Facility Layout Viewer

The Facility Layout Viewer graphically displays the warehouse mapping configured within ProTrack Warehouse. This screen is also used to generate nodes on a single floor.

To access the Facility Layout Viewer:

1. Select Facility Layout under the Standards menu. The Maintain Facility Layout screen appears.

2. Click  located at the bottom-right corner on both the Manage Floor and Manage Travel Path screens.
   
   
   ^{Fig.1 Maintain Facility Layout - Show Layout}

   
   
   ^{Fig.2 Facility Layout Viewer}

Viewing A Facility

To view an existing facility:

1. Select the facility from the drop down list.
2. Select a floor from the drop down list.

   
   
   ^{Fig.3 Facility Layout Viewer - View Floor}

   
   

The only way to configure XYZ-related data elements in ProTrack Warehouse is by building an import file, and importing the elements one at a time. This section refers to the spreadsheet, “SOP for XYZ Importing.xls”. This is the official document containing import templates for each XYZ component. Each tab of the workbook must be completed prior to importing the data elements.

Coordinate System Origin – Coordinate values cannot be negative, thus the origin should be set with large enough to allow floors to grow in any direction. For example, the origin could be treated as (1000, 1000). When viewing a facility’s layout in ProTrack Warehouse using the Facility Layout Java applet, the coordinate system axes are orientated such that the x-axis points to the right and the y-axis points downward. In other words, the x-coordinates ascend as you move to the right and the y-coordinates ascend as you move downward.

Location Data Element Naming Conventions – It is recommended that the following naming conventions be followed to so that the user easily knows where the data element is located on the Facility Layout.

^{Table 1. Naming Conventions}

Floor

A floor is the lowest level component of XYZ mapping. A facility can have multiple floors, which may or may not represent various actual floors in the warehouse. Floors can be used for this purpose (such as in mezzanine areas), or they may be used to simply divide a large single floor into multiple smaller sections. Any component added to the floor should be inside the floor.

Please refer to the Floor tab of the current “SOP for XYZ Importing” Excel spreadsheet.

^{Table 2. Floor Example}

^{Table 3. Floor Field Descriptions}
 

To view a floor in ProTrack Warehouse:

1. Access the Facility Layout screen, and click .

2. Select the facility name from the Facility list and floor name from the Floor list. The selected floor will be displayed.
   
   
   ^{Fig.4 Facility Layout Viewer - Floor}

   
   

Aisle Paths

An Aisle Path is a passable travel space over which equipment or people travel. An Aisle path resides on a floor and may have Segments around it. Nodes are created on the Aisle Path, at its intersections and end points. Multiple Aisle Paths can intersect.

Please refer to the Aisle Path tab of the current “SOP for XYZ Importing” Excel spreadsheet.

^{Table 4. Aisle Path Examples}

^{Table 5. Aisle Path Field Descriptions}

To view Aisle Paths in ProTrack Warehouse:

1. Access the Facility Layout screen, and click .
2. Select the facility name from the Facility list and floor name from the Floor list. The selected floor will be displayed.

3. Select an aisle path to view the Aisle Path Properties.
   
   
   ^{Fig.5 Facility Layout Viewer - Aisle Path}

A One-Way Aisle Path will be denoted by an Arrow on the aisle path.  Equipment marked "One Way" will only be able to travel in the specified direction.

^{Fig.6 Facility Layout Viewer - Aisle Path, One Way}

An Aisle Path with an Equipment Access Rule will be denoted by an orange color.  Only equipment with the specified access rule will be able to utilize that aisle path.

^{Fig.7 Facility Layout Viewer - Aisle Path, Equipment Access Rule}

Travel Paths

A Travel Path is a connection between two different floors. In the actual warehouse, this may be at a staircase, an elevator, or just any point where two floors connect. Travel paths are similar to Aisle Paths in that they are lines over which travel is calculated, but their sole purpose is to connect two floors. Travel Paths start at one node on a starting floor and end at another node on the ending floor.

Please refer to the Travel Path tab of the current “SOP for XYZ Importing” Excel spreadsheet.

^{Table 6. Travel Path Examples}

^{Table 7. Travel Path Field Descriptions}

To view Travel Paths in ProTrack Warehouse:

1. Access the Facility Layout screen, and click .
2. Select the facility name from the Facility list and floor name from the Floor list. The selected floor will be displayed.

3. A Travel Path is displayed as a larger grey circle overlapping a node.
   
   
   ^{Fig.8 Facility Layout Viewer - Travel Path}

   
   

Nodes

Nodes will be present at both the ends and intersections of Aisle Paths and Travel Paths. Nodes are not imported like the other components, but are instead generated via the Facility Import screen. Nodes are generated on a per-floor basis and thus must be generated for each individual floor.
 

To generate Nodes:

1. Access the Facility Layout screen, and click .
2. Select the facility name from the Facility list and floor name from the Floor list. The selected floor will be displayed.
3. Click on the properties screen.
4. Nodes will be generated and displayed on the floor.
5. Click .

6. Repeat for all Floors.
   
   
   ^{Fig.9 Facility Layout Viewer - Nodes}

   
   

Segments

A Segment contains one or more locations, and thus typically represents racking. However, locations cannot exist outside of a Segment, regardless of whether or not the actual point in the warehouse is at a rack location. Segments are associated to Aisle Paths; no Segment can exist without an Aisle Path.

Please refer to the Segment tab of the current “SOP for XYZ Importing” Excel spreadsheet.

^{Table 8. Segment Examples}

^{Table 9. Segment Field Descriptions}
 

In the example illustrations that follow, the blue shaded area is the segment. Each cell is 2’ by 2’, so the width of the segment is 4’.


^{Fig.10 Segment Orientations}

To View Segments in ProTrack Warehouse:

1. Access the Facility Layout screen, and click .
2. Select the facility name from the Facility list and floor name from the Floor list. The selected floor will be displayed.

3. Select a segment to view the Segment Properties.
   
   
   ^{Fig.11 Facility Layout Viewer - Segments}

   
   

Locations & Levels

A Location is any point in the warehouse to which you want to calculate travel to or from. For example, locations may be product slot locations, product staging areas, dock doors, order pickup / drop-off locations, or conveyor drop points. Levels are optional, and represent the various heights (Z coordinate) within a particular location. Thus, levels are associated with specific locations, and so the two are imported together. All Locations must be present inside a Segment.

Please refer to the Location tab of the current “SOP for XYZ Importing” Excel spreadsheet.

^{Table 10. Location Examples}

^{Table 11. Location Field Descriptions}

To view Locations in ProTrack Warehouse:

1. Access the Facility Layout screen, and click .
2. Select the facility name from the Facility list and floor name from the Floor list. The selected floor will be displayed.

3. Select a location to view the Location Properties.
   
   
   ^{Fig.12 Facility Layout Viewer - Locations}

Shortest Travel Path

The Facility Layout screen can display the shortest path between two locations given any applicable access rules.

To view the Shortest Travel Path:

1. Access the Facility Layout screen, and click .
2. Select the facility name from the Facility list and floor name from the Floor list. The selected floor will be displayed.

3. Select the "Shortest Travel Path" tab from the left pane.

   • 
4. Choose a start and end location for the travel path, and apply any access rules.
5. Click "Show Path."  The shortest path between the locations will be displayed.
   • The first figure shows the shortest path between the two locations.  Note the aisle path with an access rule is not utilized, as that access rule is not being applied.
   • The second figure shows One-Way travel being enforced, forcing the travel path to go around the One-Way aisle to another path.
   • The third figure applies the Aisle Access Rule being enforced by the closest aisle path, allowing it for use in the travel path.

^{Fig.13 Facility Layout Viewer - Shortest Path}

^{Fig.14 Facility Layout Viewer - Shortest Path, One Way Enforced}

^{Fig.15 Facility Layout Viewer - Shortest Path, Aisle Access Rule used}