Slotting is one of the fundamentals within the supply chain that all operations must stay on top of. For many, it is set aside because it is a time consuming task, however, the longer it goes the worse the problems become. In the warehouse or distribution center, slotting typically resides with the inventory management department.

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It is not uncommon for warehouse operations and order fulfillment to lose efficiency in the picking process over time. Pick footprints tend to become larger and order picking becomes slower, driving up the cost per pick.

Warehouse slotting is the process of assigning and storing items in optimal picking locations based on various criteria, such as unit velocity, size weights, and family group for instance. In addition, warehouse slotting should determine the amount of inventory to be stored, and the type and size of storage location.

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In addition, products tend to end up in less optimal locations. SKUs with higher velocity are located farther away from packing and shipping. Another problem is having a heavy item being stocked up high. By not having SKUs in optimal locations, travel times increase.

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This column is a cumulative running total that will show you how many SKUs make up each 10% of sales. For most companies, the 80/20 rule still holds true - meaning 80% of the sales come from 20% of the SKUs. This 20% of SKUs should be the primary focus in any warehouse.From an order-picking efficiency perspective, the item that was picked a hundred times should be in a more accessible slot than products with little movement. If you can generate the analysis, it is better to have the number of times an item was picked along with unit sales. This information can help eliminate congestion when mapping out where items will be physically slotted in the warehouse.

The first step is to create a report which will allow you to analyze product movement for a period of time, generally a season or a year. This should be done from the order file, by analyzing unit velocity. Sequence the report by product, showing unit sales highest to lowest. This information should be readily available in any warehouse management system (WMS).

Inventory management must assess new items that are sourced, to determine how they should be slotted. Older items that are discontinued should be evaluated to determine what changes should be made to the stock locations. At times, this may require a change to the warehouse layout.

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As picking and packing grows, the available storage locations decrease, and new SKUs are slotted wherever space is available.

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After creating the analysis, determine how your warehouse needs to be slotted. Where do fast sellers need to be stored to eliminate travel time and how accessible are these slots? Take into account potential congestion you may accidentally create.

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Warehouse slotting is one activity that most warehouses do not spend enough time on a regular basis. Start out with this analysis, gain the benefits, and then research the costs and benefits to move to a more automated application.

For warehouse operations to continually benefit from slotting, the slotting analysis needs to be done regularly. Slotting needs to be addressed and changed based on product SKU velocity and the number of “touches”. Treat slotting review and potential reslotting as a critical process just like you do inventory accuracy. Be sure to determine who you will task with this responsibility to continually get the benefits.

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There are sophisticated software packages that assist with warehouse slotting, planning and maintenance. However, many warehouse operations are not ready for a fully automated system, the capital investment, or the continual maintenance and hand holding these systems require.

For each SKU, calculate what percent of the total unit sales each item makes up. Once you have done this, create a cumulative percent of the unit velocity column.

Learn how a warehouse consultant can assist with warehouse slotting, as well as other warehouse improvement projects and warehouses optimization studies.