Plenty of warehouses buy automation to fix a problem that automation cannot actually solve, because the real issue was never technology, it was a layout that forces product, people, and equipment to fight the building every single shift. Warehouse Design sets the ceiling on operational efficiency before a single order is ever picked, which is exactly why poorly designed facilities struggle to improve no matter what gets added to them. The Warehouse Layout, Storage, and Automation-Readiness Training Course, delivered by the Arab British Fellowship Training Academy, is built for professionals responsible for designing or redesigning warehouse space that genuinely supports efficient operations.

The course opens with how to integrate automation into a design without forcing a costly redesign later, before covering the engineering and operational foundations of warehouse design. Participants then work through warehouse layout decisions and storage systems selection suited to different product types, how picking strategy and material flow depend on layout and slotting decisions made upstream, and practical ways to improve productivity through design rather than just adding labor. The course closes with evaluating existing layouts, prioritizing redesign investment, and sustaining design performance as product mix and volume evolve.

Target Group

• Warehouse managers and warehouse design engineers.
• Automation and systems integration professionals in warehousing.
• Distribution center planners and facility designers.
• Operations managers responsible for warehouse productivity.
• Supply chain professionals involved in facility planning decisions.
• Professionals preparing for leadership roles in warehouse operations.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Integrate automation into warehouse design without requiring costly redesign later.
• Apply warehouse design principles that set a genuine ceiling on operational efficiency.
• Design warehouse layouts and select storage systems suited to different product profiles.
• Apply picking strategies and material flow design that depend on sound layout and slotting decisions.
• Improve productivity through layout and process design, not added labor alone.
• Evaluate existing warehouse layouts, prioritize redesign investment, and sustain performance over time.

Module 1: Integrating Automation Into Warehouse Design

• Designing warehouse space that accommodates future automation needs.
• Avoiding layout decisions that require costly redesign for automation later.

Module 2: Foundations of Warehouse Design

• Core principles connecting layout design to operational efficiency.
• Understanding how design decisions set the ceiling on performance.

Module 3: Warehouse Layout and Storage Systems Selection

• Designing layouts that reduce travel time and improve labor efficiency, structured by product velocity.
• Selecting storage systems suited to different product types, balancing density against accessibility.

Module 4: Picking Strategy, Slotting, and Material Flow

• Applying picking strategies that depend on sound slotting decisions to reduce picking time.
• Structuring material flow from receiving through shipping to eliminate bottlenecks.

Module 5: Improving Productivity Through Design

• Applying layout and process improvements that increase productivity.
• Reducing reliance on added labor to solve design-driven inefficiency.

Module 6: Evaluating, Redesigning, and Sustaining Warehouse Performance

• Assessing current layouts, identifying improvement opportunities, and prioritizing redesign investment.
• Building ongoing review practices that keep layout aligned with demand as product mix and volume evolve.