10 Best Ways to Increase Warehouse Efficiency
Marrying automation with the best troubleshooter machines – humans, is probably the perfect way to effectively manage your warehouse facility with the likelihood of more profit flow and less production cost – and waste. Here are 10 ways to improve warehouse management hence increase productivity.
1.Practical planning of warehouse space – It is important to plan very carefully as to how the production area altogether with its departments and divisions will look. Although spaces in your warehouse might be small compared to the workers and machines it will accommodate, it is important to take in consideration the navigation around the area and the overall environment for it will affect not only the workers, but the warehouse machines as well. As both cannot work in environments they are not designed or could adapt to. Temperature, lighting and ventilation are some factors that should be considered especially in the warehouse facilities.
2.Proper inventory – Operations in the warehouse shall begin only when all needed listings, documentation and records are intact, for once the warehouse officially opens for business, only chaos can be expected with reconciling the ins and outs and losses will be a common visitor that businessmen do not welcome.
3.Maintain cleanliness – As dirt and dust can easily accumulate in places where different materials are stored, it is a challenge given to warehouse managers to maintain the place breathable as overtime, dusts can be harmful not only to humans, but to machines as well causing early system failures which brings to the pocket-paining replacement of indispensable machines for warehouse operations.
4.Get rid of papers – Although not completely, but lessening the use of papers and investing on machines that will do the job with the same results by simply pressing on buttons or standing before scanners can greatly affect productivity in the warehouses as workers can proceed directly to doing their task. Time-consuming filling out of papers for attendance or reports will only take away time for actual work and production, hence lessening productivity and consequently taking away more opportunity to profit.
5.Keep up to date with technology – Having the knowledge of the latest advancements will help answer warehouse dilemmas which manual labor fails to solve. It could also be that a latest version of a machine was released that will improve on the limitations of said older unit.
6.Keep workers happy – Although work is made faster and more reliable with the use of technology, still it needs operators. Formulating ways to keep your employees interested with their jobs improves the quality of production and reduces laziness in the workplace. This could be achieved through giving incentives for reaching a monthly quota or commending on tasks done on time and of quality.
7.Remove human labor from strenuous activities – The rule in warehouse production is that if there’s a machine to do it, get it. Human labor should be limited to monitoring and managing as these are some limitations of machines. In high volume production, the only way to get more results with guaranteed precision is through automation. In addition it will guarantee continued operation for machines do not tire easily nor recuperate slowly like human workers.
8.Buy machines that do not consume so much space – As mentioned earlier, spaces in warehouses could often be limited and opting for massive machines could only take up room which could have been used for another purpose. Before finalizing on your purchases, make sure you have a complete latitude of all identical machines performing the same task. That way, you will be assured that you get the perfect fit for your production needs and room capacity.
9.Do not buy machines because it is cheap – the primary factor should be efficiency. If the machine can only meet your company’s quota, then you might want to consider looking for another equipment. There should be an allowance given bearing in mind the varying demands of a product in a year. The need for a certain product might be greater in some months, so you will need a machine that can perform well under extreme demands.
10.Secure your products well – The totality of the production process will be put into waste if you do not have a mechanism designed to protect your products from exterior factors. Packaging your products securely will reduce defects caused by items being in transit, also reducing waste and thus providing for greater productivity and returns.
Have you tried any of these steps yet? Share your thoughts with us!
References:
https://www.datacollectiononline.com/doc/ways-to-improve-warehouse-efficiency-and-reduce-costs-0001
http://multichannelmerchant.com/blog/10-ways-improve-warehouse-efficiency-reduce-costs/
https://blog.flatworldsolutions.com/6-ways-improve-workforce-efficiency-warehouse/
http://cerasis.com/2015/03/05/warehouse-operations/
http://www.computerdust.com/downloads/special_report_on_the_effect_of_dust_on_electronics.pdf