To the average person, building a warehouse might seem like a straightforward project. Slap up four walls and a roof and you’ve got yourself a warehouse, right? Well, maybe. Not really. Planning and design are just as important in warehouse construction as they are when you’re building your own home. Failure to give the process the attention it deserves can be devastating for your business. To help ensure you end up with the warehouse you require, we’ve put together a list of four factors you should plan when building a warehouse.
Site
Choosing the proper site can make or break your business. Getting this right before you even start planning the specifics of the warehouse itself can ensure you start off efficiently and properly located. Look into access to major thoroughfares and other transportation corridors. Where you choose to build can be just as important as how you choose to build.
Size
Getting your size correct is another important step to ensuring your business remains viable. Spending a bunch of money on something that doesn’t meet your needs can be fatal. Ensure you have room for storage, operations, processing and the future growth of all those things. You also need to take into account staff, back office functions and ease of access.
Flow
Ideally, plenty of people, equipment and goods will be regularly moving through your warehouse space. Having an idea of how that currently looks and how it might look in the future will play a role in how you design your warehouse build. Take a look at your operational sequence and try to regulate the flow to maximize efficiency. Ideally all the moving pieces will be able to flow without interruptions, bottlenecks or congestion. Understanding your operational flow will dictate how your warehouse should be built.
Equipment And Technology
Warehouses are no longer simply big boxes for holding stuff. They’ve become technologically advanced areas for the efficient use of equipment and human resources. Having a good understanding of your current and future equipment and technological needs will help you build a warehouse that’s capable of keeping up with your business. Having the capacity to move, install and remove equipment and technology easily should be built into your design.
