How to Design your Warehouse Racking Layout for Optimization

Designing or redesigning a warehouse racking layout can greatly increase your productivity and storage capacity while reducing the cost of goods stored and picked. Every layout is unique, but the goal of every design is to achieve the greatest storage density while optimizing the flow of products.

Assess Your Inventory

First, you must identify the characteristics of your inventory. This will help you determine which racking, shelving, and other material handling equipment should be used. For example, what is the shelf life of the items you plan to store? For items with expiration dates, a ‘first-in, first-out’ rack system is ideal. Drive-in/through racking systems are ideal for products with longer life spans because it offers low selectivity. Selective racking systems are common in warehouses with continuous product circulation because it offers high selectivity.

Assess Your Space

Once you have determined which storage and material handling products are ideal for your operation, you can then start designing the system.

First, survey and take measurements of the basic features of your space. Make note of any stationary features (columns, overhead doors, etc.) that you will need to workaround. Take into account the location of items such as dock doors to get an overall idea of how your storage system will be set up.

If you have multiple SKUs, you should also determine the best location for each. For example, items that have quick turnaround times should be placed as close to shipping lanes as possible. This will eliminate travel times and move a higher number of products faster, resulting in increased productivity and efficiency.

Aisle width and system height also play an important role in determining your overall density. If you are accessing products with a lift truck, the size of the truck will determine how narrow your aisles can be. This will also factor in to how high you can build the system.

How to Achieve an Optimized Warehouse Layout

Your warehouse racking layout is critical to the workflow and the output of your facility. A proper design will make it easy to store, navigate and locate products while giving you more space in your warehouse.

REB engineers take into account the layout of your space, the characteristics of your inventory, and the material handling equipment that your team uses. Clearly defining these requirements allows REB to develop the ideal solution as well as provide alternative solutions based on your budget and time frame. Each design meets both local and federal building codes. No matter what the needs of your space, we can create a professionally engineered solution that will help you manage your inventory.

We also stock a large inventory of used industrial storage racks.

For more information on how to optimize your warehouse racking layout, fill in the contact form or call (800) 252-5955.