January 16, 2019
There is no perfect warehouse design; each warehouse has different needs, and those needs evolve over time, as new clients and new products come on board. Unfortunately, you can’t simply pick up a guidebook to warehouse design and follow instructions. There are loads of details to be considered.
Using operations data and projections to determine current and anticipated needs is the first step. Accurate projections are difficult to achieve, but important; working with customers to understand their plans for coming years, and with internal marketing and customer service departments, if appropriate, is critical to get the information required for this process. A simple volume projection is not enough; details must include number of SKUs, velocity, seasonality, and more. Needs for security, repacking and value-added services must also be taken into account. Planning for flexibility and potential expansion will enable change as it’s required.
All of this information is used to develop a design that will maximize productivity at a reasonable cost. We’ll look at specific considerations in our next posting.
