Warehouse Design Software
for AI-supported warehouse layouts

The warehouse design software "WarehouseDesigner" transforms warehouse layout sketches into structured digital layouts. The approach addresses the concept phase of warehouse planning, in which key decisions are often only available as block layouts. AI-based computer vision recognizes functional areas, interprets designations and capacities, and uses this information to generate digital variants.

This reduces manual transfers, shortens project durations, and makes variant comparisons more reliable. Fraunhofer IML is continuing to develop WarehouseDesigner to make warehouse planning data-based, transparent, and scalable.

Modern warehouse planning follows a clearly structured process. The analysis of relevant planning data and processes is followed by concept planning. This is followed by detailed planning, tendering, implementation, and operation. This entire process ties up human resources for months or even years.
There are obstacles to an efficient planning process:

• In the concept phase, there is a poorly structured decision-making problem.
• The solution depends heavily on the expert knowledge of individual specialists.
• Many projects only consider a few variants from the possible solution space.
• Fragmented information in tables, presentations, layout plans, and documents increases the effort required.
• Conventional methods provide only limited comparability of logistical solutions.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML addresses these challenges with WarehouseDesigner as a digital tool for warehouse layout planning.

Brief overview of the approach and application.

• AI-supported capture of block layout sketches in the system or via photo
• Automatic generation of digital, rule-compliant warehouse layouts from sketches
• Use of layout variants as a basis for further warehouse planning software

Learn more about WarehouseDesigner

WarehouseDesigner comes into play in the concept phase, when warehouse layouts often exist only as block layouts on paper or as simple sketches. Sketches are created in the application's canvas or entered into the system as photos. The warehouse design software identifies functional areas, interprets labels and size specifications, and uses this information to generate digital layout variants. 
Warehouse layout software for the concept phase: How it works

1. Create a sketch or upload a photo
2. AI analysis: Recognition of areas, labels, and sizes
3. Structure & rules: Consistent, rule-compliant presentation
4. Variant creation & optimization: Layout variants based on defined goals (e.g., space efficiency)
5. Utilizing results: 2D layout + export for follow-up processes

A genetic algorithm places the areas in the building envelope in accordance with regulations, scales them according to capacity or target area, and takes quality criteria such as space efficiency into account. The system displays the layouts in two dimensions, exports them as CAD files, and forms a structured database for future recommender systems.

"Our warehouse design software generates optimized, rule-compliant layouts from warehouse layout sketches in seconds, significantly accelerating the concept phase and enabling earlier, well-founded investment decisions."
Alexander Krooß, M. Sc., conducts research on intralogistics at Fraunhofer IML.

The warehouse design software focuses on AI-supported computer vision and optimization for warehouse layout. The vision pipeline recognizes rectangular functional areas, text regions with handwritten or digital text, and the outer edges of the warehouse. A vision language model transcribes handwriting. Language models extract titles, capacities, and target areas using named entity recognition.

The genetic algorithm dimensions areas, pays attention to areas without overlap, outer wall contact of certain zones, compact arrangement, short path relationships, and small residual areas. Planners use the results as warehouse planners for systematic variant comparisons in the concept phase.

The video shows a complete run through of WarehouseDesigner: Starting with a hand-drawn layout sketch or a photo, the warehouse design software digitizes the warehouse layout, recognizes function-related areas and labels, and uses this information to generate a rule-compliant, structured layout representation.

The resulting digital warehouse layouts serve as a reliable basis for further planning steps, including CAD export and variant comparison.

Use WarehouseDesigner to measurably accelerate your concept phase and evaluate more variants instead of just pursuing individual ideas. Using the warehouse design software enables:

• Automatic capture of layout sketches instead of manual transfer
• Digital, compliant warehouse layouts as a reliable basis for detailed planning and CAD
• Systematic comparison of variants with regard to costs, space, and scenarios

Let's shape the next generation of concept planning for warehouse systems together.

The further development of the WarehouseDesigner aims at interactive 3D visualization of the generated warehouse layouts. This provides planners with clear variants for customer feedback at an early stage. Future expansion stages will incorporate material flow, conveyor technology, and performance limits into the evaluation.

A curated portfolio of variants will provide alternatives based on different target functions, such as minimum space or low investment costs. In the future, robust geometry recognition will expand the vision pipeline to include irregular structures such as L-shapes or brownfield scenarios. In addition, reinforcement learning approaches offer potential for feeding user feedback back into warehouse layout planning.