Layout Planning Strategy For Q-Commerce Order Fulfilment Centres

(MENAFN- EIN Presswire) EINPresswire/ -- In this communiqué, the team of layout planning experts of retail and eCommerce consulting firm - Your Retail Coach (YRC) highlights some of the key factors in formulating an effective layout planning strategy for q-commerce order fulfilment centres (FCs) with an emphasis on the Middle East market.

Leveraging Vertical Space

In big cities in the Middle East, it is becoming increasingly challenging to find real estate properties in promising locations at attractive prices, especially within the urban municipality limits. Making use of the vertical space counts as a crucial move for flexing spatial resources. Vertical stocking makes room for storing a higher number of SKUs in one area. Vertical stocking tactics include multi-level shelving and narrow aisle racking with the use of tools like automated storage and retrieval systems.

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ABC Analysis for Slotting and Picking

Strategic placement of inventory plays a decisive role in the performance of order fulfilment promises made by dark stores or quick commerce brands. The placement of inventory also affects how quickly goods are picked for processing orders within FCs. ABC analysis can be used for strategic slotting as highlighted ahead.

A Category comprises fast-moving and high-demand items. These items (their racks/shelves) are placed closest to the workspace where the next operational step is conducted which is usually packing. On the racks/shelves, these items are placed at the most easily accessible heights or positions.
With decreasing ease of accessibility, the items of B and C categories are placed and positioned in FCs. This is comparable to where people keep those things in their homes that they use the least.

Zone Allocation

Having well-planned and dedicated zones for different operational activities is a key element of effective fulfilment centre layout planning. It makes FCs more organised from operational and management perspectives. It helps prevent operational chaos and mishaps while allowing smooth navigation from start to end and reducing the chances of errors and omissions which is critical for achieving operational efficiency in fulfilment centres. A simple zone allocation may look like this:

-> Receiving Zone
-> Stocking Zone
-> Packing Zone
-> Dispatch Zone
-> Return Receiving Zone

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Keeping Room for Automation and Other Technologies

Automation and technology play a pivotal role in increasing the operational efficiency in order fulfilment centres. Even if there are no current plans to go for automation or any other advanced technological solutions, layout planning should be designed in such a way that there is room to incorporate these solutions in the future. The reason is that it is natural for a business to strive for scale and expansion and when it happens, there should be room to integrate advanced tools and technologies. Some of the common automation and technological solutions used in modern-day order fulfilment centres include:

-> Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs)
-> Conveyor systems
-> Warehouse Management System (WMS)
-> Hand-held tools and equipment

In essence, layout planning for order fulfilment centres should be done keeping planned and anticipated growth and expansion in the future and not just based on immediate requirements.

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