start with the right design

Looking to streamline your distribution center's operations and make better use of space? A good place to start might be to reconfigure the facility's layout. A course offered by Georgia Tech next month is designed to show you how.

The program, "Warehouse/Distribution Center Layout," offers fieldproven techniques for improving throughput with systematic layout planning. Presented by H. Lee Hales, president of Richard Muther & Associates and an internationally recognized facility planner, the course will cover typical approaches to layout planning, three fundamentals of layout planning, and organizing a layout project.

As part of the course, which will be held in Atlanta from Nov. 7-9,Hales will also discuss how to reduce handling costs in storage and order picking, group materials for efficient handling and storage, and plan for expansions and new facilities. Students will participate in a variety of layout planning and methods selection case exercises—all of which are adapted from real situations and projects. For more information, visit www.tli.gatech.edu.