The Key Ingredients of Good Warehouse Design

If you work in manufacturing, wholesale or logistics, the efficiency of your business is likely to be dependent on how well designed your warehouse is. Below are just some of the key ingredients to consider when designing and furnishing your warehouse.

Think FAST

FAST is an acronym that is often used in warehouse layout design. It stands for:

We do news. We don’t do cookies.

Our website does not collect, store, or share any user data. If you enjoy our content and value your privacy, consider supporting us. 

At Sovereign Magazine, we prioritize your privacy and are dedicated to protecting your personal data. The internet is increasingly only benefiting a select a few at the expense of all other users and we believe this system is fundamentally unfair.

As an independent publisher, we firmly reject participation in these practices and we have chosen to stand against it.

We do not collect, store, or share any user data. We have eliminated all third-party services that do, including advertising and traditional analytics platforms. Our decision to forgo ad revenue reflects our commitment to safeguarding your privacy and maintaining a secure online environment for our users.
Your privacy is important to us, and we appreciate your support in maintaining an ad-free and data-protected environment.

Ways to support

You can help by sharing stories you read on our site or by buying us a coffee. Your support enables us to continue providing quality content without compromising on privacy.

Support with a donation

More Info
  • Flow
  • Accessibility
  • Space
  • Throughput

Each of these four factors plays a vital part in how practical your warehouse is. It’s therefore important that you incorporate all four factors into your warehouse design.

·         Flow is all about laying out your warehouse in a logical sequence so that there is no interference between tasks. This could include creating separate areas for goods coming in and goods coming out and possibly even creating one way systems and areas for queues.

·         Accessibility is about making sure that all items can be accessed when needed. This could involve placing popular items in the easiest-to-access locations and not having items hidden behind other items.

·         Space is all about considering the dimensions of your warehouse and how best you can use them. Ailes need to be big enough for equipment such as forklifts to fit down. At the same time, you want to be able to dedicate as much space to your inventory as possible so that you can store more items.

·         Throughput is all about being able to adjust to different volumes of work. There may be times when you have lots of items coming in and few items coming out – this could mean having to use your ‘out’ area for items coming in to cope with the demand or having the ability to easily transfer resources from one area to another.

By incorporating all these four factors into your design, you can help to create a warehouse that runs like clockwork with few bottlenecks or blockages.

Make cleaning easy

Being able to clean your warehouse easily is important. Consider installing impact flooring that can be easily swept and mopped. Similarly, locate bins in convenient places so that waste can be easily disposed of. Incorporate cleaning processes into your workflow so that you’re constantly cleaning as you’re going along.

Invest in security

Warehouses can sometimes be targeted by thieves due to the value of the items and tools stored within them. Make sure that doors and windows cannot be easily broken into and that there are burglar alarms fitted. Security features such as cameras and motion-sensing lighting could also help to deter would-be burglars. Security is something that you don’t want to skimp on – it’s worth spending extra on high quality locks and alarms.

Prioritise health and safety

Health and safety is also very important in a warehouse. Make sure that there is clear signage around to warn people of dangers, as well as safety features such as barriers around pits. There should also be clear fire exits, as well as smoke alarms located around the warehouse.

Why don't we make this official? 🥰

Sign up to receive awesome content in your inbox.

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *