7. Test your layout design before you start installing new shelves and racks.

 “Right before you start installing things like

pallet racks or shelves or equipment, you should walk your warehouse to make sure it’s ready for everything to be installed.
“Use masking tape to outline major work areas and carry things through it, roll pallet jacks around, and get other employees
to simulate work at the same time.
“This will give you a visual understanding of your space and if it’s optimized or not. Any errors here will result in worse errors
later.” – 4 Tips on How to Effectively Plan a Warehouse Layout Design, DEAR Systems; Twitter: @DearInventory
8. Start with a schematic. “A good warehouse layout always starts with putting it all down on paper first, no matter the size
of your space. The easiest way to do this is to use a copy of your warehouse blueprint, especially if your space is large or not
a standard rectangle shape. If you’re renting, your landlord might be able to provide one.
“If you can’t get your hands on a blueprint, it’s easy to draw up your own warehouse schematic on grid paper. I generally use
one square = one square foot on my schematic.
“Once you have a printed or online schematic with measurements drawn to scale, note any stationary features such as
columns or supports, office area build-outs, installed equipment, overhead doors, etc., that you’ll have to work around.
“In my warehouse, the office build-out takes a chunk out of the middle that I have to plan around. I even note that the office
door opens out into the warehouse so we don’t accidentally block it. Plus, as a shipping operation, the overhead door
locations are key for my shipping and receiving workflows, so I note them for those uses.
“Once you have your schematic ready, with your major features noted, it’s time to start planning your space.” – Krista
Fabregas, Planning Your Warehouse Layout – How to Set Up Efficient Storage, Packing & Shipping Areas,
FitSmallBusiness.com; Twitter: @FitSmallBiz

9. Create a process map. “Assess how your warehouse works on a day-to-day basis. Are there any parts in the layout that
are causing bottlenecks and slow production? If so, you need to optimize the layout of your warehouse to ensure smooth and
efficient workflows.
“Make a process map that details how your facility currently runs and where each zone is located. Then pick out the areas
that need to be changed.
“Next, create a new process map with the layout changes made. For example, if you noticed a bottleneck in production and
packing, the new process map may have the packing zone moved so it can easily meet the demands of production.” – How
to Design a Cost-Effective Warehouse: Optimizing Your Warehouse Layout Design, CPV Manufacturing;
Twitter: @cpvmfg
10. In addition to your processes, you need to have an in-depth understanding of your inventory. “Along with
understanding your work processes, there needs to be an understanding of the inventory that will be stored there. For this,
you will need to know the size and shapes of these items, the material handling equipment needed to transport these items,
and the overall amount of each that you will be storing. This will be important for a number of reasons.
“First, the size of the item will be important because the more space these items take up, the less space you have for other
AutoCAD 3D Design of your warehouse layout, but it is important to start with the basics and put a pencil to paper. Stay
focused on the most important task at hand – creating an efficient flow of material as it goes from production into storage and
out to the end user.
“Efficient material flow can be achieved immediately with the right equipment, storage mediums and ample space – but it all
comes down how well it is designed to withstand your rapid growth. Try to forecast for future growth and create a design for
now as well as a few other designs for down the road.” – Marc Laframboise, Warehouse Layout Designs, The Material
Handler;5. Understand how goods circulate through your facility. “Circulation here means the movement that happens
in logistical operations, such as dispatch, receipt and order preparation processes. Product rotation is how often the goods
are renewed, i.e., a high-rotation product is one that has a high rate of input and output. Moving loads involve costs, hence
it’s better to minimize the movement, provided the company operational procedure admits it. Detecting these flows is very
important as they contribute in defining what is needed for effective warehouse design.” – 5 Factors For A Perfect
Warehouse Design, Holisol Logistics; Twitter: @HolisolLogistic
6. Determine spatial relationships between the various areas of the warehouse. “Once the project is clearly defined, the
2nd phase of the process aims to develop an overall plan to layout the areas of the warehouse. In this step, very specific
details of the layout are purposefully ignored. However, other aspects of the layout are closely evaluated.
“The most logical way to initiate this phase is to determine spatial relationships between areas of the warehouse. There are
many aspects that need to be taken into consideration when drawing relationships between areas. Overstating or
understating the importance and impact of any one factor may prove detrimental to the flow of the warehouse. Our consulting
team uses a logical rating system to resolve this issue.
“The next step of this phase is to determine the amount of space each area requires. There are several ways to accomplish
this task. Certain methods may work better than others in a given situation. For example, in some cases, facilities might not
have any historical information for the areas to be laid out while others may have established space standards.
“After the space requirements are set, adjustments can be made to account for limitations and specific needs of each area.
For example, some areas may require an exit door, and it might make sense to give more aisle space to other areas.” –
Marvin Logan, How to Create a Better Warehouse Layout, Bastian Solutions; Twitter: @BastianSolution