Warehouse floor plan

The Benefits Of Optimizing Your Warehouse Layout

The layout and design of your warehouse have a direct effect on the efficiency of your business.

From the warehouse floor plan and physical layout to the utilisation of space and traffic flow, a huge number of elements need to be considered in order to optimise productivity, minimise costs and protect the health and safety of personnel. Even your choice of warehouse flooring is an important factor in the efficient operation of your warehouse.

Warehouse floor plan key points

Let’s look at some of the key benefits of optimising your warehouse layout:

1. Faster access to areas/products that are used most frequently

2. Optimum use of space including storage areas, production zones, workflow areas, office space and secure areas for receiving or dispatching goods

3. More efficient workflow

4. Improved operation organisation

5. Elimination of safety hazards

6. Compliance with health and safety regulations

7. Elimination of wasted or dead space

Planning the layout

It’s obviously easier to optimise warehouse space if you’re starting with a blank canvas rather than attempting to rearrange an existing operation. Either way, there are many things that can be done to streamline and improve your use of space. From space-saving vertical shelving to non-slip long-life epoxy flooring, there are plenty of cost-effective solutions to help you get the most from your warehouse space and your inventory.

Careful planning will also allow you to make smart decisions about any additional spaces you may require, such as a place where staff can spend some downtime, a privacy room and canteen facilities.

A big picture plan is a natural starting point. There are plenty of online tools and layout software to choose from or you can use traditional blueprints as your canvas for mapping out your plan. Regardless of what you use for the theoretical layout of your warehouse, thorough preparation is essential and accuracy is paramount. You don’t want to get to the final straight and find that your aisles are too narrow for your forklift to turn or that the measurements for the bespoke shelving were wrong.

Details to safety

Safety is also paramount. A disorganised warehouse can be hazardous and can compromise the health and safety of personnel. For example, staff may be forced to overload congested shelves with more products which can be dangerous or they may have to put things down in the aisle, thereby creating tripping hazards.

If a pedestrian traffic area hasn’t been zoned correctly, staff may be at risk from moving machinery (eg a forklift or robot). The same applies for blind corners or narrow passages where the safety of personnel may be compromised.

If your warehouse layout is sub optimal, staff may take risky shortcuts to save time which means they won’t be adhering to your company’s health and safety protocols. Disorganisation can also mean that products end up in the wrong area, leading to delays and downtime.

Considering epoxy as a floor coating option.

We mentioned earlier that your choice of warehouse flooring can be a key factor in how well your space is managed — and our recommendation is epoxy flooring.

Our choice is based on the fact that epoxy flooring combines brawn with brain.

Its durable surface is tough enough to withstand the rigorous demands of moving machinery and vehicles, heavy foot traffic and temperature extremes yet it is soft underfoot, non-slip, impervious to spills and stains and very easy to maintain.

Epoxy floors also deliver the goods in terms of health and safety. They can be designed to highlight designated zones for pedestrian and vehicular traffic and their hygienic and non-slip surface is ideal for all types of busy industrial premises. Epoxy floors can be installed on both new and existing sub-floors.

Conclusion

Optimising your warehouse layout takes time and effort, but the benefits of a carefully planned structure are substantial. Greater operating efficiencies, less downtime and a safer working environment are just some of the advantages of smart warehouse design — and you’ll be giving your business the best chance at bottom-line improvements too.