When you are running a warehouse, you have a duty to ensure that your products go out on time, your employees are happy and your customers are even happier. When the products roll out on time, the customers are happy, but to get to that point you need to have a warehouse that is running efficiently in the first place. The good news is that there are plenty of tweaks that you can make to ensure that your warehouse is running to its peak efficiency and your staff are as productive as possible.
It’s definitely about more than putting everything in its place, but it helps if you can do that. Getting your products out on time may take a while to nail, but once you do it you can ensure that you have systems running exceptionally well. From barcode scanners and RFID systems installed to manage your inventory, to erecting custom industrial sheds outside to add space, there are plenty of ways that warehouse efficiency can be improved. The thing is, your efficiency levels are paramount to your success, and you can’t have one without the other. Most business leaders know this, but it’s those same leaders that haven’t made any move to improve.
Whether you are a larger warehouse or you are a smaller-scale business, you can always find ways to improve how you work together. There are very simple changes that you can make, and you can find eight of them below.
- Keep Reviewing What You’re Doing
You want to improve warehouse efficiency, but if you can’t pinpoint what needs changing, how are you supposed to do that? You need to review again and again all of your processes and practices, so that you can gauge whether you need to make any improvements at all. Ensuring that you are using all of your currently available resources will mean that you are able to resolve the efficiency and productivity issues that you are having. There is no point in adding new systems if you can improve the ones that you already have. Take the time to schedule regular reviews and make sure that your leadership team is involved in those meetings. They can give feedback to you about where things are going well or going wrong.
- Check Your Layout
When was the last time you checked out whether your warehouse layout was doing you any good? There could be a very good reason that your warehouse isn’t efficient and it could be all in the layoung. Organisation is key and if your layout isn’t working properly, then you’re going to be inefficient. When things are not working, disorganisation occurs and that’s where inefficiency lags. Changing the way that your warehouse is set up will ensure better workplace safety, easier access between production lines and machinery and provides an excellent way around so that everyone knows where everything is.
- Plan Ahead
You know when the best time of year is for your business, and those times often happen to be the busiest in the company! When it hits a holiday or major event, you are going to be busier and more people will be bustling in and out of the warehouse itself. If you know that these times of the year are busy, you can plan ahead and make sure that you are prepared with better systems in place. This keeps your business efficient and you can hire more people at those times of the year compared to all others. If you can predict the shifts in the business, you can be ready for changes and avoid being overwhelmed.
- Watch Your Products
There is plenty of warehouse software out there that will ensure that you can track your products end to end. If you know that your warehouse products are tracked, you can ensure that from creation to dispatch, they are all in the right place and at the right time. You can even track to see what products are counterfeit if any. You need to work to ensure that you are reducing your search times, labour costs and any delays in processing. You want to ensure that you are letting go of quality products and building quality records, but you can only do that if you have the right software for your warehouse.
- Watch Your Stock
Inventory management is a must in a warehouse. Creating more space with industrial sheds is one way to manage your inventory, but you need a system that will allow you to see your stock right now in real time. This will mean that you can track your inventory and see where your stock is lagging and where you need to make more. Maintaining your stock is key to efficiency, as you can then ensure that you are able to meet customer demand no matter what!
- Utilise Technology
Any warehouse in 2020 needs to have updated software and technology to ensure that you can collate data and see where there are gaps in your system. There are tons of options available to add technology to your warehouse business. You can use bar coding, radio frequencies, voice-activated technology and more to provide different levels of accuracy for your data. You need to increase productivity in your warehouse business and you can do that with the right technology.
- Look To Your Employees
If you want your warehouse to be efficient, you need efficient people to get it moving. By implementing targets for your staff, you are going to incentivise them to work harder and be better at their work. This takes knowing your staff and what makes them tick, so speak to them and ask what will help them to stay motivated while they are working.
- Invest In Training
The employees and the manager in your business require education and training to run the warehouse efficiently on your behalf. From managing the production line to running the software, your employees need to be effectively working together so that you can run the warehouse properly. When you train and run education programs, you can work efficiently together and invite feedback for any issues that may arise on the floor.