Page 25 - Warehouse 1 to 9

24 25

case the warehouse will be storing goods of different characteristics, different zones may be created • Use the available building height to the maximum advantage.
to different kinds of product. • Select storage systems which offer good space utilization, good selectivity and stock rotation.

2. Space: What physical characteristics the warehouse have? • Select handling equipment which complements the storageSystems (i.e. which will allow you
to work with the narrowest practicable aisles)
The dimensions and characteristics of the warehouse infrastructure play a huge role in deciding the
layout structure inside a warehouse. In the last chapter we read about RCC and PEB warehouses. • Investment in the right equipment can save a great deal more, bothin terms of building costs,

In RCC warehouses the height will always be a limitation and we cannot go really vertical to store and labor costs.
the goods. The length and width of the warehouse also make a difference. Certain warehouses are • Designing the system for continues flow of material, i.e. idle time should be zero.
very long and less wise. Other physical features of the warehouse like plinth height, nature of floor, • Going is for standard equipment, which ensures low investment and flexibility in case of
columns, power lines, windows etc also make a difference to the final layout. changes in material handling requirement in the future, if any.

3. Equipment: What means are available? • Incorporating gravity flow in the material flow system, if possible.
• Ensuring that the ratio of the deadweight to the payload of the material handling equipment is
In many cases, the warehouse design not only includes vacant space but elements like heavy minimum.

duty racks, stackers or Mezzanine floors. These components really influence the design proposal. • Think building volume, not floor area, in storage zones
Availability of storage equipment allow the best utilization of the warehouse storage cube.
• Think of the amount of activity that is to take place and ensure that adequate movement space
4. Circulation of goods: How do goods circulate? is also provided

Circulation here refers to the movement of goods as it happens in warehousing operations, such • Storage location planned as per ABC or fast moving, slow moving & non-moving materials
as receipt, storage and dispatch. There are certain goods which are high selling and entail high (FSN) clearly marked. Product category wise demarcation if ABC or FSN categorization is not
movement. In case cases, the products are stored in a manner to minimize their movement. They followed
may be stored on the lower most shelves. Determining the various SKU and their velocity is critical • Storage location / bins to be quantifiedbased on product category, sizes & average volume for
in warehouse designing. a year.

5. Personnel: How much is the manpower requirement? • Material flow inside a warehouse can be planned as any of the following patterns.

One of the most important resource in the warehouse are the people working there. Availability and U-Shaped flow:
cost of manpower also determines the layout. In case manpower is difficult to find, the company Below mentioned figure illustrates a typical U-shaped material flow pattern. In a simple U- shaped
will spend more money on equipment and automation. flow pattern, goods that flow in to the receiving area are pushed to storage area that is located at the
back of the warehouse. Then, for shipping the goods are moved to the adjacent area from where it
6. Future Expansion: What are the needs for future?
exits to the truck for delivery. There are a number of advantages in this design.
While planning the warehouse sufficient consideration should be given to future requirements. In 1. Full utilization of dock resources (space, people and equipment) as receiving and shipping
case the inventory is going to increase in future or it is planned to move from manual to automated happens at the same dock door.
operations or new set of products will be stored in the warehouse, the warehouse should be design
in a manner which will allow addressing future requirements. 2. The structure facilitates cross-docking as both receiving and shipping happens at the same dock.

Following are some other guidelines which can be followed in designing of the warehouse: 3. The lift truck utilization rate will also be high as put-away and retrieval can be combined. As the
storage locations are closer to the receiving dock, there will be easy flow of goods.
• Use Pareto (A,B,C) analysis to categories products according to their storage, handling and
throughput characteristics. 4. Enables the expansion opportunities in three directions
5. Enhances security as entry and exit happens at the same face