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Warehouse Design & Optimization
Our warehouse design and optimization services help organizations plan new and retrofitted facilities around the specific needs of each operation. We use data-driven analysis to deliver high service levels at low cost for manufacturing, distribution & e-commerce operations, with designs that scale as inventory & sales volumes grow.
Optimizing
Warehouse Design
The optimization of your warehouse directly determines operational speed, storage density and labor overhead.
Space Utilization & Storage Density
Our initial engineering focus is placed heavily on space utilization and storage density alongside rigorous material flow and traffic optimization. We analyze SKU volumetrics and cube velocity to make the most of your footprint.
- Maximized space utilization and storage density
- Material flow and traffic route optimization
- Scalability and operational flexibility built-in
Order Picking Efficiency
Minimizing travel distance and pick times typically represents the single largest operational cost inside a facility. Layout designs achieve this efficiency by grouping high velocity Stock Keeping Units near dispatch zones, establishing clear pick paths, and applying zone, batch, or wave picking methodologies. Designs account for safety, ergonomics and applicable codes, and are coordinated with your architect and engineers of record.
- Engineered order picking efficiency
- Safety, ergonomics, and code compliance
- Reduced travel distances and optimized pick paths
The Design &
Optimization
Process
A logical progression that moves from strategic planning and data analysis to design detailing and implementation.
Facilities Planning & Operations Design
Facilities planning and operations design services address the specific drivers of change within a business. Our methodology identifies core business processes to create layouts that support long-term growth and shifting inventory profiles. Sensitivity testing ensures that these plans are ready to handle business forecasts. We use a logical progression that moves from strategic planning and data analysis to design detailing and implementation. This approach identifies the best combination of material handling infrastructure and information systems to support your goals.
- CAD-based facility block and detailed layouts
- Inventory profile shift modeling
- Sensitivity testing against growth forecasts
Operations Audit & Gap Analysis
Operation audits identify immediate improvement opportunities through a gap analysis against best practices. Our senior consultants and engineer-analysts visit your site to observe operations and document the difference between current conditions and what is possible. The resulting scorecard covers up to one hundred categories including inbound, inventory and outbound sections. This diagnostic tool helps develop short-term and long-term plans to increase productivity while minimizing capital costs. These studies provide a foundation for subsequent re-engineering or optimization projects if the data supports such action.
- Onsite operational observation and documentation
- Scorecard of up to 100 sub-categories
- Foundation for subsequent re-engineering projects
Mechanization & Automation Rationalization
Mechanization, automation and robotics rationalization services provide an unbiased evaluation of technology alternatives. Our team analyzes solutions like shuttle systems and autonomous mobile robots to meet capacity and return on investment goals. Because our firm has no financial interest in specific brands, our recommendations are driven by functional results. We evaluate the impact of technology on service levels, labor requirements and operational risks. This ensures that any selected system is justified through a thorough cost and benefit analysis.
- Evaluation of shuttle systems and AMRs
- ROI-driven, vendor-neutral recommendations
- Impact assessment on service levels and labor
Process Analysis & Optimization
Process analysis and optimization initiatives identify and remove inefficiencies like wasted travel and redundant handling. We believe that mapping current business practices is a necessary step before any new design starts. Our focus remains on eliminating unnecessary fingerprints and footsteps to ensure efficient material flow. By identifying the gap between current and optimized processes, we develop alternatives that improve quality and compress operational time. Our goal is to ensure your operation is as efficient as possible before any technology is introduced.
- Current state business practice mapping
- Removal of redundant handling and wasted travel
- Compression of operational cycle time
Simulation & Sensitivity Testing
Computer simulation modeling and sensitivity testing help mitigate risks before capital is spent. Our engineers build a digital model of the current state to test proposed alternatives and identify bottlenecks or capacity constraints in a controlled environment. We use simulation to evaluate warehouse design scenarios against historical data.
- Digital twin baseline modeling
- Bottleneck identification before CapEx spend
- Volume change stress testing
Equipment & Systems Specification
Material handling and storage equipment specification and selection services are independent and vendor-neutral. Our team evaluates throughput demands to develop performance-based specifications for racking and retrieval systems. We also assist with Supply Chain Information Systems selection, defining functional requirements for Tier-1 and Tier-2 WMS and WCS applications through sealed competitive bids.
- Performance-based MHE specifications
- Sealed competitive bid administration
- WMS/WCS functional requirements
- HMI (Barcode, RFID, Voice) deployment
Warehouse Design &
Warehouse Optimization
That Pays Back
Every warehouse design decision locks in operating costs for years. Warehouse optimization makes sure the building, the process, and the people deliver on that investment.
Human-Machine Interface Solutions
Human-machine interface technologies like barcode, voice and RFID systems are specified based on performance requirements. Our evaluation assesses task variability and labor skill levels to find the greatest benefit. We focus on solutions that emphasize ease of use and low total cost of ownership. Applying our expertise in warehouse design & optimization to these interfaces ensures your workforce can perform with high accuracy. Our goal is to ensure that these technologies integrate seamlessly with your existing execution systems.
Supply Chain Information Systems Selection
Supply chain information systems specification and selection help companies choose software for long-term use. Our team defines functional requirements and develops specifications for Tier-1 and Tier-2 applications. We protect fiscal interests by administering a sealed competitive bid process for WMS and WCS solutions. Our consultants provide qualitative and quantitative comparisons of vendor responses to reduce risk. This unbiased approach ensures that your software meets your performance mandates and reporting needs.
Infrastructure, Systems and HMI Identification
Infrastructure, systems and HMI identification services support business goals through the selection of hardware and software. Our methodology identifies the best combination of tools to drive productivity and maintain control. We ensure that all identified elements work in harmony within the distribution network. Every recommendation is right-sized and justified through an analysis of your unique operating environment. Our team focuses on selecting systems that integrate with your labor models and facility infrastructure.
Benchmarking and Performance Metrics
Benchmarking, performance metrics and organizational analysis studies identify your Operations Performance Gap (OPG). Our OPG Index™ serves as an indicator of the health of your supply chain organization. We aggregate reliable baseline data to help organizations adjust to a changing business landscape. This diagnostic information provides the dashboard visibility needed to optimize performance and track improvement over time. These studies can be part of a forensic effort for underperforming operations or part of a broad design of new processes.
Project Management Systems Integration & Implementation
Project management systems integration and implementation services offer technical support for executing a strategic roadmap. Our staff develops project schedules and budgets to keep transitions on schedule and within financial limits. We manage sealed competitive bid administration for systems and infrastructure to help our clients make objective choices. Our team provides go-live support, stabilization and performance auditing to ensure your facility meets its targeted service levels. This assistance reduces the burden associated with large-scale business changes and systems integration.
Working With Us
Warehouse Design & Optimization
What You Receive
Design-year requirements, alternative concepts with capital and operating costs, a selected CAD layout with equipment list, process flows, a staffing model and an implementation plan.
What We Need to Start
Order history, item master, inventory and receipt data, labor reports, facility drawings, and time with your team for site walks and interviews.
How It Works
Data is collected and validated, planning assumptions are agreed in writing, alternatives are developed and compared with your team, and one concept is detailed for bid and implementation.
How We Measure Success
Against the service level, capacity, throughput, labor and return-on-investment targets agreed at the start, then verified after go-live.
Start the Warehouse Design Process
Questions We Answer: Warehouse Design
Common questions from operations leaders planning a new, expanded,
or re-engineered warehouse, distribution, or e-commerce fulfillment operation.
Should we build or lease a new facility, or re-engineer the one we have?
We design both new and retrofitted operations. By modeling your design-year requirements against each option, we show whether your current building can support the business or whether relocation delivers enough service and cost benefit to justify the move.
How large does our warehouse or DC need to be?
We build design-year volumetric requirements from your order, SKU, inventory and receipt data, apply your growth forecasts, and sensitivity test the volatile elements. The result is a facility sized for where the business is going, not just where it is today.
Do we need automation, or will a conventional operation work?
We apply best process first, removing unnecessary fingerprints and footsteps, then compare mechanized, automated, robotic and functionally pragmatic alternatives against your service, capacity, throughput, scalability, risk and ROI criteria. Our designs range from pragmatic, low-tech operations to highly automated facilities.
How do we know your recommendations are not biased toward a vendor?
We do not sell or benefit from the sale of equipment or software, partner with vendors, or accept commissions or finder’s fees. Our single source of revenue is client-paid fees, and our accounting firm can furnish an affidavit confirming it.
What do you need from us to get started?
Operational data such as order history, item master, inventory and labor information, plus facility drawings and access to your team for site walks and interviews. Data is scrubbed and validated, and planning assumptions are agreed in writing before any design work begins.
Can you support us after the design is complete?
Yes. We develop performance-based equipment and systems specifications, administer sealed competitive bids, and provide project management, systems integration, implementation and interim leadership support through go-live.
The OPSdesign® Engagement Model
Our team of consultants, engineers, analysts and project managers are ready to assist you in transforming your supply chain operations into a strategic asset. We invite you to reach out to our team to discuss how we can help you achieve your strategic and tactical goals. Get in touch with us to start the process of engineering your high-performance facility.
Warehouse Design & Optimization Articles
A practical guide to stress testing your distribution network against transportation and inventory costs and building geographic redundancy against geopolitical and environmental delays.
Most distribution networks were designed around one question: which...
On a spreadsheet, consolidating retail replenishment and direct-to-consumer fulfillment into a single facility looks like an easy call. You get one building, one lease, one inventory pool, one warehouse management system, and one management team. The...
A greenfield distribution center is the rare chance to build operations exactly the way they should run, without legacy columns or racking that someone else chose a decade ago. The same freedom makes early mistakes expensive. Choices made in the first...
The robots are usually the easy part. Retailers racing to offer same-day delivery have committed millions to micro-fulfillment automation, only to discover after installation that the building couldn’t feed it: docks too tight to replenish fast enough,...
