Warehouse Zoning - An Overview

Introduction

Zoning is the process of classifying the warehouse areas into sections based on the putaway requirements, picking strategies and work execution principles.

When a warehouse is being designed, a decision has to be made in regards how and where to store products belonging to different families. Depending on that products will be stored in the warehouse. These are called as put-zones.

This is the case when the characteristics of a product require it to be stored below or above a certain temperature, or due to its volatile nature, has to be stored in a special cabinet, area or room. This is called zoned storage, and it is a commonly used in warehouses.

Zoning can be defined as “A technique for laying out warehouse storage which seeks to minimize “pick”, travel time by grouping the most used products closest to their point of use.”

Put-zones:

Different types of Put-zones in a warehouse may depend on the nature of products being stored. Some examples of zoned storage are listed below.

Refrigerated Zone –  A business may use products that need to be kept at a certain temperature such as food products or certain chemicals. 

Dry Storage  Zones – Dry storage is a common zone in a warehouse. Many products need to be kept away from moisture. For that dry zone can be used. 

Flammable Liquids Zones - Some companies use chemicals in their manufacturing process and these need to be stored safely.  

Corrosive Materials Zones - Corrosive Materials such as acids, also must be stored in the warehouse in their separate cabinets.  

Oversize Storage Zones - Some materials in the warehouse will not fit in a normal size rack and need to be stored in a separate area. For example in an automotive warehouse, complete exhaust systems could not be stored on normal racking, so would have to be stored in an area specifically for oversized products.

Security Cage Zones –  For companies that have to store small size, but high value products, there may be a need to store the products in a security zone.

 

Pick zones:

Zone based picking can increase the efficiency of the warehouse personnel. There are two variants of picking based on zones

Progressive zoning – Picking is completed in one zone before starting in the second zone.

Synchronized zoning – Picking happens simultaneously in multiple zones.

Work zones:

Zoning can be done based on the nature of work requests and their attributes like priority, vehicle access and authorized personnel to execute those works.

The outcomes of a zoning process are

The number of zones in each warehouse area

The priority of work in those zones

Authorized personnel who can work in those zones

Vehicles that can be used in those zones