top factors to consider when laying
out a warehouse for automation
W
ith the individualized needs, products and processes of
warehouses it is no surprise that each facility requires
an equally unique design and solution. A warehouse
design that works perfectly for a facility that ships primarily full
pallet orders may not be as efficient as one that ships a variety of
products in limited quantities.
During the critical step of warehouse design, order analytics help
develop the right solution and layout. Designers and planners
analyze the way products are moving today, while looking toward
the future, to determine the right amount of automation neces-
sary to gain efficiencies without incurring huge capital cost. The
ultimate design should consider the capabilities of both a ware-
house execution system (WES) and automation.
Warehouse Layout
Manufacturers in every industry are constantly challenged with
utilizing warehouse space to its maximum capacity. If you have
a large number of pallets of products, it may seem like the most
convenient way to store those pallets is on the floor. However, a
floor storage design might require a warehouse with a footprint
equal to multiple football fields long, which is not cost effective.
Not to mention, efficiency could decrease dramatically because
of the time needed to travel across the warehouse to pick orders.
Moreover, many products may not have the sales volume to justify
their excess storage space on the floor. Thus, you tend to have a lot
of product, not within a reasonable area, that is readily available
for picking.
Organizations that implement an automated storage/ retrieval
system (AS/RS) within an existing facility typically increase
storage capacity by 30 to 50 percent, allowing them to increase
throughput and position themselves for future growth, without
costly construction. When determining your warehouse’s lay-
out, it is important to consider what product you will be storing.
When storing inventory in the fresh and frozen food industry,
every square foot of the warehouse counts.
Warehouse System Design
Aging of products is a huge concern for companies, especially
in the food industry, that deal with perishable goods. Moreover,
consumer packaged goods manufacturers prefer not to ship newer
products to retailers before they clear older stock off store shelves.
To make better use of resources, these manufacturers can use
an AS/RS with a WES. When combined, these systems have the
ability to increase inventory visibility and control by providing
real-time data that allows manufactures to increase overall opera-
tional efficiency, and better plan for future production.
In addition, a WES offers a variety of options for optimal inven-
tory replacement. For instance, the system can initiate replenish-
ment on faster-moving products when space becomes available
for a pallet on the rack. For slower moving products, users can set
up an algorithm where the system does not trigger replenishment
until a future order contains that product.
www.WestfaliaUSA.com
The Satellite Review
5