Product-centric businesses rely heavily on efficient operations in their backend warehouses. The logistics within distribution centers are only as good as the design itself. Qualified distribution center construction companies use a set of best practices to design optimal warehouse layouts.

Warehouse Layout Considerations

The layout for a distribution center design can make or break operational efficiency. However, with the proper planning and decision-making, a warehouse layout can be designed to enhance business operations and promote safety and productivity.

Set Warehouse Objectives

Start the design process by establishing your warehouse’s overall goals and objectives. Consider factors like the type of product being distributed, the amount of product being circulated, and the business’s projected growth.

Establishing these high-level objectives will allow you to quickly determine critical design criteria such as warehouse size, orientation, and expected lifetime. This discussion early on helps keep the design process on track without getting lost in the details. Revisit the objectives often to ensure goals are met.

Determine Requirements for Optimal Function

Take the overarching distribution center objectives and translate them into the day-to-day operations. This step will focus on the exact numbers and metrics based on historical data or projections that enable warehouse processes.

How much product will be in-stock at a time, how many employees will be assigned to a specific area, and how many daily orders you expect to receive are all metrics that will influence the distribution center design.

Establish Dedicated Work Areas

Determine the work zones you will need to complete daily operations. Depending on the type of product and processes at your specific warehouse, the work areas you might incorporate into your layout include shipping and receiving docks, reception, short-term and long-term storage, picking, packing, shipping, and dispatch.

Define the Flow

Envision how a product will flow through your warehouse from the time of delivery to the point of sale and shipment. The flow should be logical without any backtracking and optimized to complete the process efficiently. Often, one of the standard warehouse layouts will pair well with your operational needs.

3 Common Warehouse Distribution Center Designs

Every company has unique logistical requirements that will determine the most optimal distribution center layout. There are a few standard layouts, however, that fit the bill for most.

1. U-Shaped Design

This layout design forms a “U” with product storage located at the base of the letter or the back of the warehouse. The shipping and picking areas make up one side of the “U,” and the offloading and staging areas make up the other.

This simple design positions your shipping and receiving bays next to each other, limiting the traffic routes needed around your warehouse site.

2. I-Shaped Design

An I-shaped layout may be a better fit for warehouses with a high volume of shipping and receiving traffic. Deliveries are received at one end of the “I,” and the product is shipped from the other. Storage is stationed in the middle of the warehouse between the trucking docks.

While this layout reduces truck traffic congestion outside the warehouse, it often increases the distance a product needs to travel across the warehouse from point A to point B.

3. L-Shaped Design

An L-shaped warehouse layout positions the shipping and picking areas at one end of the “L” and the offloading and staging areas at the other. The storage area is in the middle.

This shape allows some separation between the truck bays while keeping the storage in a centralized location, making the L-shaped design a highly preferred layout option.

5 Effective Distribution Center Design Tips

Distribution center design must be customized for each unique situation a process requires; however, several design best practices are applicable across the board.

1. Optimize Space Within and Between Docking Areas

Depending on the number of deliveries and shipments your warehouse will expect daily, your loading and unloading areas can expect a lot of traffic. Avoid congestion and bottlenecking by incorporating adequate separation between the docking areas for each operation.

Additionally, ensure your design provides enough space for offloading products within the warehouse. You will want enough clearance from walls and walkways to utilize pallet jacks or forklifts without constraint.

2. Separate the Reception Area

After receiving a product delivery, the items will be inspected and sorted at the reception area, also known as the staging area. Therefore, your reception area should be a separate zone in your warehouse layout near the delivery dock.

Your reception area must be adequately sized. Doing so will avoid a product stockpile that could restrict warehouse operations and allow room for each item to be thoroughly inspected and undergo quality control.

3. Optimize Storage Area Organization

Adopt storage methods that get the most out of your distribution center design. For example, consider separating storage for your dynamic and static items.

Dynamic items that rush off the shelves faster should be placed in lower, easier-to-access locations. Static items that are not shipped out as often should occupy the higher, out-of-reach storage spots.

4. Create a Separate Picking Area

A separate picking area establishes a zone to track down and prepare a product order. Like a separate reception area, ensure your picking area is adequately sized to handle the overlapping product orders you expect to receive.

In shipping-centric warehouses, picking areas should be focused on efficiency. Companies often utilize additional machinery, such as conveyors and sorters, to enhance the picking operation.

5. Adjust the Shipping and Packing Area

Establish a shipping and packing area between the picking area and the shipping dock. This zone will store packing materials and creates an opportunity to enhance the packing process.

If the type of product your warehouse stores does not require packing and is shipped as-is, this area is still useful for temporarily storing ready-to-ship items.

Create a Versatile and Optimized Distribution Center Warehouse with Allied Steel Buildings

As one of the leading distribution center construction companies, we understand the significance of an effective warehouse layout. Contact our experts at Allied Steel Buildings today to find the optimal distribution center design.