A warehouse racking layout design will be unique to each business as all warehouses have different requirements. There are however some design ideas to account for that apply in most warehouse scenarios. Many warehouses include a picking, packing and dispatch zone, racking and storage, reception and a receivables zone. Our guide outlines the top 5 useful warehouse racking layout design ideas.

In not all warehouses there will be a separate picking zone, however most warehouses will have one. A picking area is a zone in which the order preparation takes place.

As a recommendation, it is ideal for the placement of picking zones to be either inside or beside the racking and shelving areas. By using this model it decreases staff time in the searching for inventory and other items. A well-known organisation with picking zones is Amazon.

The picking zone in your warehouse can be as efficient as Amazon's through the use of conveyors and order pickers. Using these materials handling items will add to having an improved picking time in your warehouse.

One of the best ways in improving the shipping zone and process is by the warehouse racking and storage optimisation. In order to gain the maximum efficiency of your warehouse, partner with a racking company to provide you with an optimised design. At Abbott, we provide complimentary warehouse racking design sessions. Ensure that the most popular and fast-moving products are nearby to the shipping zone and behind those products are your second most popular range and so on, with the slowest moving inventory lines towards the back of the warehouse.

One of the best uses of warehouse space is through vertical storage with either; Selective Pallet Racking, Cantilever Racking or Drive-In Pallet Racking. Stacking is a common method of storage in warehouses but this isn't ideal in many situations, in the main a racking or shelving structure should be used to store inventory.

A method to optimising racking and storage space is to separate whats known as static and dynamic storage.

The warehouse recption zone is where incoming deliveries are received in, quality control of the incoming goods are managed and the sorting of the stock. It is the original point in which the inventory received in is sorted.

Ideally, this zone is best in a separate area from the rest of the warehouse zones, but this isn't always possible. However, it is important to remember that if the incoming items don't have enough room to be received it will create congestion at the front of your warehouse where the receivables process begins.

It is imperitave that every incoming item has the quantity checked and quality reviewed. This explains why this section is best separated from the other zones of the warehouse and it is as big an area as possible to prevent any congestions and allow for accurate product inspections.

There isn't a one size fits all approach when it comes to a warehouse racking layout design. Although utilising the design ideas that we have provided, it can assist in making your warehouse operate more efficiently and effectively. With the use of our ideas, you should also add any changes that will suit your individual requirements.

With each warehouse requirements different from each other, you need to ensure that your needs are met and your warehouse is operating at its potential. This includes having the right warehouse equipment and an optimised warehouse racking layout design.