By Henry Slade, freelance writer.
Warehouse efficiency plays a critical role in the success of your business. Poor management, late shipping, and unproductive staff members will harm your credibility and your bottom line. The following strategies and technologies can help you to improve areas of concern and maximize your return on investment.
Review warehouse performance
If you don’t constantly review performance you won’t know how to improve warehouse operations. As soon as orders arrive, your staff must pick, pack, and ship the items. If the flow of goods in and out of your warehouse is inefficient, it hinders these processes. It helps to map out key processes. For example, consider the picking process and how workers receive an order, travel, equipment they use, steps they take, etc. A single improvement in the chain could improve picking time and order delivery.
Improve warehouse layout
The layout of your warehouse can make it difficult for workers to navigate and slow them down. Improving your warehouse layout will make them more productive and subject them to fewer safety risks. They need to know the best route for picking items for an order and much more. Ensuring that labeling is clear and streamlining your picking process sets your warehouse up for fast shipping.
Communicate clearly with employees
Your warehouse employees can only do their jobs effectively if you communicate clearly with them. A standard work tip for warehouse productivity is to ensure employees are aware of any company changes and receive clear instructions. If you use a Macbook you will need to use certain symbols to make your communication clearer and more efficient. On a Mac, all the face-value characters change when you combine them with modifier keys. For example, the Option key on Mac + Zero will give you a degree symbol (º). Control and Command are the other modifier keys that allow you to type special symbols Mac keyboard. Typing Ctrl + Cmd + Space allows you to see every keyboard icon. The view alters in real time when you use the modifier keys. You can also use third-party tools for more efficiency when finding shortcuts.
Manage your inventory carefully
Trying to manage your inventory manually is bad for your business. A good inventory management system will update inventory levels in real-time. All relevant sales and purchase data will be in the same system. This ensures you don’t overstock items you will battle to sell. Streamlining inventory management with AI and machine learning ensures that materials are in the right place at the right time.
Make use of tracking technology
Tracking products manually takes too much time and effort. An automated tracking system reduces labor costs and process delays. It also ensures accurate records by eliminating errors associated with manual processing. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology allows your employees to quickly locate items. It identifies the position of items in the warehouse by using chips with a small antenna. Other technologies you can use to increase productivity and improve accuracy include bar codes, voice-activated, and pick-to-label technologies.
Invest in high-quality equipment
If you invest in high-quality equipment and perform regular maintenance your warehouse operations will be more efficient. You won’t have to worry about too much downtime due to equipment breaking down. You can pull machines out for routine maintenance so workers always have reliable equipment to use. If you have the capital to invest in autonomous vehicles and equipment it can prevent human errors and allow work to carry on around the clock.
Offer employee incentives
Your employees play a key role when you want to increase warehouse productivity. Offering incentives will make them more motivated. There are many ways to incentivize employees.
- Recognize them publicly for their hard work.
- Offer them flexible work schedules.
- Give them coupons and gift cards.
- Allow them additional days off work.
- Give them bonuses for reaching certain production targets.
It helps employees to visualize rewards. For example, a chart with a target line and an actual line is a constant reminder of what they need to do to earn a reward.
Get feedback from employees
Your employees are the first to know what obstacles they face on the warehouse floor. Getting feedback from them will help you to identify warehouse ideas improvement. For example, you may find out that workstations are uncomfortable and contribute to workplace injuries such as muscle strain or lower back problems. Reducing or increasing their height could help to solve these problems. Feedback can take many forms such as having a weekly sit-down or providing a suggestion box.
Train warehouse managers and staff
Training of warehouse managers and staff can lead to a better warehouse. Training should be an ongoing process. You need to regularly review performance and make sure workers know how to use any new technology and systems. Conduct regular training sessions that don’t last more than an hour and they will be more effective if they take a more conversational tone than being a lecture. These sessions should cover everything from how to receive and store inventory to how to fulfill orders. All employees must be aware of company policies and procedures before they start working in the warehouse.
Conclusion
Improving warehouse productivity involves focusing on your processes, employees, stock management, and more. It helps to use technology where you can to save time and prevent errors. Communicating with your employees, giving them regular training, and incentives, and allowing them to offer feedback will also help to improve your warehouse productivity and benefit everyone involved in the supply chain process.
Warehouse efficiency plays a critical role in the success of your business. Poor management, late shipping, and unproductive staff members will harm your credibility and your bottom line. The following strategies and technologies can help you to improve areas of concern and maximize your return on investment.
