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Warehouse planning and investment

What should your warehouse be able to do?

A warehouse investment can provide more storage yet still miss the dispatch deadline or leave production waiting. The choice depends on how the business will operate: which goods move, when they are needed, who handles them and what happens during a disruption.

Manual, partly automated and automated concepts are developed and compared before you commit to equipment or building work. The starting point can be a feasibility study, a planned expansion or a facility whose current operation is reaching its limits.

From demand to a warehouse concept

The demand analysis covers orders, stock, load units, peaks and service hours. Annual volume alone cannot size a warehouse, and an order line is not necessarily one equipment movement. The analysis establishes which goods fit the proposed automation, what remains manual and how receiving, replenishment, picking and dispatch share capacity.

Each concept sets out the equipment, staffing, software and space required. Capacity checks examine how lifts, transport routes, workstations and buffers handle concurrent flows. Building dimensions, maintenance access and expansion space affect whether a technology fits and what it will cost.

What you receive

  • Demand and capacity basis

    Stock and movement requirements with peak overlap, operating hours, load eligibility and growth scenarios. The basis distinguishes measured demand, physical checks and planning assumptions.

  • Operating concepts and layouts

    Viable storage and transport alternatives, including the staffing, replenishment, ERP or warehouse-software changes, building interfaces and fallback arrangements each needs.

  • Investment comparison and recommendation

    Capital and running costs, staffing effects, implementation effort and payback where quantifiable. The recommendation explains the trade-offs and the assumptions that could change it.

Count the work that remains

Removing a transport task does not necessarily reduce shift staffing. The assessment covers the remaining work, maintenance, software, service and ramp-up costs. Supplier budget estimates are checked to establish what is included, which prices are missing and where assumptions are needed. The recommendation explains whether to automate, make a smaller change or postpone, and what changes in demand or costs would justify revisiting it.

Illustrative planning example

Production continues after the warehouse shift ends

Suppose a new central warehouse must supply production outside the logistics shift. More automated storage alone does not resolve the service requirement.

  1. 01

    Define the operating requirement

    Establish night-time demand, urgent call-offs, eligible load units, returns and the buffer available at production. Identify who can resolve an exception.

  2. 02

    Compare viable concepts

    Compare planned shift-end replenishment, extended logistics staffing and automated call-off. Include production buffers, transport and software in each option.

  3. 03

    Make a conditional recommendation

    Check service, space, cost and recovery for each concept. State which demand or staffing assumption would justify a different investment.

This is an illustrative decision process. Demand, costs and the preferred concept require project-specific evidence.

Related project work

Planning example: comparing two warehouse concepts

Practical questions

Is complete data needed before starting?

No. Existing stock, movement and order extracts can establish the first questions. I identify missing information and separate measured demand from assumptions before using either to size a system.

Can the recommendation be to postpone automation?

Yes. Process changes, master data or a smaller intervention may meet the requirement. The comparison should also show when rising volumes or other constraints would justify revisiting the investment.

Can Tidira join an existing building project?

Yes. I can join your project team as the logistics planner, alongside architects and a general planner. The mandate defines the phase, deliverables, interfaces and decisions required from the other disciplines.