Space Requirements Planning
- The first step in laying out a warehouse is to determine the overall space requirements for all warehouse processes.
- The space requirements for each process should be computed and summarised to estimate the overall building requirements.
- Effective space utilization makes good use of total building volume and not merely the floor area.
- Pallet orientation (short facing or long facing). How a pallet is stored within the racking has its own trade-off within the warehouse. Storing a pallet with the long face parallel to the aisle makes it easier for operators to pick, not having to stretch too far across the pallet. However, storing the pallets with the short side parallel to the aisle means greater flexibility more pallets can be stored in a length of racking. Number of pallets per beam (three pallets between the uprights will increase the number of pallets stored by removing a number of uprights).This can save up to 4 per cent of space. However, the maximum weight per beam needs to be adhered to.
- The requirement for cross aisles within the racking to reduce travel and the need for walkways between the end of the racking and the wall to provide escape routes for staff.
Functions of Warehousing
Transportation/shipment consolidation
- Transportation/shipment consolidation is an economic benefit of warehousing.
- Consolidation allows the operation of the carriers to their full capacity and reduces the number of shipping and receiving operations.