Do warehouse infrastructures need solution designs?

Warehouses have always existed as a means of storing merchandise and stocking supplies for potential use until the 1990s. However, in order to remain competitive, firms have been under pressure to improve their customer response times while lowering their cost-to-serve in the recent globalisation and internet evolution period.

Warehouse core functions (receiving, delivering, picking, inventory control, etc.) have grown to provide additional value-added services such as labelling, postponement, product customization, kitting, packing, and many other services to achieve the target of meeting consumers quicker and cheaper. Warehouse solution designs have become a vital element for company performance as the scope of warehouse operations has increased.

Companies have recognised the difficulty of constructing efficient warehouses in their search for greater productivity and optimization of warehouse operations.Businesses realised that there is no such thing as a “one-size-fits-all” solution design to warehouse optimization.

Why do you need effective solution designs?

The reliability of logistics, including shipping and warehousing processes, is critical to supply chain efficiency. The efficiency of a warehouse is determined by a combination of warehouse architecture, configuration, technology, systems, processes, and personnel.

When a warehouse can be designed and implemented from the ground up, the SCM Project Manager has a lot of leeway to develop a custom approach that meets the exact requirements, resulting in increased performance and lower transaction costs. This, however, might not always be the case. SCM administrators are often required to use existing equipment and manoeuvre around the available configuration in order to achieve the best outcome in an evolving situation.

The architecture and construction of your warehouse will have a significant impact on your operations, including efficiency, picking time, and facility safety. You'll have space problems, reduced efficiency, and storage inadequacies if you don't have the right layout and solution design.

“Achieving right balance between warehouse design layout, infrastructure, systems, process and people results in optimal warehouse efficiency through effective solution designs.”

An effective solution design help any business achieve the following;

●    Making the best of the space available

●    Reducing the handling of goods to a minimum

●    Providing quick access to the commodity that is being processed

●    Having the best possible rotation ratio

●    Allowing for full product placement versatility

●    Keeping tabs on the volume of goods stored

How an effective solution design is developed?

1.   The solution design model would focus on assigning each commodity to the best-suited storage system and estimating the space and costs needed for warehouse layout designs. The estimates would also account for the MHEs that must be purchased.

2.   The solution design will determine the number of pick locations required, conduct an ABC analysis, and assign each commodity to a warehouse location for warehouse slotting.

3.   Based on the existing facility configuration and operating criteria, the solution design would generate a list of position labels, overview labels, aisle and safety signs to be printed for location labelling.

4.   The phase of solution designs for operations optimization would look at inefficiencies and bottlenecks, as well as estimating the gains of optimization through various scenarios.

5.   The solution designs will also formulate an effective placement strategy of various security equipment and IT and networking solutions.

Improved profitability and customer experience standards can be achieved by designing effective solutions and executing productive warehouse operations. Considering vital components and main considerations through design is the only way to produce optimal outcomes in any industrial infrastructure.