​Questions That Should Guide Your Warehouse Re-Design Process

22nd Apr 2019

Question:What are some of the factors to consider while embarking on a warehouse redesign process?

There is no doubt that you will have to redesign your warehouse when you get to that point where your business operations have outgrown your current design. However, the warehouse redesign process is not an easy undertaking and so you will have to carefully analyze the impact of the new design you are thinking about and the best way to implement it. In today's article, we look at some of the questions that can help you kick-start that process.

What Are The Requirements Of the Items Stored?

One crucial thing that should determine your warehouse design process should be the items you intend to keep in your warehouse. The main reason for this is that it will help you align the design of your warehouse to the safekeeping requirements of the items. For instance, if you intend to store items that are easily affected by exposure to moisture your warehouse design should protect against such exposure. Understanding such small details will help save you a lot of costs due to damages.

How Well Have You Maximized The Current Space?

If your business has experienced a high level of growth and there is a growing need for space then its time to re-evaluate your warehouse design. One way you can increase the amount of space is by reducing the aisle widths while being careful not to get in the way of operational efficiency. You can also opt to make use of the vertical space by increasing the number of racks. However, you should be keen to evaluate the impact of this in terms of safety and effect on emergency response.

What Are The Current Requirements of Your Business?

The design you finally settle on should both reflect and also accommodate the needs of your business. If the nature of your business has changed over time since it's inception then its time to audit all the needs of the business. From this audit, you can then establish some of the important aspects that would be important to factor in your warehouse design to guarantee operational efficiency like the location of key departments. Some common requirements are recharge stations, offices, loading docks, battery rooms, etc.

What Are The Equipment Being Used and Manpower Needed?

An efficient warehouse redesign should also uphold the safety of the workers and protect the equipment used from any form of damage. Therefore it is important to understand the new type of equipment that are required for business operations and the potential threats to their performance. This process can help you make obstacles like columns and terrain to work to your advantage depending on the equipment you use. You will also ensure that heavy equipment and pedestrians are not brought into collision by poorly thought out pathways.

Therefore make sure you understand the nature of the goods that need to be stored. You should also do a small evaluation of how you are using the current space and if a redesign might offer more value. Understanding the specific needs of your business is also important to safeguard operational efficiency. Lastly, have you thought of how to harmonize the interaction of the heavy equipment and your workers while upholding safety?

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