Advanced Warehouse Slotting, Replenishment and Pick-Face Design Training Course

Course overview

Poor slotting and weak replenishment rules create measurable warehouse losses: travel time rises, pick faces stock out while reserve locations hold excess inventory, congested aisles slow operators, and seasonal assortment changes overwhelm static layouts. Warehouse leaders need more than ABC classification; they need a repeatable way to convert order profiles, product attributes, handling constraints, and labour data into location, replenishment, and pick-face decisions that can be defended with operational evidence.

This course teaches participants to design and improve forward pick areas using velocity, cube movement, order affinity, pick sequence, ergonomic limits, inventory accuracy, and replenishment capacity. Participants work through slotting algorithms, SKU segmentation, family grouping, location-sizing calculations, min/max settings, replenishment trigger logic, dynamic versus fixed slotting choices, and exception management. They learn to analyse WMS extracts, model travel and replenishment impacts in Excel, identify candidates for re-slotting, and set governance measures that prevent a redesigned pick face from deteriorating after implementation.

Delivery combines instructor-led technical sessions with warehouse data exercises, calculation workshops, and a realistic distribution-centre case. Participants build a slotting decision model, a pick-face capacity plan, replenishment parameters, and an implementation sequence for a defined SKU population. They leave with a practical Slotting and Replenishment Improvement Pack containing analysis templates, slotting rules, KPI definitions, a move plan, and a management-ready business case. The course is particularly valuable for professionals responsible for high-volume, multi-SKU operations where service, labour productivity, and inventory availability must improve together.

Course objectives

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

• Analyse SKU and order-line data to identify velocity, cube movement, affinity, and replenishment-demand patterns
• Segment inventory using ABC/XYZ, handling-profile, and demand-variability methods for slotting decisions
• Calculate pick-face capacity, facings, minimums, maximums, and replenishment frequencies from demand and pack data
• Design fixed, floating, and dynamic slotting rules aligned to WMS location attributes and operational constraints
• Build an Excel-based slotting model that ranks candidate locations using travel, ergonomics, compatibility, and congestion criteria
• Configure replenishment trigger logic, task priorities, and exception rules for reserve-to-forward movement
• Develop a phased re-slotting move plan with labour estimates, risk controls, and operational cutover actions
• Create a KPI scorecard covering pick productivity, stock-outs, replenishment workload, location utilisation, and slotting compliance

Benefits of attending

Target competencies

Who should attend

• Warehouse Managers — who must improve pick productivity, service performance, and space utilisation without disrupting operations
• Warehouse Operations Supervisors — who manage daily replenishment, picking exceptions, and location discipline on the floor
• Inventory Control Managers — who need to align stock accuracy, replenishment settings, and forward-pick availability
• WMS Super Users and Analysts — who maintain location attributes, task rules, and operational master data
• Supply Chain Improvement Managers — who lead warehouse productivity and layout-improvement projects
• Distribution Centre Design Analysts — who size pick faces and translate order profiles into storage-location requirements

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have practical exposure to warehouse receiving, storage, picking, replenishment, or inventory control and be comfortable reading basic operational measures such as order lines, units picked, stock-on-hand, case pack, and location capacity. Familiarity with ABC analysis, warehouse zones, and the core functions of a WMS is assumed. Participants should also be able to use Excel formulas, filters, pivot tables, and basic charts; no programming is required. Prior experience configuring SAP EWM, Manhattan Active WM, or another WMS is helpful but not essential. This is not a warehouse-induction course and does not require advanced statistics or optimisation software.

Training methodology

The programme uses short technical briefings followed by guided analysis of realistic warehouse extracts: SKU master data, order lines, location dimensions, pack details, and replenishment transactions. Participants calculate capacity and task demand in Excel, test slotting alternatives against operational constraints, and discuss decisions in small warehouse-design teams. Instructor demonstrations show how the logic translates into WMS location attributes and replenishment rules. Each day closes with a practical output, culminating in an individual application plan and a reviewed Slotting and Replenishment Improvement Pack.

Course outline

Day 1: Diagnosing slotting and pick-face performance

• Warehouse flow mapping from receiving through reserve storage, replenishment, picking, and dispatch
• Pick-face design choices for discrete, case, pallet, and multi-order picking
• Data requirements for slotting analysis: SKU master, order history, location file, and task transactions
• Velocity measures using order lines, units, cases, cube movement, and peak-period demand
• ABC/XYZ segmentation for demand value, frequency, and variability
• Order affinity and SKU family analysis using co-pick relationships
• Baseline KPIs for travel, stock-outs, replenishment touches, utilisation, and pick productivity

Workshop: Participants profile a warehouse data set and produce a baseline KPI dashboard plus a prioritised list of slotting problems.

Day 2: Sizing and designing the forward pick area

• Pick-face capacity calculations using demand rate, review period, safety stock, and replenishment lead time
• Facings and depth calculations for cartons, totes, flow racks, shelving, and pallet pick locations
• Cube utilisation, dimensional fit, weight limits, and location compatibility rules
• Ergonomic slotting using golden-zone principles, lift frequency, and product weight
• Fixed versus floating pick locations and the operational trade-offs of each model
• Slotting by velocity, cube movement, handling unit, and storage medium
• Congestion analysis for aisles, pick modules, cross-aisles, and replenishment paths

Workshop: Participants create a pick-face sizing worksheet and allocate a segmented SKU range to a constrained forward-pick module.

Day 3: Replenishment logic and reserve-to-forward control

• Demand-driven minimum and maximum settings for forward-pick locations
• Reorder-point, top-up, wave-based, and opportunistic replenishment methods
• Replenishment trigger timing, task creation, and task-priority rules
• Reserve-location selection based on accessibility, lot control, and travel distance
• Case-pack, inner-pack, and unit-of-measure effects on replenishment frequency
• Managing short picks, stock-outs, inventory discrepancies, and blocked-location exceptions
• Labour-capacity planning for replenishment by shift, wave, and peak period

Workshop: Participants set replenishment parameters for a SKU family and produce a daily replenishment workload forecast with exception rules.

Day 4: Optimising slotting with WMS data and operational constraints

• Excel pivot tables and lookup functions for WMS slotting-data preparation
• Weighted slotting scorecards for travel, velocity, affinity, ergonomics, and compatibility
• Travel-distance estimation using pick paths, zone sequences, and order profiles
• Dynamic slotting candidate selection and slotting-exception thresholds
• WMS location master attributes, capacity checks, and replenishment-control fields
• Seasonal, promotional, new-product, and end-of-life SKU slotting strategies
• Validation of proposed moves against inventory, system, safety, and service constraints

Workshop: Participants build a weighted slotting model in Excel and recommend location moves for a high-volume picking zone.

Day 5: Implementing, governing, and sustaining the design

• Re-slotting move-plan design, sequencing, and inventory-control checkpoints
• Cutover planning for live operations, wave schedules, labour availability, and customer-service protection
• Risk assessment for location changes, labelling, master-data updates, and stock reconciliation
• Slotting governance roles for operations, inventory control, WMS support, and continuous improvement
• KPI scorecards for pick rate, travel, stock-outs, replenishment effort, and compliance
• Review cadences for seasonal changes, SKU launches, demand shifts, and layout constraints
• Business-case development using labour savings, service gains, move costs, and implementation risks

Workshop: Participants complete and present a Slotting and Replenishment Improvement Pack containing a move plan, KPI scorecard, governance routine, and business case.

Tools & standards covered

Microsoft Excel, SAP Extended Warehouse Management, Manhattan Active Warehouse Management, GS1 General Specifications

A typical training day

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in the East Africa Time zone, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

How you can take this course

Certification

Participants who complete the full five days receive the Skillset Development Certificate of Completion, stating the course title, course code, dates and delivery format — suitable for professional-development records and employer reimbursement.

Frequently asked questions