Post on 03-Aug-2020
Warehouse Slotting & Material Flow DesignMike Brown, Plymouth Foam, Continuous Improvement Manager
Space and FlowBulky Material and Minimal Variation (11)
Steve Silvis, 3PLR, Sr Consultant, O: 262‐527‐5327
Best Storage Depth by the Numbers (8)Data Challenge (4)Baking a Cake ‐‐ Extended Impact of Slotting and Flow (8)
About 3PLR
Partial Listing
Plymouth, WIGnadenhutten, OH
TEAM MEMBERS• Mike Brown ‐ Continuous Improvement
• Steve Silvis – 3PLR
• Laura Engel ‐ Scheduling
• Terry Henckel ‐ Shipping Supervisor
• Brian Humphrey ‐ Shipping
• Barb Luedke ‐Material Handler
• Cody Keli ‐ Shipping
• Stewart Newberry ‐ Shipping
Plymouth Foam Warehouse Addition
Initial Plant Size in 2016: 180,000 Sq. Ft.
Warehouse Addition: 118,000 Sq. Ft. (65% Increase)
3rd Party Warehousing Space: 60,000 Sq. Ft.
DEFINE THE PROBLEMS
No First In, First Out (FIFO) procedure
Fluctuating Min/Max levels for Stock parts
Losing 6,000 Sq. Ft. Airehide® development
Losing 2,000 Sq. Ft. to Lease CrossFit® Gym
Numerous off‐site warehouses require double‐handling and additional costs
Limited space for staging LTLs, congestion at dock doors
IDENTIFY SOLUTIONSLTL Staging ‐ Realign area in front of docks to better utilize available space.
FI/FO ‐ Condense product from partial rows and develop shorter rows to reduce honeycombing. 2 to 6 rows deep from both sides.
Directed Put‐away and Directed Picking to cycle material by FIFO.
Clearly defined Aisles, Streets and Rows to allow Directed material movement using color coded paint or tape. Yellow for stows, red for centers, blue for reserved areas and special projects.
Improved Handheld scanners (Surface Pro Tablets) to allow Directed material movement.
Action Item List
BEFORE
HONEYCOMBING
AFTER
SHOW ME
Honeycombed (Space lost to Incomplete Rows)Before ‐ 32% After ‐ 20% (‐12%)
Utilization of SpaceBefore ‐ 1,719 After ‐ 2,090 (+22%)
Access Stows (Spaces facing Aisles)Before ‐ 240 After ‐ 468 (+95%)
Available Staging Space ‐ Sq. Ft.Before ‐ 10,450 After ‐ 20,200 (+93%)
BY THE NUMBERS
By redesigning the layout of the warehouse and using shorter stows rather than fewer long stows
We were able to better utilize our floor space and reduce voids (honeycombing). Lining walls with racking increased accessibility from both sides of an aisle instead of aisles along walls with access from only one side.With more precise location names and better handheld scanners, we can better manage our inventory accuracy electronically and drive a First In, First Out mentality within our organization.
2018 Inventory Accuracy
By the end of 2018 we had eliminated manual monthly inventory. In 2019, our year end inventory (the only manual inventory count of the year) was accurate to within 0.6% of total inventory!
SUMMARY
• Maximize Use of Storage Space• Lower ft/pallet Position
• Minimize Honeycombed Space• Honeycombed Space: Empty space as a Stow is Filled and Depleted.
• More Stows Provide Better Access
BEST PALLET DEPTH?
Deeper Storage Increases Honeycombing (empty space)
Deeper Provides Lower Ft/Pallet
OPTIMAL USE OF SPACE
One Deep 40 Square Feet / Pallet Position
(½ aisle + pallet depth)*pallet width = 40 ft per pallet
16
20Aisle
Pallet Storage
MEASURING FEET PER PALLET X DEPTH
Two Deep 28 Square Feet / Pallet Position
TWO DEEP
Depth1 402 283 244 225 20.86 207 19.48 199 18.66
Feet/Pallet
Feet/Pallet Decreases at a Decreasing Rate
FEET PER PALLET AS DEPTH INCREASES
‐
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
30.0
35.0
40.0
45.0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Feet/Pallet
Depth
LINE GRAPH OF FEET PER PALLET
‐
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
30.0
35.0
40.0
45.0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Feet/Pallet
Honeycombing Waste as a %
Optimal Depth at the IntersectionDepth
Feet/Pallet
HONEYCOMBING WASTE (RED)
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
‐
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
30.0
35.0
40.0
45.0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Feet/Pallet
Percent Honeycombed
The Honeycombing Percentage is Empirical
Although the Honeycombing Percentage is Empirical, Beyond Six Deep Provides:1. Only a Marginal Decrease in ft/pallet (Blue) .2. At the Risk of Increasing Empty Space (Red).3. Fewer stows, less access to product
Ft/Pallet is a Calculated Number
Remaining ft/pallet Benefit to go Deeper
Pending Empty Space as Depth Increases
MINIMIZE HONEYCOMBING TO SAVE SPACE
Slotting & Material Flowfor the Extended Supply Chain
Facility: Designed for Optimal Material Flow
Data Question:
“Big Data” – How do I know there is opportunity?
0
50
100
150
200
250
56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76
Height in Inches
Weight in Pounds
0
50
100
150
200
250
56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76
Weight By Gender
Female Male
Three Dimensions
TWO DIMENSIONS
0
50
100
150
200
250
56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76
Asia Weight By Gender
Female Male0
50
100
150
200
250
56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76
Europe Weight By Gender
Female Male
0
50
100
150
200
250
56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76
North America Weight By Gender
Female Male
0
50
100
150
200
250
56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76
South America Weight By Gender
Female Male
Plot it in Excel ??
1. Height2. Gender3. Geographic4. Age5. ????6. Weight
• Supplier locations• Optimal order quantity and related buffer
• Cost/Demand and related probabilities• Supplier Origin and related response time
• Dimensions and storage requirements• Line placement• Facility layout• Rack alternatives• Packaging
SLOTTING CHALLENGES
60,000 ft 35,000 ft
220,000 ft
20,000 ft
Total 500,000 ft. A. Assembly 165,000 ft.
B. Material flow,Finished Goods 335,000 ft.
LOOK AT THE DETAILS
COMPONENT REQUIREMENTS
SPACE REQUIRED
It works
• Order Quantities• Procurement cause and frequency• Response timing• Target Inventories• Storage Details
• Rack/Floor storage profile• Specific components (groups)• Location addresses• Quantity held “Big Data” – Answer
RESULTS
Q&AThank you!