Warehouse planning and layout optimisation

Most warehouses are full because of their history, not because of a calculation. The racking went in wherever it fitted on day one; the aisle width was set by the turning radius of whichever truck was bought at the time; stock went wherever there happened to be a free location. Five years later the company says it has run out of space and starts looking for a new building — when the unused capacity in the existing one is typically 20 to 40 per cent.

Warehouse planning moves that decision earlier. Before a new lease is signed, it puts numbers on how much the current building can actually hold and what each change would cost. We do not sell furniture — we calculate the scheme first, and only then propose the racking and trucks it needs.

Where capacity disappears

Warehouse capacity is lost in three places, and all three are measurable.

• In the height. A typical building around Baku has 8 to 12 metres of clear height, but the racking rarely goes above 5 or 6 metres — simply because the existing truck cannot reach any higher. That means a third of the rent you already pay is being spent on air.
• In the aisles. A counterbalance forklift normally needs a 3.5 to 4.0 metre working aisle; a reach truck manages on 2.7 to 3.0 metres, and very narrow aisle equipment on 1.6 to 1.8 metres. Taking a metre out of the aisle is an entire extra run of racking in the same building.
• In the slotting logic. If fast-moving SKUs sit at the far end of the pick face, the operator walks extra steps on every line. In a warehouse picking a thousand lines a day that can add up to a full shift.

The point of the project is to close all three losses at once rather than trading one against another. The scheme with the highest capacity usually has the worst selectivity; the balance follows from the customer's own order profile, not from a general rule.

What the project covers

Data collection and site survey

The project starts with measurement. We ask you for:

• twelve months of order lines — date, SKU, quantity (anonymised extracts are fine);
• an SKU master: dimensions, weight, packaging unit, cases per pallet;
• hourly distribution of inbound and outbound volume, plus seasonal peaks;
• pallet types in use (EUR, industrial, non-standard) and their real proportions;
• a list of the current fleet: model, lift height, capacity, turning radius.

During the survey we take the building's real dimensions: column grid, clear height, sprinkler head level, floor loading capacity and flatness, door and dock positions, and escape routes. On a typical site the survey takes one working day; above 10,000 m² it takes two.

Design and equipment selection

From that data we produce at least two alternative schemes and compare each against the same criteria: pallet positions, selectivity percentage, average pick travel, the fleet required, and the up-front investment. The choice of rack type — adjustable pallet racking, double deep, drive-in, mobile base or a mezzanine — follows from the order profile: where many pallets of the same SKU are held, drive-in buys density, while in multi-line picking it destroys selectivity.

Seismic loading is calculated separately. Azerbaijan sits in a seismically active region, and tall pallet racking cannot be erected here in the standard configuration designed for quiet European zones: upright section, anchoring pattern and bracing must all be selected for seismic load. That part of the design is not negotiable.

What you receive

• a scaled layout in DWG and PDF: racking, aisles, pedestrian routes, pick and pack zones;
• elevation drawings per run with beam level positions;
• a capacity calculation: pallet positions by type, set against the current state;
• a truck specification: model, lift height, minimum aisle width required, indicative quantity;
• a traffic and pedestrian segregation plan with every crossing point listed;
• a phased implementation plan — the sequence for relocating stock without shutting the warehouse;
• a budget estimate with racking, trucks, installation and floor works priced separately.

Stages and timescales

1. Initial discussion and data list — within two working days of your enquiry.
2. Survey and measurement — one to two working days.
3. Concept layout — within ten working days of receiving complete data. Two options with a comparison table.
4. Review and revisions — two rounds of changes are included; further options are agreed separately.
5. Final documentation and budget — up to twenty working days on the selected option.
6. Implementation support — installation supervision, racking handover and a pre-commissioning inspection.

Timescales run from the moment complete data arrives. In practice the single biggest cause of delay is an incomplete order history, which is why we issue the data list on day one.

Racking and truck selection

Every project ends in the same two decisions: which racking system and which trucks. They are interdependent — rack height sets the lift the machine must deliver, and aisle width sets the type of machine. Buying the two separately is nearly always the more expensive route.

The relevant catalogue sections are warehouse racking, forklifts, warehouse trucks — reach trucks, stackers and pallet trucks, dock levellers and safety barriers.

Coverage

In Baku, Sumqayit and the Absheron district a survey is booked within two to three working days of your enquiry. In Ganja, Mingachevir, Shirvan, Lankaran, Hajigabul and the Alat–Garadagh logistics zone a visit is arranged within five working days; regional travel costs appear as a separate line in the proposal and are shown in advance.

We also work on buildings that are still under construction or not yet chosen: in that case we work from the architectural drawings and assess whether the building suits your operation before the lease is signed. That is the cheapest stage of all — a column grid cannot be changed later.

Fees, and what is excluded

The fee depends on floor area, the complexity of the order profile, and how deep the documentation needs to go. A capacity calculation and a concept layout is a short, inexpensive piece of work; a full documentation set with a phased relocation plan and installation supervision is considerably larger.

Where racking or trucks are subsequently ordered through us, part of the design fee is credited against the supply contract — that term is written explicitly into the proposal. Excluded from the project: building permits and state expert review, construction work to level or strengthen the floor, redesign of the fire suppression system, and warehouse management system implementation. Where those are needed we record the requirement and refer you to a specialist contractor.

How the result is measured

A project is judged on four numbers: the increase in pallet positions, average travel distance per order line, annual storage cost per pallet position, and the extra floor area needed at seasonal peak. When the concept layout is handed over, each of those is shown as a current figure alongside a post-implementation forecast. If the forecast does not justify the investment, saying so at design stage is our job.

Next step

Floor area, clear height and daily pallet throughput are enough to start. Send an enquiry and we will propose the data list and a survey date within two working days; if you have questions first, write to us through the contact page.

Two services are commonly looked at alongside a layout project: forklift rental, for temporary trucks during the move, and warehouse cleaning, to prepare the building before the new scheme goes live.