Camila Maria Vitorino Souza, Heitor Cardoso de Brito
The present study aims to propose a new facility layout for a small construction materials retail store, considering the relationship between physical space organization, operational efficiency, and economic performance. The microenterprise under investigation exhibited weaknesses in layout planning and offered its products inadequately, without any standardized storage system. This situation directly impacted visual management and cost management, highlighting the need to review the product assortment in order to optimize physical space utilization and reduce operational effort. To this end, criteria such as inventory turnover, contribution margin, handling complexity, and relevance to the sales mix were considered. Pareto's ABC analysis was applied using two approaches: one based on contribution margin and quantity of products sold, and another based on inventory holding time and quantity of products in stock. Based on the selected criteria and the numerical results obtained from the ABC analyses—combined with direct observation of the store environment and documentary analyses of historical sales records—a new facility layout for the assortment of marketable products was designed and implemented. The elimination of 15 Class C items resulted in a gain of 11.6 m² of floor space, and the reorganization of the layout provided better utilization of physical space, reduced operational effort and rework, and increased efficiency in internal processes. It was concluded that the integration of cost management and layout planning constitutes a strategic factor for improving the competitiveness and sustainability of small construction materials retail stores.