3 Attentions When Planning Warehouse Layouts For Your Business
If you're opening a warehouse for your business and are working with a contractor to plan the overall design, certain factors will make a difference to the final outcome. Each of these factors is vital to ensure that your warehouse operates at maximum efficiency with minimum wastage.
Think Of How You Want The Layout To Flow
When you open a warehouse for your business, you'll need to have a practical operational system, so that each activity seamlessly flows to the next without any interruptions to the smooth running of your business. For example, if you have a stocking warehouse for clothes and shoes, you'll want to ensure that specific areas are designated for unpacked stock. The next step is to organise an area near the unpacked stock to load into cardboard boxes. Perhaps the final area is to store cardboard boxes in order of labels so that they can be shipped out when the time comes. The idea here is to create seamless flow between each sequence to maximise the efficiency of your operations. You'll also want to ensure that there is adequate space for movement, so that your workers don't end up clashing with each other while performing their individual tasks.
Maximise Space For Better Productivity
Consider the type of business you run to ensure that you maximise space for better productivity. For example, if your warehouse is used to produce and store clothing until you're ready to ship them out, use the space effectively to ensure that machinery is set up without being constrained. This way your workers can optimise the performance of each machine within the warehouse without getting in each other's way. Minimise space needed for non-core functions like offices and charging stations, so that you can make the most use of the space available.
Consider How To Move Items Between The Warehouse And Transport
Most businesses stock items in a warehouse with the ultimate goal of getting them to a final destination, and your warehouse is probably no different. When planning the layout, consider how easily items inside the warehouse can be moved to transport like trucks. A loading dock set up near the packed items ready for transport can make it easier for your workers to load the truck faster. If you're planning on using conveyor belts to load heavy items into the truck, consider the best location for setting this up within the warehouse, while ensuring that the driver has ample outdoor space to manoeuvre the vehicle.
Pay close attention to these factors when planning the warehouse building layout for your business.