Unleash your potential with these top 10 warehouse simulation design tips

Gather and understand your data, including the number of orders and returns you process during a typical weekly distribution cycle. Do you anticipate orders will be the same as today or 20% larger in the next five years? Analyzing and knowing your data is key to determining overall warehouse size, which includes the number of loading and unloading docks and capacity requirements in areas like storage.

Are you designing a stand-alone warehouse or a building that’s part of a larger storage and distribution network? Computer simulation at the network and warehouse level are equally important. Is it better to extend an existing warehouse or build a new one? Total capacity available in your network affects transportation costs, which, in turn, influences the price you’ll pay to serve your customers.

Storage needs depend upon your product characteristics, including dimensions and weight. Storage methods impact the cost of running your warehouse, such as what kinds of equipment you’ll need, pick efficiency and replenishments required. Running “what-if” analyses through simulation software enables you “try before you buy” and determine the best choices for your warehouse.

Your peak input and output requirements are determined by daily, weekly, monthly and seasonal patterns. Is back-to-school, the holidays or another season your busiest time? Knowing peak requirements enables you to size pick faces, determine shift patterns, stage capacity and choose the number of dock doors needed. A warehouse simulation tool enables you to try a wide variety of situations to determine what’s best.

Congestion in the yard can affect activities within the building – poor design in the positioning of parking and loading bays can increase the time to complete shipments. A simulation tool can help you understand yard capacity and constraints and avoid potential bottlenecks so you can optimize deliveries and collections. 6. Bring your 2D warehouse to life in 3D 3D modeling brings your 2D model to life. By dropping in workers, equipment and so on, you gain virtual tour of your warehouse. This makes it easier to make necessary changes before breaking ground, which, in turn, enables greater likelihood of stakeholder buy-in.

3D modeling brings your 2D model to life. By dropping in workers, equipment and so on, you gain virtual tour of your warehouse. This makes it easier to make necessary changes before breaking ground, which, in turn, enables greater likelihood of stakeholder buy-in.

Spreadsheets and/or computer aided design (CAD) packages cannot sufficiently represent how storage, access to goods, staging, employees, equipment, order profiles, deliveries and collections are interrelated – but warehouse simulation software can. Such an application optimizes the entire warehouse system and helps you balance business requirements, budget and space restrictions. Getting your warehouse design right through simulation eliminates the guesswork out of a 2D design and prevents costly mistakes.

Computer simulation helps you simplify seemingly complex material flows by working through and ironing out different scenarios. It allows you to design for today’s needs while enabling flexibility for changes that could come tomorrow, accommodating increased eCommerce orders. Since customer demand fluctuates, design software can ensure redundancy and flexibility to help you change with order profiles.

Your warehouse management system (WMS) is only as good as the warehouse design. The best WMS on the market can only operate within the restrictions of the facility. Therefore, consider the equipment you plan to use, such as voice-directed work or autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), for instance – and layer them into your simulation model to ensure your WMS is optimized.

Since warehouse simulation tools are not created equal, choose one specifically designed for warehousing that encourages both novice and proficient warehouse designers to bring multiple scenarios to life. The application should include libraries of rack and equipment types, be able to import CAD drawings and run various operating procedures.

Before buying, make sure help will be available when needed. Some providers are more consultative in nature and through experience, can help you determine what designs will work best depending on your needs. You’ll want a solution provider that’s there for the long-haul rather than one that will sell you a package and expect you to go it alone.