Shipping Department Layout

how to best design a small shipping department

[skatingtoolman]

Does anyone have a rough layout of a shipping department design that they have found works the best for a 20' x 30' warehouse space? We ship mostly small parts under a pound. We currently have racks that are 6' high x 3' wide x 12" deep with plastic bins. We stock about 2,000 parts. Any sketches or pix would be great!

[sun818]

What's your vertical? Can you utilize more above head space with light products such as bubble wrap, popcorn, and mailers?

I don't have a sketch for you, but I can say efficiency in moving when picking, packing, and shipping is important. How many steps does your picker have to move retrieve the part? Place your best sellers closest (fewest steps required) and consider putting them on a shelf closest to your hands. Same with supplies. Most frequently used boxes and/or mailers within hands reach. We like to set up our shipping station near the pickup area, so once a shipping label is printed, it is ready for pickup without additional movement.

[jsinger]

There was a popular thread roughly on that subject here a few years ago with info that was new and thought provoking to me.

Yeah it would be nice to see some photos of various size shipping departments. Any sites on that subject?

[skatingtoolman]

We have a ceiling height of 20', so there is plenty of room. Right now we have about 2,000 parts in 8 6' racks which hold 96 plastic bins each.

[rocknbil]

Was it this one [webmasterworld.com]?

[jsinger]

No, that's not the thread I was thinking of, but a good find anyway. I poked around and couldn't locate it offhand. I'll try to find it later when I have time.

[ambellina]

Ha. My box & packing supply area is a closet about 5 foot by 6 foot, and I have to share it with two air/heating units that take up about half the space and a floor buffer that takes up another 3 square feet. We ship items ranging from smaller than a hand to 108" tall.