Warehouse design is part art, part science. A unique merger of function and form. To maintain any chance at operating an efficient warehouse, the design of a warehouse’s layout is paramount. A properly designed warehouse will allow employees to work at peak productivity and reduce the paths that goods must travel. Consider these tips and take a look at the some of the direct (and more subtle) ways that warehouse design affects productivity.
Schedule incoming freight to manage the work flow more effectively.
Just one mistake in receiving can generate 10 additional errors throughout the warehouse. Give the receiving team room to break down pallets, count inventory and filter out supplier errors.
Installing truck shelters at loading dock doors will protect workers and cargo. They can also lower energy costs by reducing inside air loss.
Studies reveal 25-35% of the cost per order is in the actual occupancy of the item (cost of space/utilites).
Good customer service begins in the warehouse.
Think like an urban planner! When you run out of square footage to store goods, consider building vertically. Optimize your warehouse using pallet racking and mezzanines to get the most of your available cubic space.
Restructure the way products are stacked and placed by storing similar items together. Rearrange pallets and boxes to fit together more efficiently.
Clear signage creates efficiency. The easier the products are to find, the faster workers can pick and process them.
The average net sales per square foot of warehouse space is $750.
Receiving, picking, packing and shipping tend to use up to 50% of your space with product storage taking up the rest.
As much as 70% of a worker’s time can be spent walking. A hot pick area dedicated to SKU’s with a high sales velocity can significantly decrease this time.
Organization and neatness organically increase productivity and worker morale. Keep everything in its place.
Truck shelters at all loading areas protect workers who are hand loading or using a forklift. Sheltering workers from the weather allows them to focus on the work rather than their footing.
Plan for at least 40 feet of fenced back lot parking spaces so that semi-trucks can deposit their shipping containers.