If only one person in your warehouse knows where everything is, the problem is not everyone else's memory: it is that the locations have no name. Numbering them well is the first step toward controlling stock.
An address for every bin
The most widespread way is to give each bin an address with four parts: aisle, bay (or rack), level (height) and position. For example, P03-M07-N2-1 is aisle 3, bay 7, second level, first position.
- →Aisles numbered in the order they are walked.
- →Bays numbered in the same direction in every aisle.
- →Levels from the bottom up.
- →A barcode label on every bin.
Where to put each item
- →What moves most, near the picking area and at hand height.
- →Heavy items, at the bottom.
- →Items that get mixed up (sizes, colors), kept apart.
- →Reserve stock, up high or in another zone, to replenish the picking bins.
If you already have your own numbering
There is no need to rename the building. Good warehouse software uses your numbering as it is. In Ubika you can import your locations from an Excel file in the format you already use, including zone-aisle-bay-height. How to move from Excel to warehouse software.
Keep reading
- Stock control in Excel: how far it goes and when to move on
- Cycle counting: how to count the warehouse without closing it
- FIFO, FEFO and LIFO: what leaves your warehouse first
- How to bill your clients for storage and picking
What Ubika does: warehouse management software · software for 3PLs · WMS for e-commerce