Make Your Warehouse Storage More Efficient with These Steps
There are many reasons why efficiency in a warehouse is important, including ensuring quick shipments, accurate deliveries and keeping customers satisfied. Read on to discover how you can improve your warehouse storage.
Lean Techniques
Using lean inventory techniques ensures you only order what you need and no more. This keeps costs down and reduces time spent on unnecessary tasks. You could look at stock-keeping in order to ensure there is no waste there, and speak to suppliers to try to get more frequent but much smaller deliveries so you can keep on top of what you really need. Lean thinking is a method of business that looks to improve efficiency in all areas by eradicating all kinds of waste.
Workstation Organisation
Productivity is improved greatly simply by organizing the workstations more carefully. Making sure the workers don’t have to search for tools or equipment can reduce wasted time and energy. You should try to keep clutter at bay, order everything in its place, reduce errors that occur and improve the safety of the workplace. All these things improve efficiency.
Maximise Space
The first thing to do is ensure you are using all the available space. Instead of looking to increase the size of your warehouse, consider looking at increasing the amount of vertical space you can use. Extend upwards into existing space rather than outwards to increase the footprint of the warehouse. You can invest in tall storage units and higher shelving options. You can find all types of Industrial Shelving in Ireland and other locations from suppliers such as https://www.rackzone.ie/shelving/industrial-residential-shelving and other experts.
New Technology
A good warehouse management system can help you find the best routes or the fastest ways to pick goods or put them away. You could also make use of automated picking lists, which can eliminate errors and reduce wasted time. The technology can be sent to mobiles and devices to help workers perform tasks and managers direct and assess them.
Common Sense
Even without technology or expensive equipment, you can create a more efficient warehouse by using common sense. Store highly popular items that are often ordered near the front of the warehouse and store commonly ordered combinations of items close together. This reduces travel time for workers, as it keeps goods more accessible and eliminates delays in finding items.