Do’s and Don’ts of Warehouse Design

Moving into a new warehouse is a huge effort. Make sure the building’s design will be right for your company, now and into the future. Here are some do’s and don’ts of warehouse design.

Know Your Inventory

Before you start your design, take a look at your current setup. How do people and products move through your warehouse? Are the movements at regular intervals, or do they happen in waves? Are traffic jams ever a problem? What aspects of the layout of your current warehouse work well, and where are things going wrong?

With this overview in hand, take the following steps:

For companies that ship products, storage should account for 22% to 27% of the warehouse space.

Separate Different Tasks

Giving different tasks their own space makes employees’ movements safer. It also prevents items from mixing together and getting lost.

Shrink wrap, cartons, and pallets tend to accumulate when things get busy and create clutter. Assign a convenient but out-of-the-way space to stash these items until your crew can dispose of them.

Know the Other Spaces You’ll Need

The building has to accommodate the people who do the receiving, shipping, and picking. Depending on the building size, the plan needs space for

Don’t discount this last point just because the building is a warehouse. For example, a disabled person might be qualified to drive a forklift. If in doubt about ADA requirements, contact the U.S. Access Board.

Keep Costs Down

Look for ways to save, but don’t skimp on the essentials. Sometimes a larger initial investment pays for itself quickly with ongoing savings.

You can find many calculators online that will help you predict the energy savings from various products and strategies.

Plan for the Future

Don’t make the mistake one business made. Items going into its warehouse were on pallets narrow enough to fit through a regular door. But when the product mix expanded, the pallets didn’t fit anymore. Employees needed to hand-carry individual boxes into the warehouse, doubling the work involved.

Your warehouse design should meet your needs for tomorrow as well as today. As you design:

Talk to Our Design-Build Team

The Peak Steel team is happy to give you more information. Call us about the specs you need to assemble and the building options available. From day one, we’ll work with you to design and build the Georgia-based warehouse you need.

Email us at info@peaksteelbuildings.com or call us toll-free at 844-333-7325 to get started and learn more about the do’s and don’ts of warehouse design.