location type. The storage method will actually have an impact on a lot of things: forklift model, pick and number efficiency of required replenishments, capacity and pick rate, … Mapping your needs with a computer simulation will be a great help.
In addition your business must be prepared at peaks like daily, weekly, monthly or seasonal bustle. If you know the peak requirements it’s easy to determine the size of the pick faces, shift patterns, capacity and the number of dock doors. All components have to be described accurately in order to make the right decisions for your future warehouse.
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