Shipping and Receiving Areas
These areas consist of the staging and load
accumulation space used to support the shipping and
receiving functions. These support areas may include a
small office or desk for use by the shipping and
receiving foremen. In general, they do not contain large
amounts of Office space.
Truck Dock Areas
Certain areas aree used for loading and unloading
highway trailers. They are located immediately in front
of the truck dock doors that are used for securing the
operating area.
Battery Charging and Handling Areas
These areas consist of the spaces allocated to the
charging and handling of vehicle batteries used in the
material-handling equipment. When electric vehicles
mused, this support area can also include maintenance
areas and other work areas associated with the mainte-
nance and upkeep of the material-handling vehicles.
Preservation, Packaging, Packing, and Crating
Areas
‘These support areas consist of any area dedicated
to the protection or packaging of any material being
stored or handled in the facility. These areas are
generally associated with the receiving function of
presentation and the shipping funnction of packing,
packaging, and crating areas.
PLANNING THE OFFICE SPACE LAYOUT
The ability to plan an effective and efficient use of
office space will be a skill that is useful to you
throughout your career.
You can refer to Military
Handbook, Facility Planning and Design Guide,
MIL-HDBK-1190, for the space criteria to be used.
Planning an efficient layout requires a great deal of
thought, study, and a thorough knowledge of the
functions for which facilities are to be provided. When
a revised plan is not too radically different from the
present layout, it maybe possible to make the changes
at once. When extensive revisions are indicated,
expensive changes may be required and may have to be
postponed until a future date. Strive for the best
possible solution at the least possible cost. Many times
inexpensive substitutions can be made by using familiar
items in a new way or by capitalizing on available
talents.
Some important items to be considered in preparing
layouts are discussed in this section. No effort is made
to present a magic plan that can be adapted to fit every
situation. To some extent, a good layout depends upon
having an efficient organization in the beginning.
The effective use of office space is an important
consideration of the supervisor. Like any other part of
supply, the office should be designed for production. A
poor arrangement of office space wastes time and
energy by failing to provide the means for effective
work habits. When conditions are such that there is no
place to put needed documents or publications, the
telephone is on the wrong desk or on the wrong side of
the desk, lighting is inadequate, personnel are seated
beneath a ceiling vent or facing a window or wall, the
flow of work is uneven. Again, when personnel who
do detailed or repetitious work are located so that they
are constantly interrupted by traffic flow, then the result
will obvious] y be less productive.
An office could be defined as a work area for
handling information or a production area with data
processing equipment. Office planning could then be
defined as determining the arrangement of all physical
components into a coordinated unit that can most
effectively handle the volume of work and the type of
information necessary to carry out a mission.
Workflow
The movement of paperwork into and through the
office is a fundamental consideration in determining the
arrangement of the physical units. Careful planning is
required to provide a minimum amount of travel from
desk to desk and to prevent the basic circulation patterns
from becoming clogged. In an office where large
volumes of documents are handled on an individual
basis, the flow of work will usually form a constant
pattern. The arrangement of components, therefore,
can and should be designed to accommodate the flow
of paperwork. In contrast, in an office where there is
less volume and/or the paperwork is batch processed,
the flow of paperwork should not be the dominating
factor in determining the office layout.
Objectives
Office layout consists of several objectives that
should accomplish the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Produce a smooth flow of paperwork
Use space effectively to assist good supervision
Locate equipment, machines, and aisles
conveniently
Add to the comfort of the people who work there
Present a favorable appearance
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