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Right-Size Your Slots Mezzanine Installation
Match the size and sales of the item to the right sized pick slot to maximize the utilization of the If your building layout permits, consider the use of a mezzanine to house functions that do not
picking slot cube. Having various sizes of picking slots can facilitate this process. The same logic require high-bay storage. These can be expensive and are fairly permanent, but will maximize
applies to locations where you store reserve or overstocks. In forward picking, keep 4-7 days of warehouse space utilization.
sales by SKU to reduce replenishment.
Keep It Simple
Use Off-Site Location for Overstock
Where you have a choice between a complex and simple solution, choose the simple solution. For
If you store a large quantity of excess inventory for a few items, consider some type of offsite example, consider adding pallet rack tiers upward. An example of complexity could be moving
storage for the excess, thus freeing up space for supporting the fulfillment operation. racking to narrow aisles. Is there a return on investment for your solutions?
Drop Shipping as An Option Warehouse space often represents 15% to 20% of the cost per order. Moving to new space is
expensive and takes a lot of time. Make sure you have assigned someone responsible for your
If you store and ship large items, consider utilizing some form of drop shipping to reduce your in- ongoing planning and warehouse space utilization analysis process.
house inventory and costs.
7.2 Use of Material Handling Equipment’s in a warehouse
Aisle Widths
Forklifts, reach trucks, order pickers and pallet trucks are the typical parts of the material handling
How wide are your warehouse aisles? Try to design the minimum width required to match the equipment (MHE) fleet. Anything that relates to the movement, storage, control and protection of
material handling equipment used without compromising operating efficiency. materials, goods and products throughout the process of manufacturing, distribution, consumption
and disposal is part of this category of equipment. Used to increase output, control costs, and
Cross Docking
maximize productivity, warehouse management has a number of ways to determine how efficient
If possible, consider cross docking large releases of back orders or single-line orders to reduce the is the use of the material-handling equipment in any kind of operation.
amount of inventory requiring storage locations.
Uses of Material Handling Equipment
Best Utilization of Your Building
Uses of Material handling equipment are as follows:
Make sure you study your building to determine how it can best be utilized from a space standpoint. • Reduce manufacturing cycle time
Consider clear stacking height, column spacing, building impediments and overall process flow.
Try to match vertical space needs with the building characteristics. • Reduce delays, and damage
Depth of Storage • Promote safety and improve working conditions
Review not only the effective use of the height of locations, but also the depth of storage; for • Maintain or improve product quality
example, consider double-depth racking.
• Promote productivity
Supply Storage
– Material should flow in a straight line
If you have to store supplies or packing materials, try to manage the inventory to avoid overstocks.
See if your corrugated supplier can keep some inventory at its site for you, and take delivery every – Material should move as short a distance as possible
few days.
– Use gravity
Door Use
– Move more material at one time
If you have separate shipping and receiving docks, consider combining them to save space.
