If you are interested in looking for a way to streamline your distribution operations, you will be pleased to know that People Vox Warehouse management system specialists have made a helpful infographic to teach you just how to make your warehouse more efficient. Read on to discover 10 of the best tips for warehouse efficiency.
Top 10 Ways to Improve Warehouse Efficiency (2017)
First off, you will find that profiling your order will be a very beneficial step to take. Analysing the orders you receive throughout a yearly period will help you to identify trends and improve the position of your stock. When stock is easy to access and in a particular order, your warehouses efficiency will improve dramatically.
For example, if certain stock keeping units are more popular in a particular season, you can move them to a more accessible location and then swap them with other stock once the season is over.
Another analysation task that you could carry out is an observation in to the current picking procedures. It is vital that you match your picking methodology to your organisation and the industry in which it operates if you wish for productivity maximisation.
As well as this, utilize your software. There is software out there that collates your orders by picking paths, zones, lines and level of picking difficulty. This makes a huge difference to the average time it takes your team to get new jobs out of the door. Pickers and packers will find their jobs a whole lot easier when orders are sequenced in a way that makes them easier to pick.
Speaking of technology, don’t forget to investigate in to new and upcoming technologies such as bar code systems and voice activated solutions. It is no secret that we are becoming more dependent on technology and in the case of a warehouse, this is good news.
When you think about the fact that your pickers spend up to 60% of their time moving stock around the warehouse, an automated solution such as a conveyer system makes a lot of sense.
Have you ever considered creating a warehouse within a warehouse? This infographic will open you up to the idea of grouping up stock keeping units that make up the bulk of your orders.
However, this may not be the best solution if you are selling small quantities of a wide range of products. If you are running a larger corporation then we recommend taking this option in to consideration!
You will be very quick to notice that analysing your warehouse is something that should take top priority as it will give you a lot of answers regarding your warehouse efficiency. Noticing slow-moving stock and placing it on shelving will create more room in carton and pallet flow areas for more popular SKUs.
Ensure that only a few sizes of shipping cartons are used as this will minimize the risks of confusion and will also reduce the cost of packing materials and freight charges.
Lastly, but by no means least, devise and implement an equitable incentive programme for pickers. At the end of the day, the work performance of your pickers and packers is the final factor that will make or break the efficiency of your warehouse.
Offering your employees generous bonuses based on their performance will encourage great accuracy, productivity and efficiency across the whole corporation. Remember that these bonuses do not necessarily have to involve money rewards and will therefor not cost your company a penny.
Do not forget to check out the infographic for more ideas and details. You will be amazed by just how easy and accessible creating an efficient warehouse can be!
