The speed of warehouse order processing is a key industry imperative for customer satisfaction. One way

warehouse managers can achieve this is by comprehensively optimizing warehouse operations. Several

researchers have observed that warehouse order processing activities contribute a significant portion of

warehouse time and total costs. This study used the packaging materials warehouse of a chemical company in

Tangerang City, Indonesia. The main problems identified in this study included long picking times, the risk of

component picking errors, and low stock visibility. Several methodologies were used to address these issues.

The process began with mapping SKUs based on service frequency and quantity (fast-moving/slow-moving).

implementation of a pail storage system also facilitated faster receipt and service of goods. The incidence of

damaged pails during storage was also reduced. The results of this study concluded that the 5S method and

determining the layout based on the movement of goods in the warehouse can have a significant impact on

warehouse productivity.

Keyword: warehouse, operational efficiency, Relayout, 5S

In today's fast-paced manufacturing world, warehouse efficiency is no longer just an option, but a necessity.

Warehouses host several critical activities, including receiving, storing, checking, picking, stock replenishment,

shipping, administration, and warehouse stock handling. Research conducted by Baker P. and Canessa M. found

that the largest cycle time and operational costs occurred in order picking activities, accounting for

variety of Stock Keeping Units (SKUs), which range from varied can profiles and diverse chemical lids to high-

volume plastic pails. Baseline operational assessments at the target facility identified chronic, compounding

issues: disorganized storage topography, redundant material handling movements, prolonged search intervals,

and frequent component mismatch errors. These deficiencies combined to constrain the effective facility capacity

and elevate operator physical strain. To rigorously address the feedback from academic review, this study

implements an interrupted time-series quasi-experimental research design. The primary focus is to methodically

evaluate a low-capital intervention comprising velocity-based re-layout, point-of-use pairing, and 5S workplace

standardization, benchmarking the empirical outcomes directly against established industry efficiency standards.

This report was prepared to document a series of improvement measures implemented in the packaging

warehouse. The primary focus of these activities was to reorganize (relayout) and improve material handling.

Based on warehouse employee KPI data, a relatively high number of complaints were obtained for each operator.

The warehouse manager then decided to conduct further evaluations related to the warehouse. The observations

revealed several things that were analysed, including the standard packaging service time of 4 pcs/second.

Furthermore, the largest complaint was caused by service that did not meet standards, the largest being the

mismatch between the lid and the can. The cause of the mismatched lid occurred because the can and lid were

far apart and the shape of the lid was also similar in appearance, increasing the possibility of errors when picking

goods. In terms of safety, the rack position was also found to be unsafe, especially the second-level rack. The

ladder position formed a 90-degree angle to the floor, requiring operators to raise and lower items manually. In

the field, several areas within the warehouse were also found to store unused items, which also consumed

warehouse capacity.

confounding factors, this study adopted an interrupted time-series quasi-experimental design (Pre-Post Design).

The experimental lifecycle was divided across a continuous 8-week temporal window. Weeks 1 to 4 established

the baseline pre-intervention state followed by 12 months layout execution period. Weeks 56 to 59 captured the

post-intervention operational state. No structural changes to operator staffing, scheduling, or demand volumes

occurred during this timeline, allowing direct attribution of performance changes to the spatial re-engineering.

Data transparency was maintained through a standardized measurement framework focusing on three core Key

Performance Indicators (KPIs): Direct Labour Productivity, Customer Complaint, and Zero Incident. Time

studies were executed utilizing digital stopwatches to record the elapsed time from the operator receiving the

pick-slip to the physical staging of the material. To secure statistical reliability, a randomized sampling quota of

Moving, and Dead-Moving zones.

2. Point-of-Use Component Pairing: To eradicate lid-can mismatch risks, specific dual-purpose racking

layouts were engineered. Dedicated lid storage bays were integrated immediately adjacent to their

corresponding can body locations, shifting from a functional layout to a synchronized product-family

layout.

3. Hazardous Infrastructure Elimination: Level-2 mezzanine shelving units requiring vertical 90-degree

ladder ascents were dismantled. High-volume pail storage was converted to a centralized, ground-level

pallet-pull system, replacing manual handling with standardized manual pallet jacks.

4. 5S Workplace Redesign: A strict sorting (Seiri) campaign was deployed to identify and purge obsolete

items and dead stock. Storage profiles were standardized (Seiton) and rigorous cleaning (Seiso) schedules

The implemented changes have had a very real impact on daily operations. The following is a summary of the

results of comparing site performance before and after the intervention, as presented in Table 2.

To validate the generalizability of these findings, the empirical data was benchmarked against the standard

industrial frameworks established by Richards (2022). In standard high-volume chemical manufacturing

operations, travel time optimization that cuts total picking cycle times by ≥40% indicates a transition from a

'reactive' storage state to an 'optimized, velocity-driven' layout. The observed 50% picking time contraction

achieved in this study meets and exceeds this global industrial efficiency threshold. Furthermore, by evaluating

the transformation of the pail storage via the NIOSH Lifting Equation criteria, substituting vertical manual

overhead lifts with ground-level mechanical pallet pulling effectively reduced the Recommended Weight Limit

(RWL) risk multiplier from a highly hazardous index to a safe operating value (<1.0), validating the ergonomic

generalizability of the model.