Top Tips To Improve Your Warehouse
08 Feb 2018
With space at a premium in both urban and industrial areas, warehouse space is becoming more expensive. That means that every square foot needs to produce the maximum value. So warehouse efficiency and productivity are at the top of every warehouse manager’s list of concerns.
Even at the best of times, supply chain and logistics management will involve complex tasks. However, small adjustments can deliver greatly increased efficiency in the daily workflow that runs the warehouse. Warehouse managers all want a smoothly running, productive and cost-effective environment.
Read on for some tips on how to enhance your warehouse efficiency and get rid of some of those small problems that, in combination, seem to take up so much management time.
A Modern Warehouse Requires Investment
The most efficient warehouses are the ones where management has invested in quality tools which improve warehouse productivity and make it a safer place to work. At the most basic level, forklift trucks and pallet jacks for moving and lifting pallets are essential. The quality of the pallets you are using will also make a big difference.
A shelving or racking collapse can be very serious, even fatal, so it’s essential to make sure that both shelving and racking are in good condition and to invest in new racks if the existing ones are showing signs of wear and tear.
Map Out an Investment Path When It Comes to Pallets
If you are using wooden pallets, make sure that they are in good condition – heat-treating is available to ensure that they are free of bacteria and other pathogens.
Take a view on whether you are going to continue using wooden pallets in the medium to long term or whether the nature of the goods that you are storing in the warehouse means that plastic pallets will be a better choice. It’s a good idea to talk to a supplier who supplies both types of pallet, because then you will get some objective advice on which is best for your warehouse going forward.
Maintenance Saves Time and Money
You can avoid a lot of downtime by surveying all of the tools and equipment that perform better if regularly maintained. Set up a log and list them with the maintenance intervals that will be most effective. Then run this list as a maintenance schedule. This will go a long way towards stopping unexpected hold-ups caused by equipment failure.
Check That Quality Is High Enough
As a warehouse manager, it falls to you to have up-to-date knowledge of the state of the tools and equipment you are using. That includes wooden crates and pallets and even the state of the warehouse building. There may be problems which aren’t urgent but will need fixing in the medium term.
Use Smart Storage
Smart storage is the system in which every item in the warehouse has its own slot. The slot it’s given depends on how often it’s used. This simple system can significantly increase productivity by cutting down the amount of time that workers spend moving around the warehouse to rack or pick goods.
Try these tips and you’ll be surprised at how much difference they make to warehouse efficiency – and how much stress they remove from the warehouse manager.