Written by andrew_torres on August 16, 2018
Three Tips For Improving Warehouse Efficiency And Reducing Costs
Tools & AccessoriesWarehousing is an integral branch of the supply chain umbrella that facilitates timely flow of materials and information, to and from a business entity. Much like in any industry, efficiency is the key to retaining customers in this field and in an economy where new businesses are sprouting up almost every day, to retain the market position by reducing the overall costs to gain a competitive advantage over the rest, warehouse managers must focus on doing the right things, at the right time with the right level of inputs. In this article, we will look into three such pointers that can be followed to turn the storehouse floor into a more productive one.
Reduced cost through reduced touches
In logistics, managers are constantly trying to reduce the number of middle men in order to transfer goods, information and services in as little time as possible. The reason for this urgency is because of the high costs associated with delays and holdups. If there is any way to reduce the number of steps involved in the movement of cargo in your warehouse facility, incorporation of such methods will considerably bring down the level of wastage of resources. Incorporating electric walkie stacker machines for moving and stacking of pallets will greatly reduce the level of manpower that is required while also making the operations a lot faster.
A trained workforce
The employees working on the floor level of the facility can be recognized as the life blood of the business because it is these individuals that get directly involved in the handling of cargo and operate the equipment and the vehicles. Managers must take the necessary steps to provide them with an adequate training and refresh their knowledge on a regular basis to keep them knowledgeable about the industry they work in. A special level of attention must be given to educating and training them regarding the handling of machines such as the pallet jack for sale or the forklift, in order to keep the workplace accidents to a minimum.
Maintain lean inventory levels
Much like in manufacturing, warehouse managers must set in place the necessary processes and procedures to maintain lean inventory levels at all times to reduce wastage and simplify the material handling process. The term lean refers to keeping anything to only the required level and no more. In warehousing, by having a tight grip on the volume of output and by using state of the art VMS (vendor management systems) to forecast demand levels and regulate the issuing of raw materials to the manufacturing process, you will be able to accurately predict the material requirement for a specified duration, so that only the right volume can be brought in, stored and managed in order to keep the wastage to a minimum.