Warehouse Consultant Approach

As warehouse consultants, we provide industry best practice expertise in a range of services that include:

  • Operational Assessments and Warehouse Assessments 
  • Detailed Warehouse Layout & Design Consulting Services
  • 3rd Party Logistics and Fulfillment (3PL) Consulting Services
  • Automation & Material Handling Equipment (MHE) Design
  • Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) Consulting
  • Distribution Center Network Analysis and Site Analysis

The consulting services we provide stem from decades of experience in supporting retail, ecommerce and multichannel businesses, as well as manufacturers, wholesale distributors, and time sensitive and critical parts warehousing. 

Our consultants have worked with hundreds of businesses to become more efficient, reduce operating and labor costs, and to service the customer more effectively.  With hundreds of warehouse assessments completed and millions of square feet designed, we understand how to design warehouse and fulfillment operations for your company.  

Our team has worked with clients operating a few thousand square feet, processing a few dozen orders a day, to large automated facilities achieving thousands of orders per man hour in throughput. Each approach is tailored specifically to the clients needs.  

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Warehouse Assessment

Our warehouse assessments are a comprehensive analysis of the warehouse and distribution center operations.  These assessments focus on all aspects of your operations, including:

  • All processes from receiving through shipping and returns
  • The flow of goods and people through the operations. 
  • The layout and design of the facility including all storage types and equipment being used. 
  • The systems used to manage all order fulfillment functions and inventory management and control.
  • The people in the operations from the management team through the front line workers. 

Our objective is to provide actionable recommendations that reduce operating and labor costs, improve efficiency and throughput, and improve customer service.  Warehouse assessments detail low hanging fruit and long term recommendations. 

Understand how a warehouse consultant can guide you through performing a warehouse assessment.

Warehouse Layout and Design

The first part of any warehouse layout and design project is to understand the operations, product characteristics, and growth rates that will impact the warehouse layout.  Our warehouse consultants develop designs by first starting with the conceptual flow of goods and people, and then work towards the final designs in a collaborative manner.  Our warehouse layout design consulting services including:

  • Design options for various racking and storage types.
  • Inbound and outbound docks, dock doors, pallet wrappers and staging areas. 
  • Equipment and automation designs for the operations. 
  • All kitting and value-added services. 
  • Office, breakrooms, on the floor work stations and facility support. 
  • Trash, recycling, and packing/shipping supplies
  • Developing a warehouse move plan. 
  • Assist with bidding all your MHE, racking, storage and automation needs. 

For existing facilities, we design your facility to meet your needs based on the facilities design.  For new construction and expanding existing facilities, we work hand in hand with your architects and engineers to integrate our designs into the overall site plans. 

Understand how a warehouse consultant can guide you through a warehouse layout and design

Third Party Fulfillment (3PF) and Third Party Logistics (3PL)

We assist our clients in evaluating and contracting for third party logistic services. A warehouse consultant will guide you through the process of evaluating options, determining the fully loaded costs, and transitioning to a new 3PL.  Our 3PL consulting services include:

  • Understand how a 3PL can fit into your supply chain, or supplement fulfillment functions. 
  • Development of the business requirements (RFP) to compare 3PL options. 
  • Evaluation of 3PL fulfillment vendors against your requirements. 
  • Analysis of the 3PL pricing across various options. 
  • Comparison of 3PL options against existing internal fulfillment costs. 
  • 3PL vendor negotiations and contract review.
  • Transition and warehouse move plan. 

Understand how a warehouse consultant can guide you through the 3PL evaluation and selection process.  

Automation & Material Handling Equipment (MHE) Design

As warehouse consultants, it is important to evaluate the operations and provide each company with an understanding of how automation could support the long term growth needs, as well as provide increased storage capacity, and reduce labor costs. 

Our approach combines an evaluation of the operations with a detailed analysis of the products, order volumes and existing labor requirements.  Each automation assessment provides you with an understanding of:

  • What automation and equipment options should be considered to support the future growth, and what options should be avoided.  
  • How will the new automation reduce costs, improve efficiency, accuracy and density of storage.
  • Understand how the new automation fits into the existing facility and operations. 
  • Understand the range of invest based on the preferred options, as well as potential timeframes.

F. Curtis Barry & Company, and its partners, are vendor agnostic which allow us to consider all automation vendors and manufacturers on the market.  There is no attempt to squeeze your operations into just a single manufacturers automation due to a partnership. 

Understand how a warehouse consultant can guide you through the evaluation and design of automated warehouse equipment and solutions

Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) Consulting

WMS solutions are the lifeblood of any operation, the right system can drive efficiencies and throughput, while the wrong system drives up costs and impacts your ability to service the customer.  Our WMS consulting can assist determining existing gaps against your needs, to assisting with the selection of a new WMS solution.  

  • Evaluation of the current needs and gaps to set a future direction. 
  • Understand how a new WMS could benefit your company, and fit into your operations. 
  • Development of the business requirements (RFP) to compare WMS options. 
  • Evaluation of WMS vendors against your requirements. 
  • Analysis of the WMS pricing across various options. 
  • WMS vendor due diligence and selection. 

Understand how a warehouse consultant can guide you through the WMS evaluation and selection process. 

Distribution Center Network Analysis and Site Analysis

We assist clients with determining whether the existing distribution network should be expanded (or consolidated), how the network should change, and the advantages/disadvantages of each option.  

We analyze in depth factors, beginning with a freight analysis to determine carrier impacts, as well as changes to time in transit and freight costs.  The freight analysis drives decisions regarding the preferred market(s) for distribution points. 

From here, the analysis continues into additional areas such as:

  • Facility costs, lease or purchase, and availability for each market option. 
  • Facility characteristics needed such as square feet, dock doors and clear height. 
  • Labor requirements for the facility, labor availability and costs.
  • Risks associated with each option.
  • Understand how 3PLs could factor into the overall supply chain. 

Understand how a warehouse consultant can guide you through performing a distribution network analysis

Our Competitive Advantage for Warehouse Consultants

We take a collaborative approach to working with our clients. The client defines the work to be done. Our experience in working with start-ups to large, multichannel businesses allows us to provide clients with practical guidance that helps them manage their businesses better. We listen carefully to what clients want and then keep them involved throughout the different steps of the consulting process. 

To learn more about how we can help your business, please contact us. You'll find we are the experienced warehouse and fulfillment consultants of choice.