Warehouse Design & Optimisation
Get more from your existing warehouse — before you build a new one
Your warehouse is running out of space, picking is getting slower, accuracy is slipping, and automation vendors are circling. Before you commit to an expansion or a capital project, you need to know whether the problem is your building — or your process.
Synergic Technologies helps NZ manufacturers, distributors, and 3PLs redesign warehouse layouts, optimise slotting and pick paths, evaluate WMS platforms, and assess automation options — all grounded in your actual operational data, not vendor assumptions.
Why Warehouse Optimisation?
Most warehouse problems look like capacity problems — but the real constraints are layout, slotting, process design, and systems. Fixing these first is faster, cheaper, and delivers results before any capital expenditure.
Running Out of Space — But Not Capacity
Your warehouse feels full, but the real problem is layout, slotting, and storage configuration. Before investing in a new facility or expansion, most warehouses have 20–40% more usable capacity hiding in the existing footprint — if the layout is redesigned around how the operation actually works today.
Pick Accuracy and Speed Are Declining
Order volumes are growing, SKU counts are expanding, and your pick processes haven't kept up. Mis-picks are climbing, fulfilment times are stretching, and the team is working harder for the same (or worse) results. The root cause is usually a combination of poor slotting, inefficient pick paths, and manual processes that don't scale.
Considering Automation Without Understanding the Problem
Automation vendors are pitching solutions — conveyors, AMRs, AS/RS, goods-to-person — but you're not confident the underlying process is right. Automating a broken process just makes it break faster. Before committing capital to automation, you need a clear picture of what's actually constraining throughput and where technology will deliver real returns.
What We Deliver
Every warehouse is different. We scope the engagement to your specific constraints — whether that's a full redesign or targeted improvement in one area.
New Warehouse Design
Greenfield warehouse and distribution centre design — from concept through to operational readiness. Site requirements, layout design, racking specification, MHE selection, and procurement. We design the operation first, then build the facility around it.
Layout Redesign
Reconfigure your existing warehouse layout around actual product flow, order profiles, and throughput requirements. Zone design, racking configuration, staging areas, dock allocation — all driven by data, not history.
Slotting Optimisation
Place products in the right locations based on velocity, pick frequency, cube utilisation, and order correlation. Reduce travel time, improve pick density, and make better use of your existing storage infrastructure.
Pick Path Design
Design pick routes and sequencing that minimise travel distance and maximise picks per trip. Batch picking, zone picking, wave planning — the right strategy depends on your order profile and fulfilment requirements.
WMS Evaluation & Selection
Assess whether your current warehouse management system is helping or hindering. If a new WMS is needed, we define requirements, evaluate options, and manage selection — grounded in what the operation actually needs, not what the vendor is selling.
Automation Assessment
Evaluate where automation will deliver genuine ROI — and where it won't. RFID for inventory accuracy and receiving, machine vision for quality verification, conveyors, AMRs, or AS/RS for throughput. We link automation to the specific constraint it solves.
Procurement — Racking, MHE & Infrastructure
We run the full procurement process for warehouse infrastructure — racking systems, material handling equipment, conveyors, dock equipment, and fitout. This includes requirements definition, RFI/RFP development, evaluation criteria, vendor assessment, and supply management. You get independent advice on what to buy and from whom, based on your operation — not on supplier relationships.
Process Improvement
Receiving, putaway, replenishment, picking, packing, dispatch — every warehouse process has waste. We map the current state, identify bottlenecks and rework loops, and redesign workflows for throughput, accuracy, and scalability.
Industries We Work With
Food & Beverage
Ambient and chilled warehousing, FIFO/FEFO compliance, high SKU counts, seasonal demand peaks, food safety requirements.
Manufacturing
Raw material and finished goods storage, production staging, kitting, WIP management, multi-site distribution.
3PL & Logistics
Multi-client operations, shared infrastructure, SLA-driven fulfilment, value-added services, rapid onboarding of new clients.
Retail & E-Commerce
High-velocity picking, returns processing, omnichannel fulfilment, small-parcel and split-case operations.
How We Work
Our approach follows the Synergic ALIGN → PILOT → SCALE-UP methodology — applied specifically to warehouse design and optimisation.
Understand the Operation
We start by understanding your current warehouse — layout, product flow, order profiles, throughput constraints, and business objectives. Data analysis combined with on-site observation. No assumptions carried forward from how it was originally designed.
Design and Validate
Redesigned layout, slotting plan, pick strategies, and process improvements are modelled and validated before anything changes on the floor. Simulation where warranted. Automation business cases built on real operational data, not vendor projections.
Implement and Embed
Changes are implemented in controlled phases — layout changes, system configuration, process rollout, training. We stay through the transition to ensure the new design delivers the expected throughput, accuracy, and capacity improvements.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you assess whether our warehouse needs a redesign or just process improvement?+
We start with a constraint analysis — identifying whether the primary bottleneck is layout and storage configuration, process and workflow design, systems and data, or people and training. Often it's a combination. A warehouse that's 'out of space' may actually have a slotting problem. One with accuracy issues may have a process problem, not a technology gap. The assessment tells you where the real constraint sits and what to fix first.
Can you help us evaluate warehouse automation options?+
Yes. We assess automation options — RFID, machine vision, conveyors, AMRs, AS/RS, goods-to-person systems — against your specific operational constraints and throughput requirements. The key is matching the technology to the problem. We build the business case on your actual data: order profiles, labour costs, error rates, and growth projections. We're technology-agnostic but bring deep experience with RFID and machine vision through our Zebra Technologies partnership.
Do you work with existing WMS platforms or only recommend new ones?+
Both. Many warehouses are underutilising their current WMS — running manual workarounds for functions the system already supports. We'll assess whether your current platform can deliver what you need with better configuration and process alignment, or whether a new WMS is genuinely required. If selection is needed, we manage the process independently — we don't resell WMS platforms, so the recommendation is unbiased.
What size warehouse do you typically work with?+
We work across a range — from single-site operations of 2,000–5,000 m² through to multi-site distribution networks with 20,000+ m² facilities. The approach scales: smaller operations benefit from layout and process optimisation that unlocks hidden capacity; larger operations typically need a combination of layout redesign, slotting, automation assessment, and WMS optimisation. Our consulting team has designed and optimised warehouses across New Zealand and internationally.
Ready to Optimise Your Warehouse?
Whether you need a full layout redesign, targeted slotting improvement, or an automation assessment — talk to our supply chain team about what's possible with your existing operation.