Your Location System Is Your WMS's Address Book
A WMS can calculate inventory perfectly, but if the addresses that say where that inventory sits are a mess, the floor will be a mess too. In warehouses without location code rules, every worker calls the same spot something different, similar-looking codes lead to misplaced stock, and system quantities keep drifting away from what is physically on the shelf. New hires spend their first few weeks asking senior staff, "Where is this?"
The bigger issue shows up when the layout changes. If adding a row of racking or reorganizing a zone means rewriting the codes from scratch, the system was never designed to grow.
Code Structure: Zone–Aisle–Bay–Level–Position
The most common structure is a Zone–Aisle–Bay–Level–Position hierarchy. For example, `A-03-12-2-1` means zone A, aisle 3, bay 12, second level from the bottom, first position.
Leave Room to Grow
Eight aisles, 40 bays, 5 levels, and 2 positions per level give you 3,200 locations. Use two digits for aisles and you can reach 99 aisles without changing the format; three digits for bays allows up to 999. Keeping some zone letters unused leaves space for a future chilled or returns zone.
Defining Location Attributes
If the code is the address, the attributes are the building specs behind it.
These attributes aren't decoration. They are inputs to putaway suggestions and replenishment logic. The system has to know them to avoid suggesting an 800 kg pallet for a 500 kg slot, or sending frozen goods into an ambient zone. With empty attributes in the location master, putaway suggestions end up as "any empty slot."
Labels and Scanning on the Floor
Label Placement and Check Digits
Place each label on the beam directly below its slot, and keep height and orientation consistent within a bay. Add arrows on labels for upper levels so pickers don't confuse which slot they refer to. A large two-digit check digit printed on each label lets workers confirm they are at the right spot just by reading it out in voice picking or keying it in during manual checks.
Barcode vs. QR, and High-Bay Racking
1D barcodes (Code 128) are supported by almost every handheld scanner and are relatively easy to read from a distance. QR codes hold more data in less space, but that adds little for short strings like location codes. Check what your devices support before deciding.
For high bays beyond arm's reach, use long-range scanners with large retro-reflective labels, or gather each column's per-level labels at the floor or the base of the upright. Where forklift work dominates, design the scheme together with vehicle-mounted terminals.
Switching Systems Without Losing Inventory
The biggest risk during a location system change is losing track of where stock is mid-transition.
How POLYGLOTSOFT Supports WMS Location Design
POLYGLOTSOFT covers the full flow, starting with on-site measurement and layout analysis and continuing through code design, building the location master with all its attributes, and printing labels with check digits. Whether you are rolling out a new WMS or migrating an existing location scheme, we plan the mapping and count process together with you to keep your inventory accurate. If you are rethinking your warehouse locations or planning a WMS build, get in touch with us.