When To Redesign Your Layout

 No matter how long your facility has been around, there’s always the chance your layout will have to change. Not every warehouse or factory design will meet every purpose, and it’s also entirely likely that your purpose will change over time as your business grows and develops.

 

Here’s a few common situations that may require a change in layout – if you’re facing any of these, you may want to consider putting the time and money into renovating your facility:

 

Streamlining Operations

It’s always important to review your operations and processes every now and then to make sure there’s no bottlenecks and to make sure cost is being properly managed. If you find a point in your production process that would benefit from a redesign of your facility – a lengthy travel time for vital workers, lack of communication/interaction between related points in the production process, etc – it could very well be worth the time and cost involvement to redesign your factory floor to eliminate these bottlenecks to increase productivity in the long run.

 

Preventing Accidents & Removing Hazards

Providing a safe environment for your workers should be a top priority when designing any kind of shop floor or warehouse layout. If you find that your previous design is causing accidents in a certain area or you discover hazards that are caused by the layout of your building, reorganizing your equipment to prevent these accidents will create a much safer environment for your workers in the long run and help to reduce lost time and work.

 

Changes in Methods or Equipment

This might seem a little obvious, but you’d be surprised how much money and time can be lost by stubborn factory owners who won’t update their layout to reflect changes in production technique. Whether your facility brings in some new industrial storage or wire shelving, completely changes the way a certain part is manufactured, or if you update some of your steps along the production line, you may find it advantageous to renovate your facility to reflect these changes in equipment or production.

 

Introduction of New Products or Services

Let’s say there was a pretty drastic change in your product output – a brand new product you’ve never produced before, long-term retention of different items, or just a sudden increase in production volume – that affects how your products are produced and stored. Redesigning your layout to emphasize these new products will prove helpful in maintaining output balance and allow your workers to adapt to the new production methods more easily.