Map Material Travel Before Redesigning the Warehouse

Mapping material travel helps a team see repeated movement, backtracking, and unnecessary handoffs before changing the layout. Start with observed routes for representative work, then test the reason behind each trip.

Follow a real task

Choose a defined activity such as picking a kit or moving received material to storage. Mark the actual path on a simple area plan. Record stops, repeated visits, searches, and the purpose of each movement.

Observe more than one job. A single unusual order may not represent the normal mix. Keep different activities distinguishable so the drawing does not become an unreadable collection of lines.

Ask why movement occurs

Travel may reflect part location, missing information, shared tools, packaging, approval steps, or poor replenishment. Moving racks will not fix every cause. Discuss the path with the person doing the work before proposing a new arrangement.

For a hypothetical kit, several trips to a printer may be caused by labels becoming available one line at a time. The better test might be a revised information sequence, rather than a major physical relocation.

Test a limited alternative

Use an approved temporary arrangement for one part family or pick zone. Check access, replenishment, congestion, and effects on adjacent processes. Any changes to storage, equipment, or traffic need the site's appropriate review.

Maintain inventory locations and labels during the pilot. A shorter route with unreliable location records is not an improvement the operation can sustain.

Measure more than distance

Compare elapsed time, searching, handling touches, accuracy, and employee feedback alongside travel. A slightly longer route may be more dependable if it prevents cross-traffic or supports clearer sequencing.

Retain the before-and-after map with its scope and conditions. It provides useful evidence of the change and helps explain the revised method during training. Revisit it when product mix or the physical process changes.

Continue reading: Picking Productivity: Measure Correct Picks per Labor Hour.