- Size and space Whilst designing a warehouse, it’s important to factor in storage and processing space. Effective and optimum use of space can improve your process efficiency, and ultimately reduce your costs.
- Site Location is important when designing your warehouse. When choosing where to build, it is important to ensure that you place yourself somewhere which proves advantageous for receiving and distributing goods easily.
- Financial decisions One of the most essential elements to consider, which impacts greatly upon your company, is the financial aspect of a building warehouse. To ensure that you can accurately plan ahead, it is advisable to conduct an analysis of the potential workforce, and the accessibility of your proposed facility, to be able to make a critical decision about potential / actual profitability.
- Throughput and technology As digitisation of processes continues, Supply Chains are becoming increasingly integrated, and customers are becoming ever-more demanding. It is therefore imperative to ensure that you select the appropriate warehouse technology, predominantly a WMS to enable you to focus on throughput, and manage it effectively.
- Flow of people and equipment Warehouses are dynamic environments, in which the constant movement of people, robots and inventory is inevitable and very much required. It is important to consider the movement which will take place inside of facility, and plan your layout design, to emphasise efficient and effective movement of people and goods, which in turn should increase throughput and overall profitability.
Gideon Hillman
Nov 07, 2017
Guest blog: Gideon Hillman - Warehouse design, what are the key factors to consider?
Blog
About the author:
Gideon Hillman FCILT FCMI FIC, is a Logistics and Supply Chain professional with over 25 years Global Supply Chain, Logistics industry & Materials Handling experience. Gideon worked at a Senior Management Level with Commercial and Operational responsibility throughout Europe, with both manufacturers & Global 3rd Party Logistics Service Providers, before establishing Gideon Hillman Consulting in 2004; one of the leading Logistics Solutions and Supply Chain consultancies in the UK. His extensive supply chain and logistics experience includes FMCG, grocery and non-grocery retail / wholesale, food production and processing, automotive, general manufacturing, utilities and construction sectors across the UK and Europe. Gideon is a Chartered Fellow of the Institute of Logistics and Transport; a Fellow of The Chartered Management Institute; Fellowship of The Institute of Consulting; an Affiliate Member of CIPS and a former Board member of UKWA. Warehouse design - what are the key factors to consider? When designing a new facility, we have a detailed knowledge and understanding of what is actually required to implement, manage and maintain an efficient facility, and its subsequent processes. It’s important to ensure that your new facility is designed to operate efficiently and effectively. With extensive experience of designing and reviewing new and current warehouses and distribution facilities; here’s my top five insightful tips of what to take into consideration when designing a warehouse:
