Truck and Track Winter 2025/26 www.truckandtrack.com 48 Most good workshops are obsessed with efficiency: investing in modern tech and the newest upgrades to cut down on their costs and the time spent on their services. But too often, we see workshops with all the latest kit — and a clunky workshop layout that hasn’t been updated in years. It’s easy to ignore, especially when making changes can cause disruption. But the way you design a workshop layout can have a huge effect on your throughput and efficiency. Here’s what you need to think about if you’re giving your shop floor a rework: Aim for a one-way flow Depending on your premises, it won’t always be possible to get this perfect. But the closer you can get to a single-direction flow, the better. In most cases, that means aiming for a ‘C-shape’ (or ‘U-shape’) structure with your workstations, where vehicles can move through every workstation they need without changing direction. If a vehicle ever has to turn around or reverse (or worse: make a three-point turn), that’s a loss in efficiency. So if you have the space to avoid it, a one-way flow should be a top priority. Allow extra space For most workshop layouts, this is a tough one to balance — every premises wants to make full use of all the space it has. It might seem more efficient to squeeze value from every last inch of your shop floor. But in some cases, leaving extra space is actually more efficient. By designing a workshop layout with a buffer of extra space, your vehicles can: ■ Travel faster from station to station ■ Make turnings without excessive precautions ■ Position, park, and exit workstations with confidence ■ Pass by other vehicles and equipment with less worry ■ Spend less time waiting for crossover traffic or pedestrians. And as a bonus, this extra space is great for future-proofing your workshop: As you expand the range of vehicles you service, you’ll be How to design a vehicle workshop layout that’s optimised for efficiency WORKSHOP EQUIPMENT
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