When planning the layout of your manufacturing site, you must be able to move raw material into the plant and route it through the manufacturing process as efficiently as possible. Keep these questions in mind:
| Is your receiving area easily accessible to large trucks? | |
| Are there enough electrical outlets? | |
| Is there enough equipment in the receiving area to unload incoming shipments efficiently? | |
| Is there sufficient lighting? Heating? Air conditioning? | |
| Do you have enough space to adequately warehouse your inventory of raw materials? | |
| Are your raw materials properly labeled in the warehouse area for easy retrieval? | |
| Is your warehouse space for raw material near the first station used in the manufacturing process? | |
| Have you planned each step in the manufacturing process and accounted for space on the manufacturing floor for the necessary equipment so the materials can be processed smoothly? | |
| Have you analyzed each station in the manufacturing process to ensure that equipment is arranged efficiently? | |
| Are you maximizing the potential of each station in the manufacturing process by having as many tasks as possible performed in that area without creating a bottleneck? | |
| Is your finished product warehouse area located near the last station in the manufacturing process? | |
| Are there proper storage materials and equipment, such as floor racks, slip sheets, and pallets to handle the finished product? | |
| Is there enough equipment to move the finished product into storage and out once it is ready to ship? | |
| Is your shipping area near the warehouse area for the finished product? | |
| Is your shipping area easily accessible to large trucks? |
