A ‘hands-on’ take on warehouse design as part of my Logistics and Supply Chain MSc

As part of my core module for my Logistics and Supply Chain Management MSc, I had the amazing opportunity to work on a warehouse design project a few weeks ago. The problem statement for the project was to expand a distribution centre for a mock electronics company.

This hands-on experience brought warehousing concepts to life, demonstrating how strategic design can enhance efficiency, scalability, and adaptability in today’s fast-evolving supply chain landscape.

A huge thank you to Professor Hendrik Reefke for his dedication and invaluable teaching in the warehousing module. I also appreciate Professor Ismail Abushaikha for his insightful feedback and highlighting key areas for improvement— his guidance has been instrumental in our learning journey!

My teammates were amazing, engaging in countless discussions and working tirelessly together. Without such teamwork it wouldn’t have been as much pleasure to successfully build an interesting and ingenious warehouse!

During the project we covered a number of solutions, but my project highlights were AI-driven inventory management for intelligent stock control, optimised storage solutions to maximize space utilization, automated inbound handling & dynamic order-picking workflows, and seamless dispatch operations for faster, more accurate fulfilment

For me, my key takeaway was automation isn’t always the answer—purposeful implementation is key. It’s about finding the right balance between technology, efficiency, and operational feasibility and I am really looking forward to applying these learnings to future challenges in warehousing and logistics innovation.