Warehouse Layout Design and Evaluation

Introduction and Context

Warehouse layout design is the structured arrangement of receiving docks, storage systems, picking areas, value-added processing, staging zones, dispatch docks, offices, maintenance spaces, and circulation routes. It converts a building envelope and an operating strategy into a physical system through which products, people, vehicles, information, and equipment move.

A layout is not merely a drawing. It is an operating decision that affects travel distance, labor productivity, order-cycle time, inventory accuracy, safety, flexibility, energy use, and capital cost. A visually attractive layout may perform poorly if it creates congestion, excessive cross-traffic, long replenishment routes, or unsafe interactions between pedestrians and material-handling equipment.

At graduate level, layout design should be treated as a multi-objective decision problem. The designer must balance current demand with uncertainty, throughput with safety, storage density with accessibility, and local efficiency with total-system performance. The best layout is therefore not necessarily the one with the shortest distance between two departments; it is the one that delivers the required service at acceptable total cost and risk.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, the reader should be able to:

1. Explain the strategic and operational role of warehouse layout design.
2. Translate warehouse processes and demand patterns into block and detailed layouts.
3. Use adjacency analysis, relationship charts, flow matrices, and travel-distance models.
4. Evaluate congestion, cross-flows, safety, capacity, and flexibility.
5. Compare layout alternatives using quantitative and qualitative criteria.
6. Apply simulation and scenario testing appropriately.
7. Develop and defend a layout recommendation for a realistic warehouse case.

1. The Design Problem

A warehouse layout must reconcile five related decisions:

• Space allocation: How much area should be assigned to each function?
• Location: Where should each function be placed relative to other functions?
• Flow: How should goods, people, vehicles, waste, and information move?
• Control: How will locations, access, security, and operating rules be managed?
• Adaptability: How will the layout respond to volume growth, SKU change, seasonality, and new technology?

The design begins with a process view rather than a building view. Typical flows include supplier-to-receiving, receiving-to-inspection, inspection-to-storage, storage-to-picking, picking-to-consolidation, consolidation-to-dispatch, and returns-to-disposition. These flows may not be linear. Cross-docking, wave picking, returns processing, postponement, kitting, and value-added services create alternative paths.

A useful distinction is between functional adjacency and physical proximity. Two departments may need close operational interaction but should not share an uncontrolled boundary. For example, dispatch staging should be close to outbound docks, but pedestrian offices may need visual access without being exposed to vehicle traffic.

Core performance objectives

A warehouse layout commonly seeks to reduce:

• travel distance and travel time;
• material touches and unnecessary transfers;
• congestion and queuing;
• cross-flows and opposing traffic;
• damage, misplacement, and picking errors;
• safety exposure and ergonomic strain;
• energy consumption and avoidable equipment use.

It must also preserve or improve:

• storage capacity;
• throughput and order-cycle reliability;
• inventory visibility;
• scalability and flexibility;
• regulatory and emergency compliance.

These objectives can conflict. Increasing storage density may reduce accessibility. Separating pedestrian and vehicle routes may increase travel. Locating fast movers near dispatch may create congestion. Layout design is therefore an optimization and governance exercise, not a single-distance minimization exercise.

2. From Requirements to Layout

2.1 Data collection

A reliable layout study requires more than a list of SKU quantities. Relevant data include:

• SKU dimensions, weight, handling requirements, and packaging;
• inventory levels and stock policies;
• receipts, shipments, order lines, and units per period;
• order profiles by customer, channel, and time of day;
• replenishment frequency and batch sizes;
• equipment dimensions, turning radii, and operating speeds;
• dock availability and appointment patterns;
• labor shifts and staffing levels;
• building columns, clear height, doors, fire systems, utilities, and floor loading;
• safety, accessibility, environmental, and legal requirements.

Data should be segmented by time. Average daily volume can conceal peak-hour conditions, which are often the true cause of congestion. At minimum, designers should examine normal, peak, promotional, and disruption scenarios.

2.2 Functional area sizing

Area requirements should distinguish net operating area from gross building area. Net area is the space directly assigned to an activity. Gross area includes circulation, columns, walls, utilities, safety clearances, and shared support space.

For a storage module, a simple capacity relationship is:

where N is the number of storage positions, A_s is usable storage floor area in square metres, a_u is the floor area per storage position, and L is the number of usable vertical levels. The floor function indicates that only complete positions are counted. This expression applies only when positions have uniform dimensions and vertical levels are feasible; it does not replace a rack-specific design that considers aisles, beams, clearances, sprinkler requirements, and load limits.

For flow areas, a basic sizing relationship is:

where A is required area, q is average flow rate in units per time, t is average dwell time, and a is area required per unit, including the relevant handling or clearance allowance. Units must be consistent. If q is pallets per hour, t must be in hours and a in square metres per pallet. Because averages can understate peaks, a peak flow rate or an explicit peak factor should be used for staging and dock calculations.

The required area for a function may be represented as:

Here, process area supports the activity itself, buffer area supports temporary inventory or queues, access area supports movement and equipment operation, and safety area represents required clearances and emergency access. The terms must not be double-counted.

2.3 Block layout and detailed layout

A block layout represents major functions as blocks within the building envelope. It is appropriate during early design, when exact rack rows, doors, workstations, and equipment paths are not yet fixed. A block layout answers questions such as:

• Should receiving and shipping be adjacent or separated?
• Should fast-pick storage be near dispatch?
• Where should returns processing be located?
• Can inbound and outbound traffic share a dock face?

A detailed functional layout converts blocks into operating elements: dock doors, rack aisles, pick modules, pack benches, conveyors, staging lanes, pedestrian walkways, charging stations, offices, and emergency exits. It must show dimensions, clearances, turning paths, equipment access, fire protection, and control points.

The block layout should be approved before detailed drafting. Otherwise, teams may optimize rack geometry inside a fundamentally poor process arrangement.

3. Adjacency Analysis and Relationship Charts

3.1 Flow-based adjacency

The first analytical tool is a from-to matrix. Let f_ij denote the number of movements from department i to department j during a specified period. The matrix identifies high-volume relationships and can be prepared separately for pallets, cases, eaches, people, or vehicles.

A weighted travel objective is:

where C_T is total travel-related cost for the analysis period, d_ij is the travel distance between departments i and j, and c_ij is cost per movement-distance unit. If all movements have equal cost, c_ij may be treated as a constant and the objective becomes total flow-distance. The model assumes that distance is a meaningful proxy for time or cost and does not by itself account for congestion, lift height, waiting, or different equipment speeds.

For rectilinear warehouse travel, distance is often estimated as:

where x_i,y_i and x_j,y_j are representative coordinates of two areas. This Manhattan-distance model is appropriate where movement follows orthogonal aisles. It is inappropriate when direct diagonal travel, conveyors, one-way restrictions, or multiple levels dominate.

3.2 Qualitative relationship charts

Quantitative flow data are necessary but insufficient. A relationship chart records the qualitative closeness required between activities. Common closeness ratings are:

Each rating should have a written reason code. For example, “A—frequent pallet transfer” is more defensible than an unexplained “A.” Relationship charts are especially valuable when movements are difficult to measure, such as maintenance access, supervisor visibility, emergency response, or hazardous-material separation.

A strong practice is to combine the flow matrix with the relationship chart. High flow and high closeness produce a strong adjacency requirement. High flow but undesirable proximity indicates a need for controlled separation, dedicated transfer routes, or process redesign.

4. Layout Patterns and Flow Strategies

4.1 U-flow

In a U-flow warehouse, receiving and shipping are located on the same side of the building, with storage and processing between them. Advantages include shared dock resources, concentrated supervision, and flexibility in assigning dock doors. Disadvantages include potential inbound–outbound congestion and cross-flows if staging is poorly separated.

4.2 Straight-through flow

Receiving is located at one end and shipping at the opposite end. This can provide a clear forward flow and is effective where inbound and outbound activities are operationally distinct. It may, however, require a larger site, increase travel for shared support functions, and reduce flexibility when dock demand changes.

4.3 L-flow and hybrid flow

An L-flow can fit constrained sites or separate inbound and outbound vehicle movements. Hybrid layouts combine flow patterns by product family, channel, or process. For example, e-commerce each-picking may use a forward pick zone near packing, while pallet cross-docking follows a direct path between doors.

The correct choice depends on product characteristics, site constraints, dock geometry, security, traffic patterns, and future demand—not on a universal preference for one pattern.

5. Designing the Major Functional Areas

Receiving and inbound staging

Receiving requires dock positions, vehicle maneuvering, unloading space, inspection, count verification, labeling, exception handling, and temporary staging. Inbound staging should be sized by appointment variability and dwell time, not merely by average receipts. It should be close enough to storage or cross-dock paths to avoid unnecessary travel, while preserving clear separation from outbound staging.

Storage

Storage design should reflect inventory velocity, cube, compatibility, accessibility, and replenishment logic. Fast movers generally benefit from locations near picking and dispatch, but placing all fast movers together can create congestion. Slotting must consider pick frequency, order correlation, product affinity, weight, ergonomics, hazard class, and replenishment timing.

Storage density can be increased through narrower aisles, higher racks, or automated systems, but the resulting reduction in accessibility or increase in equipment complexity must be evaluated. A dense layout is not efficient if it creates long waits for equipment or frequent relocation work.

Picking and replenishment

The picking area should be designed around the order profile. Piece picking, case picking, pallet picking, batch picking, zone picking, and goods-to-person systems have different spatial requirements. The relationship between forward pick locations and reserve storage is critical. Excessive replenishment travel may eliminate the labor savings gained from a compact pick face.

Pick modules should provide clear replenishment routes, ergonomic working heights, order consolidation space, exception handling, and safe pedestrian access. Pick paths should be tested under peak conditions because congestion often arises at the intersection of popular locations, replenishment aisles, and pack-out routes.

Processing and value-added services

Kitting, labeling, repacking, inspection, postponement, and returns require workstations, tools, consumables, quality controls, and temporary inventory. These areas should be located according to process sequence and control requirements. Returns should not automatically be placed beside receiving: returned goods may require quarantine, inspection, data erasure, refurbishment, or disposal.

Packing, consolidation, and outbound staging

Packing should be positioned downstream of picking and upstream of dispatch. Consolidation space must accommodate order grouping, carrier segregation, route sequencing, and documentation. Outbound staging lanes should be visibly labeled and dimensioned according to shipment waves, dwell times, and trailer loading sequence.

Support areas

Support functions include offices, control rooms, maintenance, battery charging, waste handling, toilets, break areas, training rooms, and information-technology infrastructure. These areas are often neglected in early layouts. Battery charging may require ventilation and fire controls; waste routes should not cross clean product flows; and control rooms require visibility without compromising safety.

6. Congestion, Cross-Flows, and Safety

Distance models alone can recommend a layout that is operationally impossible. Congestion arises when demand for a shared aisle, dock, intersection, staging lane, or workstation exceeds effective capacity.

A simple utilization measure is:

where ρ is utilization, λ is arrival or workload rate, and μ is service capacity. The measure is dimensionless and requires consistent time units. It is a screening indicator, not a complete queueing model. As utilization approaches 1, waiting time may increase sharply, particularly when arrivals or service times are variable.

Cross-flow occurs when two movement streams intersect or oppose one another. Designers should identify:

• inbound versus outbound vehicle routes;
• replenishment versus picking routes;
• pedestrians versus forklifts;
• returns versus saleable inventory;
• waste versus product flows;
• emergency access versus operational staging.

Controls include one-way aisles, dedicated pedestrian walkways, physical barriers, marked crossings, time separation, speed limits, mirrors, visibility controls, and traffic-priority rules. These should be validated against applicable occupational safety, fire, accessibility, building, and environmental requirements. Regulations vary by jurisdiction, so a layout must be reviewed by qualified safety and facilities professionals rather than relying on generic diagrams.

7. Evaluating Layout Alternatives

A robust evaluation uses multiple criteria. A possible weighted score is:

where S_k is the score of layout alternative k, w_r is the weight of criterion r, and z_kr is the normalized performance of alternative k on that criterion. The weights should sum to 1. Criteria may include travel cost, capacity, safety, throughput, flexibility, implementation cost, and energy. Scores must be normalized consistently; otherwise, a criterion measured in metres may dominate one measured on a five-point scale.

A cost-based evaluation may be expressed as:

The categories must be defined to avoid double-counting. For example, congestion cost should not also be included in labor cost unless the accounting treatment is explicit. The model is useful for comparing alternatives, but uncertain estimates should be tested through sensitivity analysis.

Travel-distance example

Suppose three movements occur during a shift:

Total flow-distance is:

If a proposed layout reduces the three distances to 25 m, 18 m, and 12 m, respectively, the new value is:

The reduction is 1,360 movement-m per shift, or approximately 21.9%. This result does not prove that the second layout is superior: the designer must still test capacity, safety, congestion, equipment requirements, and implementation cost.

8. Simulation and Scenario Testing

Simulation is valuable when interactions are too complex for a static distance model. Discrete-event simulation can represent arrivals, queues, batching, replenishment, equipment availability, order release, and variable processing times. Agent-based or traffic simulation may be useful for pedestrian–vehicle interaction and congestion. Digital twins can connect layout models to operational data, although their value depends on data quality and governance.

A simulation study should define:

1. the decision question;
2. system boundaries and assumptions;
3. input distributions and demand scenarios;
4. warm-up period and run length where appropriate;
5. performance measures;
6. validation and verification procedures;
7. confidence intervals or replication logic;
8. decision rules for comparing alternatives.

Simulation output should not be presented as certainty. A model is an argument supported by assumptions. Verification asks whether the model was built correctly; validation asks whether it represents the real system adequately for the intended decision.

Scenario testing should include at least:

• average demand;
• peak hourly demand;
• seasonal or promotional demand;
• SKU proliferation;
• labor shortage;
• equipment failure;
• dock closure or vehicle bunching;
• future automation or channel change.

A layout that performs marginally better in the average scenario but fails under realistic peaks may be less valuable than a slightly less efficient layout with strong resilience.

9. Technology, Automation, and AI

Warehouse management systems provide inventory, task, and order data that support layout decisions. Slotting tools can estimate travel savings from relocating SKUs. Warehouse control systems coordinate conveyors, sorters, shuttles, and autonomous mobile robots. Computer vision can support location verification, safety monitoring, and traffic analysis.

AI may identify demand patterns, infer activity heat maps, recommend slotting changes, or detect unusual congestion. However, AI recommendations require human review. Data may reflect historical inefficiencies, biased work assignments, or temporary demand conditions. Automated recommendations should be explainable, auditable, and tested against safety and labor constraints.

Automation also changes spatial requirements. A robot-based system may reduce human travel but require charging, maintenance, buffering, software-controlled exclusion zones, and recovery space. The correct comparison is therefore between complete operating systems, not between a manual rack plan and an isolated automation component.

10. Illustrative Case: Layout Redesign for Northstar Distribution

Background

Northstar Distribution is an illustrative regional distributor of consumer health products. Its 12,000 m² warehouse receives approximately 420 pallets per day, ships 3,600 order lines per day, and experiences a 60% increase in volume during promotional periods. The existing U-flow layout has receiving and shipping on the same dock face. Reserve storage occupies the center, while piece picking, packing, and returns are located along the opposite wall.

Problem

Supervisors report long picker travel, repeated intersections between replenishment forklifts and pedestrians, outbound staging overflow, and frequent returns movement through the packing area. Average performance appears acceptable, but peak-hour congestion causes missed carrier cutoffs.

Analysis

The design team created a from-to matrix using warehouse-management data and conducted observations during normal and peak shifts. The highest flows were reserve-to-pick, pick-to-pack, and pack-to-outbound staging. A relationship chart rated pick-to-pack and pack-to-outbound as “A,” reserve-to-pick as “E,” and returns-to-saleable storage as “X” because of inspection and contamination-control requirements.

A travel model showed that the current arrangement generated 9,400 movement-metres per shift for the three principal flows. A proposed arrangement reduced estimated travel to 7,300 movement-metres, but an initial drawing placed fast-pick replenishment and outbound staging in the same aisle, producing a predicted peak utilization of 0.92. The team therefore rejected the first proposal despite its distance advantage.

Approach and solution

The revised block layout placed:

• receiving and inbound inspection at the northern dock zone;
• reserve storage in the central high-bay area;
• a forward pick module along the eastern side;
• packing and consolidation immediately downstream of picking;
• outbound staging beside shipping doors, with carrier-specific lanes;
• returns processing in a segregated area near receiving but isolated from saleable inventory;
• a dedicated replenishment route behind the forward pick module;
• protected pedestrian crossings at controlled points.

Fast movers were distributed across two pick zones rather than concentrated in one aisle. The team used a discrete-event simulation with normal and promotional demand. The revised design reduced modeled picker travel by 18%, reduced forklift–pedestrian intersections by 40%, and maintained outbound staging utilization below the project threshold during the promotional scenario. These are illustrative modeled outcomes, not measured claims.

Outcome

Northstar approved the revised block layout and implemented the detailed design in phases. The first phase marked traffic routes and relocated returns. The second phase installed the forward pick module and redesigned staging lanes. Performance was monitored using travel time, order-cycle time, near misses, staging dwell, replenishment response, and carrier cutoff attainment.

Learning points

The case demonstrates that:

1. Average-flow optimization can fail under peak conditions.
2. Qualitative separation requirements can override a distance-minimizing arrangement.
3. Fast movers should be distributed when concentration creates congestion.
4. Block layout decisions should precede detailed rack placement.
5. Simulation supports judgment but does not replace data validation or safety review.

11. Implementation and Governance

Layout implementation should use controlled change management. A recommended sequence is:

1. freeze the approved process assumptions;
2. issue a dimensioned block layout;
3. complete detailed equipment and safety drawings;
4. verify fire, accessibility, structural, and environmental requirements;
5. conduct operational risk assessment;
6. pilot the highest-risk zone;
7. communicate location, traffic, and standard-work changes;
8. collect baseline and post-implementation measures;
9. review deviations and update documentation.

Governance is particularly important when layouts affect worker surveillance, algorithmic task assignment, or automated access controls. Workers should have channels to report unsafe congestion and ergonomic problems. Productivity targets must not encourage bypassing pedestrian rules, unsafe lifting, or excessive work intensity. Layout decisions should also consider accessibility and equitable working conditions.

Challenges and Limitations

Layout models face several limitations. Demand data may be incomplete or distorted by stockouts. Representative coordinates simplify actual paths. Flow matrices may omit informal movement, exception handling, and empty travel. Weighted scoring can create false precision when weights are subjective. Simulation can generate persuasive but invalid outputs if assumptions are poor. Future technology may make a detailed layout obsolete, while excessive flexibility can reduce current efficiency.

The remedy is not to abandon models but to combine them. Use measured flow data, qualitative relationship analysis, site observation, scenario testing, sensitivity analysis, and expert review. Document assumptions and distinguish measured results from forecasts.

Best-Practice Checklist

Before approving a warehouse layout, confirm that:

• all major product and people flows are mapped;
• peak conditions are represented;
• functional areas are sized using explicit assumptions;
• high-volume adjacencies are tested quantitatively;
• undesirable adjacencies are identified and controlled;
• pedestrian and equipment routes are separated where necessary;
• staging and queues have adequate capacity;
• fire, accessibility, structural, and environmental requirements are reviewed;
• alternatives are compared using total-system criteria;
• simulation assumptions are verified and validated;
• future scenarios and implementation phases are considered;
• workers and safety specialists contribute to the design;
• performance measures are defined for post-implementation review.

Chapter Summary

Warehouse layout design converts operational requirements into a physical system of areas, routes, equipment, controls, and interfaces. Effective design begins with process and demand analysis, followed by functional area sizing, block layout development, adjacency analysis, and detailed layout design. From-to matrices and flow-distance models help quantify movement, while relationship charts capture safety, coordination, and qualitative proximity requirements.

U-flow, straight-through, L-flow, and hybrid patterns each have advantages and limitations. Storage, picking, processing, staging, docks, and support areas must be designed as an integrated system. Distance reduction alone is insufficient because congestion, cross-flows, safety exposure, capacity, and future uncertainty may dominate performance.

Weighted evaluation, sensitivity analysis, simulation, and scenario testing enable more defensible comparisons. Technology and AI can improve slotting, monitoring, and control, but their recommendations require validation, explainability, and governance. The strongest layout is one that performs reliably under realistic demand, protects people, supports strategic flexibility, and can be implemented and measured through disciplined change management.

Key Terms

Adjacency analysis: Evaluation of which warehouse functions should be near or separated from one another.

Block layout: High-level arrangement of major warehouse functions within a building envelope.

Cross-flow: Intersection or opposition of two movement streams.

Detailed functional layout: Dimensioned arrangement of racks, docks, workstations, routes, equipment, and controls.

Discrete-event simulation: Model of a system in which events change system state at specific points in time.

Flow matrix: Table showing movement quantities between departments or activities.

Forward pick area: Accessible location holding a working quantity for picking.

From-to matrix: Flow matrix specifically organized by origin and destination.

Functional area: Space assigned to a distinct warehouse activity.

Gross building area: Total building area, including operating, circulation, structural, and support spaces.

Manhattan distance: Rectilinear distance calculated as horizontal plus vertical coordinate differences.

Relationship chart: Qualitative tool rating the desired closeness of activities.

Reserve storage: Inventory held for replenishment of forward pick locations or direct fulfillment.

Scenario testing: Evaluation of a layout under alternative demand, resource, or disruption conditions.

Slotting: Assignment of SKUs to storage or picking locations.

Staging: Temporary holding and sequencing of inbound or outbound goods.

Travel-distance model: Quantitative model linking movement volume and distance.

Utilization: Workload or arrival rate divided by available service capacity.

Review Questions

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the difference between a block layout and a detailed functional layout?
2. Why should peak-hour demand be considered in layout design?
3. What information does a from-to matrix provide?
4. Name two causes of cross-flow in a warehouse.
5. Why is simulation not a substitute for validation and professional judgment?

Long Answer Questions

1. Explain how a warehouse designer can combine flow matrices and relationship charts to develop adjacency requirements.
2. Compare U-flow and straight-through warehouse layouts, including their operational advantages and limitations.
3. Discuss the trade-off between storage density and accessibility.
4. Explain how picking, replenishment, packing, and outbound staging should be designed as an integrated system.
5. Describe a rigorous process for evaluating and implementing a new warehouse layout.

Analytical / Application Questions

1. A warehouse records 50 receiving-to-storage movements at 28 m, 90 storage-to-picking movements at 22 m, and 140 picking-to-packing movements at 14 m per shift. Calculate total flow-distance and explain two limitations of using this value as the sole layout criterion.
2. Two proposed layouts have identical travel-distance scores, but Layout A places pedestrian walkways across three forklift aisles while Layout B uses longer, physically separated routes. Which additional evidence and criteria should be used to select between them?
3. Design a preliminary block layout for a warehouse handling pallet cross-docking, case picking, returns, and value-added labeling. State your adjacency priorities, at least two undesirable adjacencies, and the peak-demand scenario you would simulate.

Multiple Choice Questions with Answers

Question 1

Which tool primarily identifies the quantity of movement between warehouse departments?

A. From-to matrix

B. Relationship chart

C. Fire-risk register

D. Organization chart

Correct Answer: A. From-to matrix

Question 2

A warehouse has 40 movements at 30 m and 60 movements at 20 m. What is the total flow-distance?

A. 1,200 movement-m

B. 2,000 movement-m

C. 2,400 movement-m

D. 3,000 movement-m

Correct Answer: B. 2,000 movement-m

Question 3

Which layout pattern places receiving and shipping on opposite ends of the building?

A. U-flow

B. Straight-through flow

C. Circular flow

D. Radial flow

Correct Answer: B. Straight-through flow

Question 4

In the utilization relationship ρ = λ / μ, what does μ represent?

A. Average distance

B. Arrival rate

C. Service capacity

D. Storage density

Correct Answer: C. Service capacity

Question 5

Which adjacency rating indicates that proximity is undesirable?

A. A

B. E

C. I

D. X

Correct Answer: D. X

Question 6

What is a principal limitation of minimizing travel distance alone?

A. It always reduces storage capacity

B. It ignores congestion and safety interactions

C. It cannot be used with flow data

D. It requires simulation in every case

Correct Answer: B. It ignores congestion and safety interactions

Question 7

Which area normally requires carrier segregation and route sequencing?

A. Outbound staging

B. Battery charging

C. Reserve storage

D. Receiving inspection

Correct Answer: A. Outbound staging

Question 8

What is the main purpose of a forward pick area?

A. To store obsolete inventory

B. To hold working quantities for picking

C. To quarantine returned goods

D. To park delivery vehicles

Correct Answer: B. To hold working quantities for picking

Question 9

Which statement best describes simulation verification?

A. Determining whether the real warehouse is profitable

B. Checking whether the model was built correctly

C. Selecting the cheapest building site

D. Measuring worker satisfaction only

Correct Answer: B. Checking whether the model was built correctly

Question 10

Why might fast movers be distributed across multiple pick zones?

A. To eliminate all replenishment

B. To increase product variety automatically

C. To reduce congestion caused by concentration

D. To avoid measuring order frequency

Correct Answer: C. To reduce congestion caused by concentration