Warehouse & Storage Designing

Devising a warehouse’s layout is the first step in designing an installation. While this may seem like a simple issue, in practice it is difficult to figure out. In this article, it outlines the main factors that need consideration in the design process. As well, it shows an example of a warehouse layout distributed into six differentiated areas, including warehouse automation.

Generally speaking, warehouse designers have to work with a space in which certain factors limit the surface area available. This is why the layout has to be carefully planned. When deciding on the internal and external layout of a warehouse, there are three possible scenarios that could necessitate a different assignment of space: the installation of new warehouses, the extension of existing facilities and the reorganization of those currently operating (even though the last of these options does not involve making extremely important decisions that will affect the development of the business over the medium- to long-term).

Nonetheless, despite the specific circumstances, the general layout of a facility must cover all these needs:

Making the most of the available space
Reducing the handling of goods to a minimum
Providing easy access to the stored product
Having the highest rotation ratio possible
Offering maximum flexibility in the positioning of products
Controlling the amounts stored

To achieve these objectives, the first step is to create a warehouse layout, where the design of the warehouse is represented in the form of a plan.

First and foremost, the created layout must respect the basic rules of good storage mentioned above and avoid areas and points of congestion, facilitate maintenance tasks and establish the resources required to obtain the greatest possible workflows, with the associated reduction in runtimes.

The following areas must be perfectly defined when designing a layout:

A. Loading and unloading areas
B. Reception area
C. Storage area
D. Picking area
E. Dispatch area

An example of a layout that includes all of these area.