Service 09 · Before the steel, the drawing
Warehouse layout: the cheapest 20% of capacity you will ever buy.
Most warehouses in Indonesia hold fewer pallets than their building allows, and the reason is rarely the racking. It is aisles set to a truck nobody uses any more, beam levels spaced evenly instead of around the actual product, and a column grid the layout fought instead of following. We design layouts free of charge, including for buildings we did not rack, because a good layout is the fastest way to show what a project is worth.
In brief
A warehouse layout study converts a building into a pallet position count. Beam elevations, aisle width and usable height usually recover more capacity than new racking does, which is why we produce layouts free of charge, including for buildings we did not rack.
- Beam elevations are the cheapest capacity in any warehouse — set them around real load heights, not evenly out of habit.
- Aisle width should match the truck you actually run; a generic 3.5 m aisle quietly costs hundreds of square metres.
- Trade selectivity for density only after elevations, aisle width and height have been exhausted.
- A first-pass layout takes about two working days and often finds 20–30% more positions before any lease is signed.
01 — How we work
Warehouse layout design: from drawing to pallet positions
- 01
Send what you have
A CAD file is ideal, but a dimensioned sketch, a photo of the building and one pallet weight are enough to start. Include clear height, column grid and door positions if you know them.
- 02
First-pass layout
We produce a layout with pallet position counts, usually within two working days. Where a choice exists — selective against double deep, for example — we model both so the difference is a number, not an opinion.
- 03
Site survey
For projects in Greater Jakarta we survey free of charge: clear heights, column positions, slab condition, door and dock access, sprinkler layout, and how your trucks actually move today.
- 04
Design review
We walk the layout through with your operations team. This is where the useful corrections appear — the aisle everyone uses as a staging area, the SKU that never fits the standard bay.
- 05
Final design and quotation
Approved drawings, verified capacities, component schedule and firm price. Fabrication starts only after you approve the drawings.
02 — Where capacity actually comes from
Five levers, in the order we pull them
The cheapest capacity in any warehouse. Levels spaced evenly out of habit waste 100–300 mm per level; set around real load heights, most buildings gain a level somewhere. Costs nothing but drawing time.
Sized to the truck you actually use, not to a generic 3.5 m. Moving from counterbalance to reach truck recovers roughly 0.7 m per aisle — often several hundred square metres of floor across a building.
If the building has 10 m clear and the racking stops at 6 m, the missing capacity is above your head. Check sprinkler clearance and truck lift height first — that is what decides feasibility.
Only after the three levers above are exhausted does it make sense to trade selectivity for density with double deep, drive-in or push back. Density bought too early creates operational problems that outlast the saving.
Extending or leasing more space is the last resort, and the one most operations reach for first. We would rather show you the layout that avoids it.
03 — What the building imposes
Constraints we design around
Column grid
Runs are set out to hide columns inside frame lines wherever possible. A layout that ignores the grid loses positions in every bay it touches.
Sprinkler clearance
Allow 150–200 mm between the top of the highest load and the sprinkler heads. This limits top beam elevation more often than roof height does, and it is checked at inspection.
Slab thickness and grade
Determines baseplate and anchor selection, and whether tall or heavily loaded runs are feasible at all in the current building.
Dock and door positions
Flow should run from receiving through storage to despatch without crossing itself. Doors are fixed; the layout adapts.
Picking method
Full-pallet, case picking or piece picking change everything about level design, ground-level bay use and aisle traffic.
Access and egress
Cross aisles, escape routes and clearance to walls are designed in from the start, not negotiated after installation.
04 — What you receive
Deliverables from a layout study
- Layout drawing showing runs, aisles, cross aisles and clearances.
- Pallet position count, by system where more than one option is modelled.
- Bay elevation drawing with beam levels and clearances.
- Verified capacity per level and per bay for the proposed configuration.
- Component schedule and finish specification.
- Aisle width checked against your named forklift model.
- Firm quotation covering fabrication, delivery and installation.
Questions buyers ask
Frequently asked questions
Is the layout design really free?
Yes, including the site survey for projects in Greater Jakarta. It is how we quote accurately, and it is how you compare suppliers on something concrete rather than on a price per bay.
What do you need from me to start?
Building dimensions and clear height, one pallet weight and size, the number of pallet positions you want, and your forklift type. A drawing helps but a dimensioned sketch and photographs are enough for a first pass.
How long does it take?
A first-pass layout usually takes two working days. A full design with survey, review and firm quotation typically takes one to two weeks depending on site access and how quickly the review meeting can be arranged.
Can you design around racking I already have?
Yes. We survey the existing structure, confirm what can be safely reused and design the extension or re-layout around it. Anything that should not be re-erected is reported with the reason.
Do you design for buildings outside Java?
Yes. Layout and capacity work is done from drawings and photographs, and we have delivered projects across 34 provinces. For larger projects outside Greater Jakarta we arrange a survey visit as part of the programme.
Will you tell me if I do not need new racking?
Yes. Re-spacing beams, changing aisle width or adding a level to existing runs is often the correct answer, and it is a much smaller order than a new installation. We would rather have the relationship than the single sale.
Talk to engineering, not a call centre
Send a building drawing and one pallet weight.
You get a layout, a pallet position count, bay elevations and a firm price. If your existing racking already suits the building, we will say so — that answer is worth more to us than a bad order.