{"id":4269,"date":"2017-05-12T15:30:19","date_gmt":"2017-05-12T19:30:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/digitalmainstreet.ca\/?p=4269"},"modified":"2017-10-30T14:03:49","modified_gmt":"2017-10-30T18:03:49","slug":"the-best-way-to-set-up-your-ecommerce-shipping-warehouse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/digitalmainstreet.ca\/fr\/the-best-way-to-set-up-your-ecommerce-shipping-warehouse\/","title":{"rendered":"The best way to set-up your ecommerce shipping warehouse"},"content":{"rendered":"
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<\/td>\nAaron Rubin founded and was the CEO of a mid-size ecommerce company for 14 years. After struggling to find a warehouse management solution (WMS) that provided the efficiency, accountability and ease of use needed at a reasonable cost, he founded ShipHero<\/a>, a robust WMS for ecommerce small-to-mid-size businesses. ShipHero is a Canada Post partner.\u00a0<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n
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Your e-commerce business is booming with the orders rolling in. It\u2019s the right time to open your first warehouse \u2013 or expand an existing one into a larger space. You can fuel future success by setting up your new warehouse for the smoothest flow possible.<\/p>\n

READ ALSO: An exclusive snapshot of Canadian e-commerce by the numbers<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Here are some common questions we get asked at ShipHero<\/a> and my tips on how to set up a warehouse and shipping space for the demands of a growing online store.<\/p>\n

First, some definitions<\/strong>
\n Receiving station:<\/strong> Where new products are checked in before being stocked on the shelves. If you don\u2019t have a dedicated returns station, this is also where returns are checked in.<\/p>\n

Packing station:<\/strong> Where the customer\u2019s order items are packed into a shipping box or poly-bag and the shipping label is applied.<\/p>\n

Staging station:<\/strong> The section where packed items are put on skids or carts, awaiting a move to the outbound shipping station.<\/p>\n

Tip.<\/strong> Plan on using about 20 per cent of your square footage for the staging area and dividing the other 80 per cent between shipping, receiving and product storage.<\/p>\n

Planning out your warehouse<\/h4>\n

First, factor in support poles and any other obstructions into your planning. Fit them into your setup so that your staff won\u2019t lose time walking around them dozens of times each day.<\/p>\n

In and out<\/strong>
\n Now look at the space where products arrive and go out. Ideally, you have a loading dock, but if you don\u2019t, create a plan wherever products will come in and out. Create separate sections for inbound and outbound products \u2013 you don\u2019t want to confuse them! A simple way to do this is to put a sign on a support pole or the wall. You can also use tape on the floor to indicate inbound and outbound sections.<\/p>\n

Tip.<\/strong> The doors are where products come in and go out, and that\u2019s also where theft happens. If an entrance will ever<\/strong> be left open, don\u2019t put anything that can be stolen with 10 feet of it. Video cameras and an alarm can help, but it\u2019s amazing how quickly products can \u201cdisappear.\u201d It also helps to orient your shipping and receiving stations so that people working there can see the entrances.<\/p>\n

The staging area<\/strong>
\n Leave approximately 20 per cent of your total warehouse space as the staging area. It should be adjacent to the shipping station. The staging area contains your inbound and outbound sections, along with garbage (going out) and packing supplies (coming in). On busy days, you will be glad to have that space.<\/p>\n

\"Planning<\/p>\n

Interested in reading more from Canada Post?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Visit the Canada Post Shipping Solutions Blog<\/strong>\u00a0<\/a> for more articles to help you operate your e-commerce business more effectively.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Which way should my shelves go?<\/h4>\n

Once your shelves go up and your warehouse is running, it will be tough to find time to change them. So you want them to provide the best possible combo of storage and access from the start.<\/p>\n

Keep your shelving running in one direction \u2013 don\u2019t put shelving at one end that runs the other way. If shelving goes in two directions, you end up with less usable space.<\/p>\n

Orient the aisles so that you can see down the aisles from the packing stations. The ability to monitor pickers is more important than small improvements in walk times.<\/p>\n

If you have a choice, the aisles should go down the longer dimension, creating fewer, longer rows. When aisles are aligned this way, you can fit in more shelving.<\/p>\n

Pallet-sized and pickable shelving tips<\/h4>\n

Most e-commerce warehouses have both pallet-sized storage and pickable shelving. Pallet-sized racking is meant for bulk storage, while pickable shelves are sized for human arms to select one item at a time to fulfill an online shopper\u2019s order.<\/p>\n

Pallet racks<\/strong>
\n Pallet-sized shelving is used for:<\/p>\n