Warehouse & Locations

Model where stock physically lives — warehouses, locations, bins and zones — so on-hand always has a real place.

4 lessons 35 min 5-question assessment 70% to pass

What you’ll learn

Explain how warehouses and locations structure physical stock

Use bins and zones to find and organise stock

Hold stock across multiple locations without losing one picture

Apply basic slotting to speed up picking

Lesson 1 of 4 Reading 8 min

Warehouses, locations, and bins

AWRA lets you describe where stock physically lives. A warehouse is a building or site; within it, locations — and finer bins or shelves — say exactly where an item sits. On-hand stock is not just a number; it is a quantity in a place.

Modelling location matters because "we have 40 units" is only useful if someone can find them. Locations turn an abstract count into something a person can walk to and pick.

Match the depth of detail to the size of the operation, or you will model bins nobody maintains. A single shop is fine with one warehouse and a handful of locations (shelf, back store, counter); a real picking warehouse earns the aisle-rack-bin codes like A-12-03. Start at the level your staff will actually update, and add finer bins only when “which shelf?” genuinely costs you time.

Key takeaways

A warehouse is a site; locations and bins pinpoint stock within it.
On-hand is a quantity in a place, not just a number.
Location detail is what makes stock findable and pickable.
Model only the location depth staff will actually maintain — add finer bins when “which shelf?” genuinely costs time.

Lesson 2 of 4 Reading 9 min

Zones and how stock is organised

Zones group locations by purpose — receiving, bulk storage, picking, dispatch, quarantine. Organising a warehouse into zones gives every item a logical home and gives staff a predictable flow from goods-in to dispatch.

A tidy zone structure reduces walking, mistakes, and "lost" stock. When everyone knows where a category of item belongs, putaway and picking stop depending on memory.

Keep a dedicated quarantine zone for goods on hold — damaged returns, items awaiting QA, expired stock — physically separate from picking, not just flagged in the system. The common failure is a single “misc” shelf where held and sellable stock mingle; sooner or later someone picks the held item for an order. A separate zone makes the rule visible: if it is in quarantine, it does not ship.

Key takeaways

Zones group locations by purpose: receiving, storage, picking, dispatch.
Zoning gives a predictable flow through the warehouse.
Good structure cuts walking, errors, and lost stock.
Keep held stock in a physically separate quarantine zone so it can never be picked for an order by mistake.

Lesson 3 of 4 Practice 9 min

Multiple locations, one picture

Many businesses hold stock in more than one place — a main store and a branch, or several warehouses. AWRA tracks on-hand per location while still rolling it up to one total, so you can answer both "how much do we have?" and "where is it?".

This prevents the classic trap of selling stock you have but in the wrong place. Seeing stock by location lets you fulfil from the right site and move stock deliberately when needed.

Worked example: head office reports 60 units total and the salesperson promises same-day delivery — but the per-location view shows 55 at the far warehouse and only 5 at the branch nearest the customer. The roll-up total was true and the promise was still wrong. Always check availability at the fulfilling location, not just the company total, before committing a delivery date.

Key takeaways

Stock is tracked per location and rolled up to a total.
You can see both how much exists and where it sits.
Per-location visibility prevents fulfilling from the wrong site.
Promise against stock at the fulfilling location, never the company total — a true total can still hide an empty shelf nearby.

Lesson 4 of 4 Reading 9 min

Slotting basics

Slotting is deciding which items go in which locations. Fast-moving items belong near dispatch and at easy-to-reach heights; slow or bulky items can sit further away. Good slotting is simply putting the things you touch most where they are quickest to reach.

You do not need a perfect plan to benefit. Even basic slotting — popular items up front — shortens pick paths and speeds up every order that follows.

Let the data drive it: pull the most-picked items from your sales report and slot that top 20% nearest dispatch, since they typically account for the bulk of pick trips. Re-check the list each season — the fan that was a fast mover in dry months may be dead weight in the rains, and a slotting plan that never changes slowly drifts back to slow. Pair heavy items at waist height to cut lifting injuries alongside walking.

Key takeaways

Slotting decides which items live in which locations.
Fast movers go near dispatch and within easy reach.
Even basic slotting shortens pick paths and speeds orders.
Slot the top-picked 20% from your sales report near dispatch and re-check it each season as demand shifts.

| AWRA OpsHub

Warehouse & Locations

What you’ll learn

Course content

Warehouses, locations, and bins

Zones and how stock is organised

Multiple locations, one picture

Slotting basics

Finished the material?

More in this path

Inventory Foundations

Operations Data Model

Master Data Cleanliness

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