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4 Simple Steps Towards Streamlined Warehouse Operations

Forklift in Warehouse

Your warehouse should be a slick operation that gets products from shelf to customer in the quickest possible time, with the minimum amount of peril along the way. However, lots of warehouses simply aren’t run as smoothly as this – which can have a detrimental effect on the bottom line of the company.

This post, courtesy of the logistic experts at Kendon Packaging, will provide some simple, actionable advice that will help your warehouse reach new heights in terms of streamlined efficiency.

Use every inch of room

If you’ve got a whole lot of unused space in your warehouse, then you should most definitely use it. Taller shelves, combined with a general, all-purpose audit of everything in your stock list, will make the warehouse a more spacious place to be, simplifying the picking process and allowing for more room for forklifts and other vehicles.

If you find yourself with too much room – then it might be prudent to think about moving to more suitable premises. Rent on warehouses isn’t cheap, and if you’re wasting money on square-footage you’re not using you should seriously consider moving to cheaper premises.

Simplify your processes

If it takes forever for your products to make their way from the shelf to the back of the transportation truck then you need to take a look at your processes, and how you can improve them. Everything from easy-to-use equipment for warehouse employees to an efficient system of barcode warehouse labels should be considered essential.

Such smart barcode systems can simplify the human processes in a fast moving warehouse, so they should be considered essential. If you’re still relying on arcane methods of doing things, then you’ll soon be left behind in the modern warehousing game – especially if you’re an ecommerce company seeking to take on big players like Amazon.

Remember that safety is paramount

If you’re reviewing and changing your processes, it might be tempting to cut some corners. Avoid this, as safety could be compromised in your warehouse – leading to injuries, lawsuits or worse. Making sure pathways are adequately lit and implementing systems in which workers’ concerns are adequately addressed will go a long way to helping address any safety issues.

Any expansion or modification to your warehouse should be thoroughly checked for defects or weaknesses before going into service. A poorly installed shelf could do some serious damage to merchandise, equipment, and staff if it collapses due to improper safety practice.

Reduce waste wherever you can

Warehouses go through a whole lot of material in a single day – be it excess boxes, pallet wrap or anything else. These items must be recycled where possible, and it should be a priority to do an audit of all the materials you use on a day-to-day basis to see what can be scrapped.

Even Amazon has problems with improper packaging for items – with overly large boxes and excessive levels of plastic a common concern. Make sure you’re not using too much packaging and you’ll reap the benefits both in positive responses from customers and increased harmony with the environment.

Outside of a Warehouse

Every warehouse is different, so don’t expect all of these points to be directly applicable to your operation. Just keep them in mind when thinking about efficiency across your company and you may well find yourself with an actionable plan that’ll lead to real results.

This a guest post from Kendon Packaging

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