Consulting Services

Operational costs, customer service levels, inventory performance and carrying costs are all impacted by slotting. When replenishments become too frequent, handling costs increase, picking is less productive, product damages increase, service levels suffer and turns are reduced. A well-designed inventory slotting plan will optimize space utilization and minimize the time and effort required to efficiently receive and store incoming products, increasing productivity and greater facility throughput.

Inventory slotting, or profiling, is a highly effective tool used to determine the most efficient placement of products in a distribution center or warehouse. An optimal profile improves the speed and accuracy of picking, resulting in increased efficiencies and reduced labor costs. Because each warehouse or distribution center is unique, proper slotting is dependent on your distinct product, movement and storage characteristics.

Several factors also affect your slotting strategy, such as product seasonality, usage, marketing and advertising promotions, and sales projections, which requires businesses to make adjustments as product demand changes. Product placement must be regularly reviewed and maintained. The amount of change in SKUs and their movement is the primary factor in determining the optimal frequency for updating your slotting strategy.

4SIGHT's slotting experts have assisted clients in developing slotting tools designed to deliver improvements in such areas as:

• Work balancing
• Pick-path optimization
• Accuracy
• Ergonomics
• Product pre-consolidation
• Efficient replenishment
• Picking productivity
• Load balancing