Setting Up Warehouse Locations

Introduction

Properly organizing your warehouse structure in CargoXplorer is crucial for efficient inventory management and streamlined operations. The system uses a two-tier structure of zones and locations to represent your warehouse layout.

When to Use This Feature

• When setting up CargoXplorer for the first time
• When adding a new warehouse to your operations
• When reorganizing your existing warehouse structure

Understanding Zones and Locations

Zones

Zones are the top-level organizational units in CargoXplorer's warehouse structure. They can represent:

• Different warehouses
• Major areas within a warehouse (e.g., cold storage, hazardous materials area)
• Aisles or sections within a warehouse

Locations

Locations are specific spots within a zone where commodities can be stored. These typically represent:

• Individual shelves
• Bins
• Specific storage spots on a rack

Best Practices for Structuring Warehouse Zones and Locations

1. Use a hierarchical structure: WAREHOUSE/aisle/Rack
2. Name locations consistently: WAREHOUSE-aisle-Rack-Number

Example:

• Zone: WAREHOUSE01/A/01 (Warehouse 01, Aisle A, Rack 01)
• Location: WAREHOUSE01-A-01-001 (Warehouse 01, Aisle A, Rack 01, Shelf/Bin 001)

How to Set Up Warehouse Zones

1. Navigate to the Warehouse Management module
2. Select "Manage Zones"
3. Click "Add New Zone"
4. Enter the following information:

Field	Description	Usage
Zone Name	Identifier for the zone	Use the format WAREHOUSE/aisle/Rack (e.g., WAREHOUSE01/A/01)
Description	Additional details about the zone	Optional: Add any relevant information
Parent Zone	Higher-level zone, if applicable	Select a parent zone if this is a sub-zone
Customer	Customer associated with the zone	Optional: Assign a customer to the zone
Division	Division or department	Optional: Assign a division or department to the zone

5. Click "Save" to create the zone

How to Set Up Warehouse Locations

1. Navigate to the Warehouse Management module
2. Select "Manage Locations"
3. Click "Add New Location"
4. Enter the following information:

Field	Description	Usage
Location Name	Identifier for the specific storage spot	Use the format WAREHOUSE-aisle-Rack-Number (e.g., WAREHOUSE01-A-01-001)
Zone	The zone this location belongs to	Select from the previously created zones
Location Type	Type of storage spot (e.g., Receiving, Storage)	Choose from predefined types or create custom types
Description	Additional details about the location	Optional: Add any relevant information
Dimensions	Size of the location	Enter length, width, and height if relevant
Max Weight	Weight capacity of the location	Enter the maximum weight this location can hold
Customer	Customer associated with the location	Optional: Assign a customer to the location
Is Inactive	Flag to mark the location as inactive	Optional: Use this to temporarily disable a location

5. Click "Save" to create the location

Use Cases

1. Setting up a new warehouse: Create zones for each aisle and rack, then add locations for individual storage spots.
2. Adding a specialized storage area: Create a new zone for a cold storage area, then add locations within that zone.
3. Reorganizing warehouse layout: Update existing zones and locations or create new ones to reflect changes in your physical warehouse setup.

Best Practices

• Maintain consistency in your naming conventions across all warehouses
• Use descriptive names that make it easy to identify the physical location
• Regularly review and update your warehouse structure in CargoXplorer to reflect any changes in your physical layout
• Train warehouse staff on the zone and location system to ensure accurate data entry
• Consider using barcode labels that match your CargoXplorer location names for easy scanning and identification

Related Topics

• Warehouse Receipts

Example: Small Warehouse Setup in CargoXplorer

Let's consider a small warehouse with the following characteristics:

• Total size: 5000 sq ft
• 3 main aisles
• General storage area
• Small cold storage section
• Office supplies area

Zone Setup

1. Main Warehouse Zone

   • Zone Name: MAINWHSE
   • Description: Main warehouse area

2. Cold Storage Zone

   • Zone Name: MAINWHSE/COLD
   • Description: Temperature-controlled storage
   • Parent Zone: MAINWHSE

3. Office Supplies Zone

   • Zone Name: MAINWHSE/OFFICE
   • Description: Office supplies storage
   • Parent Zone: MAINWHSE

Location Setup

Main Warehouse Locations

Aisle A:

• MAINWHSE-A-01-001 to MAINWHSE-A-01-010 (Rack 1, 10 shelf locations)
• MAINWHSE-A-02-001 to MAINWHSE-A-02-010 (Rack 2, 10 shelf locations)

Aisle B:

• MAINWHSE-B-01-001 to MAINWHSE-B-01-010 (Rack 1, 10 shelf locations)
• MAINWHSE-B-02-001 to MAINWHSE-B-02-010 (Rack 2, 10 shelf locations)

Aisle C:

• MAINWHSE-C-01-001 to MAINWHSE-C-01-010 (Rack 1, 10 shelf locations)
• MAINWHSE-C-02-001 to MAINWHSE-C-02-010 (Rack 2, 10 shelf locations)

Cold Storage Locations

• MAINWHSE-COLD-01-001 to MAINWHSE-COLD-01-005 (5 refrigerated shelf locations)

Office Supplies Locations

• MAINWHSE-OFFICE-01-001 to MAINWHSE-OFFICE-01-003 (3 shelf locations for office supplies)

Step-by-Step Setup in CargoXplorer

1. Create the Main Warehouse Zone:

   • Navigate to Warehouse Management > Manage Zones
   • Click "Add New Zone"
   • Enter Zone Name: MAINWHSE
   • Description: Main warehouse area
   • Save the zone

2. Create Sub-Zones:

   • Click "Add New Zone" for Cold Storage
     • Zone Name: MAINWHSE/COLD
     • Description: Temperature-controlled storage
     • Parent Zone: Select MAINWHSE
   • Repeat for Office Supplies zone (MAINWHSE/OFFICE)

3. Create Locations:

   • Navigate to Warehouse Management > Manage Locations
   • Click "Add New Location" for each location, for example:
     • Location Name: MAINWHSE-A-01-001
     • Zone: MAINWHSE
     • Description: Aisle A, Rack 1, Shelf 1
     • Dimensions: 4ft x 2ft x 2ft (example)
     • Max Weight: 500 lbs (example)
   • Repeat for all locations in each zone

4. Bulk Creation (if available):

   • Some systems allow bulk creation of locations. If available, use this feature to quickly add multiple locations with a consistent naming pattern.

Using the Warehouse Structure

With this setup, you can now:

• Easily locate items (e.g., "The item is in MAINWHSE-B-02-003")
• Efficiently manage inventory across different storage types
• Streamline picking and packing processes
• Generate accurate reports on warehouse utilization

Best Practices for This Setup

1. Use consistent naming conventions across all locations
2. Clearly label physical locations to match CargoXplorer names
3. Regularly audit the digital layout against the physical warehouse
4. Train all warehouse staff on the naming system and its use in CargoXplorer
5. Consider using color-coding or other visual aids to distinguish between zones in the physical warehouse