Warehouse Layout Planning - Research Paper Example

The design of a warehouse should be capable of maximizing the utility of space while simultaneously allowing for sufficient circulation paths for both material handling equipment, for instance, forklift trucks and warehouse personnel. As a consequence, it is critical for warehouse planning and design to take advantage of height allowances through the use of higher bays. In order to facilitate flexibility in warehouse planning and design, it is vital to make use of alternative methods for handling material.

These methods typically influence construction and planning aspects such as aisle widths, need for the inclusion of mezzanine space, egress design and lighting design (Christopher & Towill, 2001). Warehouses should typically be designed by taking into consideration both present and future needs in order to allow for changes in enterprise growth, size of warehouse spaces and population and size of the office. It is vital for warehouse space to be easily adaptable to fit varying functions, for instance, office levels and computer centers.

Effective site design accommodates the need for future loading docks, car parking spaces and truck space. In order to achieve this, enterprises need to address techniques for handling material and business practices, for instance, just-in-time storage. This involves the inclusion of roof designs with extra structural capacity that is built-in to facilitate the addition of supplementary rooftop equipment. In order to ensure that the future supplementary space is effective with regard to handling future material, the design should encompass fire protection capacities (Cormier & Gunn, 1992).

This will allow for the accommodation of storage materials that have an increased level of fire hazard, particularly with regard of high plastic products. Flexibility can be built into warehouse design and planning to contain future changes through the implementation of scenario planning, which ultimately results enhanced flexibility. Scenarios can be constructed either through modeling or simulation to take into consideration a variety of situations through which the design flexibility can be assessed effectively.

Such scenarios include, for instance, alternative growth anticipations, unusual peak provisions and alterations in order profiles. This typically requires the use of simulation tools that can prove effective. These simulation tools include general simulation packages adaptable for warehousing and specified warehousing simulation packages. These packages include some that can be purchased directly from suppliers and others available through equipment suppliers, suppliers of warehouse management systems and consultancies (Christopher & Towill, 2001).

Since not all tools are applicable in all situations, it is critical that an enterprise adopts the appropriate simulation tool for its flexibility and future needs. For instance, a certain modeling simulation cannot offer accurate answers for certain projects, especially where the enterprise is experienced fundamental changes. Although scenario planning is effective, it is not an endeavor to forecast the future. This means that drawing scenarios that predict future events will prove ineffective in the long term since people’s perceptions typically influence what they consider as the reality.

Predictions for the future