A Matter of Flow: Online E-Commerce Warehouse

You see this a lot. A good company, growing fast, suddenly gets tangled up in its own success. That’s exactly where Web Deals found themselves. They called us while in the middle of a big leap — moving from a cramped 50,000-square-foot building into a 300,000-square-foot facility in Corona.

On paper, it sounded exciting. In reality, standing in that empty warehouse, it felt like staring into a canyon. That much space is a gift, but without a plan it can just as easily turn into a mess — the kind of mess that costs money every single day.

When we first walked the site, it was just four walls and a lot of concrete. The client had ideas, but what they really needed was someone to help connect the dots. A warehouse isn’t just storage. It’s about flow — product comes in, gets stored, picked, and shipped. If there’s a snag anywhere in that loop, everything slows down.

The Blueprint for Growth

We didn’t start with a catalog or cookie-cutter layout. We started by learning how their business actually worked — the mix of products, how their people picked orders, what equipment they already had.

They had plenty of standard-sized items, but also some heavy, awkward pieces that couldn’t just sit anywhere. So the layout had to flex. We sketched out long runs of Regular Bays for everyday goods, carved out a section of Heavy Duty Bays for the big stuff, and — here’s the kicker — we built in Tunnel Bays.

And of course, we went vertical. Floor space costs money; the air above it doesn’t. We stacked the system up to 21 feet, squeezing every bit of value out of the building they were paying for.

A Phased Plan That Kept Them Moving

The catch was, they couldn’t just shut the business down and wait. Orders still had to ship. So instead of one big install, we phased it.

When the dust settled, Web Deals had over 16,000 pallet positions and, more importantly, a system that worked for their people.

Project Highlights

This wasn’t just about throwing up steel. A good plan uses the right tools for the job. Here’s a look at the key pieces we put in place to make it all work:

Phased Installation

We split the project into two distinct phases, ensuring zero downtime for their customers by getting them operational in a section of the warehouse while we completed the rest.

Mixed-Use Racking System

A custom blend of Regular, Heavy Duty, and integrated Tunnel Bays ensures every product has a proper home, keeping the operation organized and efficient.

High-Cube Vertical Design

We designed the system to go up 21 feet, taking full advantage of the building’s height and dramatically increasing storage density without expanding the footprint.

Integrated Tunnel Bays

These act as shortcuts through the racking, creating efficient cross-aisles that are crucial for improving flow and speeding up pick times in a large facility.

Built-in Safety Components

Bright yellow column protectors and end-of-aisle guards were installed to prevent accidental damage from forklifts, protecting both people and product.

Wire Decking for Compliance

We used durable wire decking across pallet bays, which is preferred by fire marshals as it allows water from sprinklers to pass through, building it right and building it safe.