When it comes to improving warehousing efficiency, the key often lies in taking a step back from things and looking at what you might in fact be doing wrong. Perhaps not ‘wrong’ as such, but certainly things you could be doing better.

There are certain mistakes that are not only common in thousands of warehouse settings, but also have the potential to significantly slow down day-to-day processes. So for those who would prefer not to be part of such a group, here’s a quick rundown of just a few extremely common warehousing mistakes you may already be making:

1 – Excess Inventory

The most common and perhaps most obvious mistake of all is that of basically having way too much inventory on hand at any one time. It is no secret that inventory reduction and lean practice can be incredibly effective when it comes to improving efficiency and avoiding slowdowns. Nevertheless, bulk order discounts and special offers will always lure business owners into the trap of ordering way more stock that they actually need. Unfortunately, doing so is absolutely guaranteed to result in a knock to efficiency and performance.

2 – Poor Picking Paths

Another extremely common mistake is that of operating in a manner where efficient picking paths have not been established and put into use. Roughly translated, it’s a case of working with the 20%-80% rule (as in 20% of your products accounting for 80% of your sales) and ensuring that the items you need to access on a regular basis are also the easiest items to access in the warehouse. It makes no sense whatsoever to confine your most popular products to far off corners, which will inevitably take much longer to access when needed.

3 – Paper Processes

There are so many warehouse businesses up and down the United Kingdom right now that have made a conscious decision to stick with paper processes. The simple fact of the matter is that while sticking with traditional paperwork can ensure the job gets done, it is never going to be even remotely as efficient as an electronic or even a largely automated system. Paper processes have had their day in the sun – the time has come to think long and hard about updating to new generation standards.

4 – Poor Housekeeping

The importance of housekeeping really cannot be overstated as it is impossible to operate a warehouse with any kind of efficiency if the place is nothing less than a chaotic mess. Efficiency in a warehouse setting is all about the smooth and effective flow of both people and goods throughout all key areas. Suffice to say, this is absolutely impossible if all such areas are cramped and cluttered with all manner of detritus. Not only this, but poor housekeeping can also have an adverse effect on employee morale and motivation.

5 – Staff Development

Last but not least, it is of crucial importance to remember that the most important assets in any warehousing environment are its primary human resources. You can make every effort in the world to enhance and improve every single process across the warehouse, but this really doesn’t count for anything at all if you do not encourage and nurture staff development. From training to coaching to feedback to provision of incentives, if you do not focus on staff development, it is the business that will ultimately lose out.