Whether you run a large scale or small scale warehouse business, getting overwhelmed by its daily activities and processes is very easy. However, there are existing hacks (we can call them that) you can leverage on to help lighten the load and keep your warehousing activities running in a more secure and efficient way.
Dominique Robinson says: “Every year businesses lose substantial amount of money because of mis-ships, out-of-stock, returns, and human errors, which can all be avoided by optimizing yourwarehouse workflow.”
Here are five (5) proven strategies for optimizing the daily management of your warehouse:
1 | Organize, Organize, Organize
An unorganized warehouse costs your company extra time and money when picking and shipping orders. Do you have a strategy for where goods are placed? Are multiple Stock Keeping Units (SKUs) separated or in bins with one another?
Another thing you can do to improve organization is to look at a floor plan of the warehouse and draw out the common paths that workers take when loading, picking, or packing. Do they end up retracing their steps a lot? Are commonly picked items nearby, or do they have to walk the length of the warehouse? If you can eliminate some of that extra time finding items, that alone will improve your warehouse’s efficiency.
2 | Avoid Manual Data Entry
Are you still writing Stock Keeping Units (SKUs) on a notepad or entering them manually into a computer? These older methods are prone to human error and even loss of the physical document. The potential to mistype and the time taken to write or type each number by hand adds up to a lot of extra overhead.
There are some key features of a warehouse system that remove the need for manual entry. Many products have barcodes or SKUs that can be picked up by a scanner. Scanning a barcode and having it automatically entered into the system is a lot more reliable than doing it by hand, and it will get products off the dock and into your system quicker.
This goes for accounting tasks as well. Manually entering numerical data and doing calculations by hand is a recipe for disaster and a very frustrated accounting team.
3 | Prioritize Safety
Safety is of the utmost importance to anyone in warehouse operations management. Why? Aside from the obvious impact an injured employee faces, an accident on the job site can drastically harm an operation’s bottom line and affect your workplace’s reputation.
A safe warehouse is an efficient warehouse, so make sure you are following these guidelines:
4 | Train Employees
Employee training goes hand in hand with workplace safety. If your employees aren’t trained and up to date on warehouse procedures, then injuries are more likely to occur.
To mitigate this risk, ensure only trained employees operate machinery like forklifts or cranes. It’s also important for employees to renew any necessary credentials in a timely manner.
5 | Use the Right Software
At the end of the day, your team is only as good as its software. Make sure you do the proper research and take time to evaluate vendors and your own WMS requirements before implementing a warehouse operations management solution.
Finding the best-fit software for your business can turn headaches into an efficient and optimized warehouse.
Consider a few of these questions when beginning your search for the perfect warehouse management system:
Take a look at our list of clients who are satisfactorily enjoying our all-in-one warehouse management software (WMS).
Conclusion
Warehouse management system features are a one-stop-shop containing everything a warehousing operation needs to succeed. Take your time when looking for that perfect solution as one size definitely does not fit all and keep your unique WMS system requirements in mind.