Warehouse Setup & Design

Warehouse Setup & Design

From its inception, establishing a suitable warehouse, implemented through a practical design, has a profound implication on the effective functioning of the facility, capacity, productivity and significantly, the financial benefits.

Whenever you have an idea for investing in a new facility, for expanding your existing facility or for changing the layout for more efficient functioning, the most important things that need your attention are capital, time and labour. They remain the same for well-established businesses or emerging start-ups. We are attentive to your business needs. We will work establishing trust and understanding your requirements. We will try to accomplish what you expect out of your facility. If undertaking a major haul is necessary for your desired warehouse facility, we will implement the best industry practices to accomplish it, with consideration for target completion at each significant stage.

The Scope for our Warehouse Design and Layout:

➤ Warehouse designs contribute in maximizing capacity, achieving the desired service levels with reducing operating cost.

➤ Our curated designs comprises the detailed physical layout along with operations manual for best utilization.

➤ The optimised warehouse design produced by us is customised to your specific needs.

Objectives:

➤ Maximized Capacity

➤ Improved Productivity

➤ Minimizing Capital Investment

➤ Reduced Operating Costs

➤ Creation of Flexible Solutions

➤ Optimized Product flows

Deliverables:

Best Practices

➤ Comparison between audit processes and the best supply chain practices.

Layout Concepts

➤ Evaluation of multiple conceptual layouts and solutions.

Detailed Layout

➤ Development of detailed layout for chosen conceptual design.

Practical Plan

➤ Actionable implementation plan in Gantt chart format

Operating Guide

➤ Systematic documentation of the processes, workflow of operations.

Modelling of an appropriate design is beneficial when the well-established methodology is followed, aligned with the strategic objectives of the organization. The design, illustrates the clear picture of the functioning of the warehouse, from a typical working period to peak activity period. The individual client requirements are taken care of at every step of the process.

CHOOLS excels in producing design ideas for flexible facilities. Business growth plans are carefully considered and analysed. The designs facilitate warehouse operations to easily adapt to changes in the volume, scale and product type.

Our design consultants possess in-depth knowledge and a strong fundamental understanding of what makes a distribution centre efficient in operation. We delight our clients by providing detailed scale plan view drawings and appealing 3D representations of the plan. Our systematic bill of the material enables accurate calculation of quotations for further processes of supply and installation.

Our adopted methodology for functional Warehouse Setup and Design projects:

✔ Assimilation of appropriate metrics. Observation of your operations and facility.

✔ Developing of applicable recommendations for improved product workflow. Effective warehouse assessment.

✔ Identification of right operating systems, order management system, warehouse management system and warehouse control system.

✔ Development of multiple layout options. Development of the detailed, engineered CAD drawing for the final review and approval.

✔ Preparation of equipment information. Cost breakdown of the budget. Estimation of ROI.

We work with direct involvement monitoring the implementation of the facility layout. We ensure the installs are seamless in completion, and automation solutions are apt in deployment. We proclaim our solutions to be cost-effective, carrying a lower risk for execution.

We believe in respectful collaboration to develop a facility design that drives maximum productivity. Along with it, we will transfer our knowledge and educate you on the types of material handling equipment and automation solutions, fully configured for your space and complexity of the operation. You will be advised on the technologies to adopt for increased efficiency of your operations, as well as increased sales growth for your business.

Warehouse Setup, Design And Consulting - Case Study

Case Study 1
Case Study 2

Case Study 1

Chools Supply Chain Consultants Develop a Warehouse Redesign for a Reputed Distribution Company

Chools specializes in recommending practical, implementable and efficiently functional warehouse design with optimum operational improvements. In the following case study, you will read about how our counsel positively benefitted our client to increase the order fulfilment productivity up to 56%.

The Challenge Encountered

One of the country’s leading food and beverage distributors with resounding reputation had grown so rapidly that its inventory had considerably outgrown the existing warehouse facility. It needed an upgraded warehouse infrastructure capable of supporting the load.

➤ Chools was given the ultimate task of optimizing the warehouse layout. It had to be tactically cost-effective and practical mannered to support operations for the next half a decade. Addition to it was the ambition to significantly improve the operation’s productivity. The implementation methodology here would be the blueprint to replicate the procedure for several other company’s distribution centres across the country.

Analysis and Initial Steps Taken

Chools logistical consultants explored the facility and learnt the existing operations with great detail. They accurately analysed and dissected the needs of the operation. They gathered the necessary data and sincerely collaborated with the project team of the client. The ideal inventory level of the warehouse was determined along with the development of an actionable plan.

Warehouse redesign expertise leading to the solution

➤ With detailed analysis of the order and transaction log, the first recommendation we made was setting up a forward pick area with a few, selected pallet racks. When implemented many lines were picked relatively fast in less than pallet quantities. The picking time was dramatically reduced when the Supply Chain Consultants developed specifications meant for order pickers operating in forward pick area.

➤ The remaining facility was organized with floor stacked pallets for increased productivity. Location scheme was designed by Chools making use of striped lanes and scannable location labels. The detailed quantitative analysis and CAD was utilized for creating a layout. The pallets were slotted into specific locations depending on the product family or the pallet quantity. The entire shipping and receiving area was redesigned. The break room was recommended to be relocated nearer to the facility hosting front officers.

➤ In the concluding phase of the operation, Chools suggested improvement in the company’s Warehouse Management System. Chools developed a matrix of critical functionalities that had to be integrated into the new WMS. Several vendors were brought in for an effective demonstration of the capabilities. The detailed cost-benefit analysis was carried out addressing the proposed new WMS. The Chools logistics and supply chain consultants carried out extensive time trials that determined the time savings brought in by the WMS functionalities and the redesigned processes.

The Result

With effective implementation of Chools recommendations for warehouse design and operational improvements resulted in increased order fulfilment efficiency by 56%.

Case Study 2

Chools was approached by a major food and beverage company having reputed brand recognition. It needed consulting and actionable advice on designing a new advanced warehouse for efficient dispatch operation.

➤ The new facility designed included four operational production lines bottling 50 SKUs along with the function of receiving and storing imported product.

➤ The key requirements highlighted included the alignment of the warehouse design and function corresponding to the factory output. The loading profiles for dispatch was also taken into account.

➤ The major aim is primarily to achieve the right balance between the product assigned for storage and product loaded straight into the vehicles for immediate dispatch. The one thing to carefully consider is matching the capacity of storage systems and MHE fleet with a variety of production rates.

➤ The project comprised of layout optimization to achieve maximum productivity of the MHE fleet and the warehouse team. Storage solutions were designed for various transit media. An effective solution was developed to re-stacking imported pallets at the depot instead of doing it at an off-site location. That would result in reduced multiple handling and lowered additional cost.

➤ In the next phase, we undertook the meticulous collection and analysis of the relevant data concerned with production line outputs, batch sizes and dispatch profiles. Chools synchronously worked with the client organization for an accurate evaluation of alternative options meeting various other requirements.

➤ The precise requirement of each storage system was systematically calculated. Layouts were developed for optimised productivity. Synthetic standards were utilized for the proper determination of fleet and staff requirements. Appropriate specifications were prepared for racking and MHE.

➤ With employing the upgraded equipment, technology and innovative implementation procedures, operational flexibility was exceptionally retained. The costs were significantly minimized. The warehouse design included the integration of automated shuttle racking for optimal storage density. Block stacking was developed to accommodate the anticipated seasonal peaks and fast-moving SKUs.