Growing your business takes effort in all areas. In addition to providing a superior product and unrivaled customer service, you also have to make sure that you have products available and that those products ship and reach your customers on time every time. Keep reading to see how to improve your warehouse operations so that you can prepare to pounce when growth opportunities arise.
Tech Equals Efficiency
Technological advancements over the last 20 years have made warehousing so much easier. Today, all one needs is an app and a smartphone to utilize software and services that work as the backbone of your warehousing efforts. The right program will ensure that your employees always know what needs to be picked, packed, and shipped, and it will integrate seamlessly with your barcoding and receiving systems.
When you want to step efficiency up a notch, you can do so by investing in a robotics system that will pick for you. There are many different kinds of warehousing robot, but each can boost your output while helping your human workforce do what they do best. Robots can relieve monotony and eliminate repetitive tasks from workers, which will help to maintain their physical health, emotional stamina, and workplace productivity.
Outsourcing Is An Option
If you don’t have the physical space to grow where you are now, consider outsourcing some components of your business. An order fulfillment service can free up space in your brick-and-mortar location while helping you increase sales for your online shop.
When you have space but do not have the funds to invest in technologies, it may be time to outsource in other areas as well to free up capital. If you are currently paying for a full-time accountant, for example, it might make more sense to utilize a freelance bookkeeper instead and evaluate the rest of your workforce.
Storage Matters
A low-tech way to improve operations is to learn how to optimize your warehouse storage, something that Logiwa asserts will improve efficiency and reduce operating costs. If you can’t add additional storage, you can, at the very least, optimize your space. Utilize one-way traffic and ensure that your employees can access storage from either side of the aisle.
If you are storing time-sensitive or temperature-dependent items, make sure these are placed in a proper container, which means it is both labeled well and temperature-controlled if applicable.
Other tips
In addition to the above, a few ways to keep yourself in a prime position for growth where your warehouse is concerned are to:
- Ensure your employees are trained in best practices.
- Utilize multiple shipping/pickup options for customers.
- Perform continual production reviews.
- Audit often and make changes when necessary.
- Insist that vendors request an appointment instead of just show up.
- Maintain an open line of communication with your employees, vendors, and customers.
- Group like or complementary items together.
- Keep your warehouse comfortable for employees so that they are not distracted by things like ankle pain and humidity.
- Insist on a continual system of checks and balances.
- Keep the machinery maintained.
- Enact a safety plan so employees are aware of emergency protocol.
Everything you do to improve speed, efficiency, and comfort will pay you back in happy customers and employees. Your warehouse is the backbone of your business, and the more time and energy you put into it, the harder it will work for you. From utilizing robotics technology to outsourcing some of your mundane tasks, the above can put you on the right track to having an exceptional warehouse.
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