The Dock Area Layout / Design and Productivity

1 The dock Area Layout / Design and Productivity Your Warehouse's Most Valuable Real Estate . The most valuable piece of real estate in your standard trailers are being replaced by high cube entire warehouse is your dock area. Everything in vans making smaller pick ups and deliveries as the warehouse came in across the dock . well as, high cube trailers, low boys, intermodal Everything that leaves the warehouse goes out containers, and an array of different sized and across the dock . Therefore, nothing happens shaped vehicles. These new vehicles, and the within your operation without passing through the conversion from larger to smaller receipts and dock area. Unfortunately, loading docks generally shipments, require docks and dock areas to be receive, at best, only token consideration in most designed with greater flexibility and in many Layout and Design efforts.

2 Cases, require different docks to accommodate the various types of receipts and shipments. Number of docks The number of docks required is determined by a combination of factors: number of receipts and shipments, type of loading and unloading (floor loaded, pallet loaded, hand stacked, slip sheet, lumpers, drivers, dock workers, conveyor, etc,), types and sizes of vehicles, number and timing of carriers, and different areas in which materials will be utilized, stored or prepared for shipment. Based upon the various characteristics one dock position should be allowed for each seven hours of planned activity per shift allowing for an Photo courtesy The Serco Company utilization rate. Remember that the greater the The objective of this article is to answer the most number of operating shifts on which shipping often asked questions about docks: and/or receiving is conducted, the lower the total What is the right number of docks?

3 Number of doors that are required. Thus ten Where should they be located? docks will become the equivalent of twenty if What type of docks are the best? utilized on two shifts versus one. How large should the shipping and receiving area be? Location of docks What material handling equipment should I Traditionally docks were located in the rear of a buy? facility and out of sight. Generally What should or shouldn't be in the dock area? receiving and shipping docks were Are there safety issues to address? all located in the same area, in What is the target dock Productivity rate? order to reduce the need for Are there improvement opportunities for existing duplicate dock areas? supervision. In some A Changing Purpose larger facilities shipping would The role of the warehouse has changed and with be at one end of the building and receiving it the use and activities of the shipping and at the other, in order to create a flow- receiving dock areas have also changed.

4 Most through or straight- through material distribution facilities are no longer the traditional movement. warehouse (a repository of inventory that comes But today, given the move to just-in-time to rest for a long period of time), but rather are inventories and the tendency for shipments to be logistics utilities where goods are coming and in close proximity to the manufacturing location, going at a much faster rate. Just-in-time more and more facilities are being constructed inventory practices have drastically changed the with multiple shipping and receiving docks. number, type, and use of docks and the dock These multiple docks drastically reduce the flow area. Docks today must be much more flexible, of materials within a facility by having goods as well as more efficient in order to arrive where they are going to be used, and accommodate the increased number and types departing from where they are completed.

5 Of receipts and shipments. The traditional -2- Types of Docks receipts and number of items. Likewise the type, Saw tooth docks are useful when a site does not frequency, size, number of ship-to locations, have sufficient exterior area to maneuver delivery sequence, and shipping and loading time vehicles in and out of the docks. They optimize window dictate its size requirements. the amount of distance from the edge of the building to the end of the property line or the end Staging area sizing must be at a minimum 15 to of the paved area. This, though, is at the cost of 40 linear feet of clear space from the doors to the utilizing additional dock space and thus reducing storage area is required. The general rule of the number of docks and interior space that can thumb for sizing a receiving staging area is to be used around the docks as a result of the saw allow square footage equal to the footprint toothed pattern.

6 Straight docks, on the other surface of the average receipt vehicle times the hand, optimize interior space. number of receipts anticipated at the peak of activity. This allows for the receipts to be off Open docks are impractical in most loaded upon arrival and held in a controlled environments, and even where they can be used, receiving area until they can be inspected and they need to be evaluated as to their benefit accepted into inventory. Similarly, an operation versus potential theft and malicious damage. that requires shipments to be consolidated for carrier pick ups at day's end must allow a Interior docks provide protection from the shipping staging area equal to the square elements (keeping out the rain, and snow) and footage of the peak number of outbound pallets protect products from potential loss.

7 These to be shipped. Such rules of thumb are only for issues have more importance in some areas then staging space requirements and exclude the others. Interior docks, however, come at a space requirements for return goods handling, considerable cost of lost space, increased energy packing, damage goods, packaging materials, consumption, ventilation (vehicle fumes), and pallet storage, battery charging area, truckers drainage (water and melted snow runoff) lounge, shipping office or trash handling. requirements. dock Doors dock Approach Areas New laws and technology have allowed vehicles The dock approach area will require adequate to be taller, wider, lower, and are in a constant space for the maneuvering of the largest state of change. This has caused traditional sized vehicles.

8 With some states allowing 57' trailers, a dock doors to become obsolete. Doors need to yard area must accommodate the potential 57' be high enough to off load the tallest loads and trailer with a wide enough to accommodate various trailer conventional widths while still allowing the removal of the tractor, which rearmost pallet without unreasonable together maneuvering. could exceed 75'. Such dock Equipment vehicles What is the right equipment for your dock area? require not That depends upon many factors including the only more size of your facility and staffing level, volume, room to type and frequency of receipts and shipments, maneuver, but extended landing pads to receiving functions, inspection requirements, accommodate the longer trailer length. The specifics of special handling needs, and concrete landing strip probably will need to budgetary considerations.

9 Extend a minimum of 50' from the dock edge and most probably need to run to within 15' of the In the process of dock Layout and Design one dock edge in order to accommodate the various must examine specific equipment needs, such trailer lengths that may be dropped at the dock . as: dock levelers (mechanical, power assisted, Shipping and Receiving Staging Areas hydraulic) and/or dock plates: evaluate the cost of Shipping and receiving staging areas are often each alternative and the varying heights that will the first victims of contraction when other need to be bridged, width requirements and number of times the dock bridging will be operations or functions require increased space. required. The sizing of a receiving area is dependent upon dock Lights: evaluate the natural light three principle elements: (1) the type of functions available, type of vehicles to be loaded and to be conducted, (2) the volume of goods unloaded, length of time vehicles will be at dock , handled and, (3) the frequency of shipments and The dock Area 2000 Thomas L.

10 Freese Freese & Associates Box 814 Chagrin Falls Ohio 44022-0814. Phone 440/564-9183 Fax 440/564-7339 e-mail website -3- need for an external light source required in Packaging materials must be kept in close proximity vehicles. to the packing area, but must be planned for and dock Locks / Wheel Chocks: evaluate the not be permitted to absorb dock staging and/or number of vehicles, frequency of arrivals and buffer areas. departures, variety of vehicle types, and potential Receiving offices are yet another overlooked safety issues. necessity in the dock area. These offices, while dock Seals: evaluate costs of various essential, rob an operation of precious square alternatives and the environmental conditions, footage if not planned for. potential pest infestation and/or potential contamination or temperature impact to products dock Safety being handled.