Given the current cost of warehouse space due to the high demand from the on-line retail sector, those who already have a warehouse, may be better advised to make the most of what they have, before incurring the cost and upheaval of moving.

A warehouse is a place to store your goods (or wares) before distribution, but the changing pace of distribution, given the demand for next day delivery and ‘just in time' stock keeping, means that a warehouse needs to be a highly organised operation. Therefore, careful planning of the layout of your warehouse is critical for success.

In your facility, goods come in, are stored and then distributed, but not all merchandise will move through your warehouse at the same pace. So, it makes sense to have your fast-moving goods nearest to your packing stations, and those in turn, nearest to your loading bays, leaving slower moving products further back. An efficient stock control system is essential if you are to fully understand the flow of goods through your warehouse. The system should flag up issues such as items lost in the back of a dusty corner that haven't been moved for years. Such items are probably out of date and need to be got rid of to free up that extra space.

It is well worth while considering one of the numerous stock management technologies to help you manage your warehouse and distribution operations, they come under the general terms of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) or Materials Resource Planning (MRP), they have some aspects in common but take advice on which is the most suitable for your needs. These systems come with modules, such as stock control, bills of lading, deliveries, and accounting, so you can tailor your system to your requirements, adding additional modules as and when necessary. These systems have proved invaluable in helping many organisations to manage the flow of stock and production through their facilities.

Once you have a stock control system up and running, decide how your goods are to be moved around the warehouse; manually, forklift truck, conveyor belts, robots or a combination of methods. If manually, consider aspects such as safe working at height, and ease of access – something between waist and chest height is ideal. Increasing numbers of organisations are supplementing their employees with robots who can work in conditions not optimal for human employees, for example a cold store. If you are using fork lift trucks place convex mirrors at the end of your shelving units so that the operator can see anyone about to cross in front of the aisle.

Now decide on your actual layout, if your floor space is severely limited and you have sufficient height, consider installing a mezzanine floor. You might choose to make that office space, thus freeing up an equivalent amount of storage space on the ground floor. Or, perhaps as a place to store your slower moving goods, whichever, a mezzanine floor will provide extra valuable floorspace without the cost of moving.

Take advice when choosing racking, as there are numerous types and some will be more suitable for the purposes you envisage than others. It will is important to consider product needs before investing. What sort of loads will it be expected to bear, will it be stored in boxes, in trays or on pallets. Are the goods perishable or light sensitive? Are they fragile? Is the product rotation high or low? Is flexibility and direct access prioritised? How will the goods be handled, picked by hand or moved by fork lift? Racking comes in many different forms and can be very high, or on runners so that units, once loaded can be slid together to maximise the available space, some are more suitable for multiple small containers for items such as screws or components – slide out trays are ideal for these, or capable of bearing very heavy loads. The options, while not quite endless, can be tailored to your requirements.

A final note, in planning your warehouse and experimenting with different floor plans don't forget the needs of your employees and ensure there are adequate lavatories and washrooms, relaxation areas and either a canteen or kitchen facilities. Check working temperatures, particularly if you do decide to install a mezzanine and put your offices up there, you'll need to check your roof insulation. Warehouses can be dangerous areas for human employees so make sure you have completed a risk assessment and provided adequate training for all staff.