Warehouse Planning and Design
If you know what you want then everything will run more smoothly. A detailed plan is the key to your project’s overall success so be as thorough as possible. Find a warehouse storage solution specialist who you can provide this service for you. Having a highly experienced outside company who can come in with a fresh pair of eyes and bright ideas can make all the difference.
Whether it be just a few changes or a complete overhaul or your current warehouse layout, you’ll need to cover all bases from the basic design of usable space with racking, shelving and mezzanine options. The need for office space, employee areas and critically, the flow of goods are all needs for consideration from the outset.
Once you have a solid plan in place, your plan can be brought to life using CAD modelling so show how the warehouse layout would look and how it would work.
Making the warehouse scalable for future needs
Planning for realistic levels of future expansion should also be something that you take into consideration. You don’t want to end with a brand new warehouse fit out only to find out that your company is now growing rapidly and you have to move to a larger space or go through the whole process warehouse yet again.
The types of stock store in the warehouse and how will it move
One of the most important factors to consider is the type of products you manufacture or keep stored in your warehouse. There may be several different types of stock that come and go from your warehouse and these may require different handling procedures, some of which may require specialised moving equipment. You’ll need to take into consideration the type of racking, aisle width and layout.
Types of warehouse storage you may need
The main aspect of your warehouse storage is the type of racking. There are many different types of racking and selecting the right one for you can be tricky.
Take into consideration the type of products and items you store in your warehouse – the size and weight of the items are significant, the amount of staff you have, how you access the items – first in first how or perhaps first in last out?
Electrical systems, heating, air conditioning and plumbing
In some circumstances, such as a turnkey warehouse, it’s beneficial to be able to plan out where the key power and utilities should be installed.
Making this a priority at the start of the project can help you to understand where to prioritise the positioning of the larger structures such as the pallet racking, picking and packing areas, heating and air conditioning.
Considering your carbon footprint would be a good idea during the planning process. You could use green energy options such as LED lighting and perhaps even solar panels fitted to the warehouse roof.
Health and safety considerations
Every warehouse must abide by the law and comply with the health and safety regulations. The safety of your workers is of the utmost importance and the positioning of fire extinguishers, fire blankets and the positioning of fire escapes, emergency lighting and clear signage should all be taken in the initial thought process of planning the layout and design of the warehouse.
Will there be a need for a mezzanine floor?
Does your warehouse have a need for office space, staff break rooms or meeting rooms? Even if it doesn’t right now, it very well may do in the future. It’s worthwhile investing in this at the outset instead of 3 years down the line. There’s also the option to add a mezzanine platform to types of racking to create multiple levels for stocking items. It’s a great way to get the maximum volume out of the warehouse space.