Will these mistakes ever end?
No. As long as everyone doesn’t take responsibility for their part in an efficient warehouse process, there will always be issues.
This week, we continue our run down of warehouse efficiency drains observed all over the world.
Cull Clutter Workstations and Benches – We have seen the impact that a clean warehouse environment can have on efficiency levels. Yet, many warehouses have zones of total chaos. How can any work get done if workbenches are piled high with labels, pens, cartons, pending paperwork etc.? An operations bench or position should have only the work in progress on it, at any given time. Busy warehouses find that having one bench for multiple roles leads to crippling clutter. Assigning one bench to one role allows everything an operator needs to be within arms length. If they have to dig under piles of stuff, there is a problem.
Monarch Shelving Ltd., sells benches with rows of shelves and drawers of different sizes. There is also the mobile bench that allows operators to carry out multiple tasks as they receive freight; they can break down a small pallet, sort it and roll the trolley to a pick up point.
Precise Position of Products – How many times have you glanced across the warehouse floor and seen two or more supervisors scratching their heads in confusion? This is usually accompanied by furtive glances at forms in their hands. This occurs when incorrect or incomplete paperwork is filed or generated. Having to hunt down missing pallets will cause stoppage of the flow of the normal process, which snowballs into a lot of dissatisfied customers.
Conducting a thorough process review of all warehouse processes can help you spot the source of these inaccuracies. Software or good old paper and pen can be used to draw the flow of goods and spot where the exceptions may start.
Getting rid of these exceptions is best done by changing whole sections of the process can improve flow; such as the type and use of material handling equipment and storage.
Save More by Planning Ahead – Sales and profits are the chief measures of success in many businesses. Business owners do not factor in the extra space they will need to achieve those large profits. With Christmas only weeks away, every distribution centre suddenly wishes they had more floor space. Others, had planned their growth, but have quickly surpassed their targets. Everyone in this scenario is stuck with a building too small for their needs. Renting or leasing extra space is an option, but there is no guarantee that the extra space will be in the same location.
A solution many business owners do not consider is having a long-term plan and buying a larger building from the onset. Over time, as the business expands and the price of real estate goes up, you would have gotten in at a lower overall cost. Employing the services of a professional warehouse designer to craft a growth plan is invaluable for using this strategy.
Staff Development at All Levels – Training staff is an aspect many small businesses fall short. They assume people should learn on the job. While this may work in a role requiring very little technical skill, it won’t work in your warehouse.
For picking, packing and despatching, you can create an actual checklist based on what your most skilled operators do, and distribute this to new staff. Showing them what to do is the first step. New staff should be supervised while they do the tasks for the first time and an experienced person should assess their performance.
It’s not only operating complex machinery that requires undergoing training; supervisors and managers may need specialised people management training as well as warehouse management skills.
Providing learning opportunities for all members of staff can help improve dramatically the quality of the warehouse performance.
Monarch Limited cannot find the best staff for your roles (sorry about that), but for all the equipment required in your warehouse; from pallet pins all the way up to 20 foot beams, we have them in stock. Is storage an issue? Try our steel storage bins with shelves for easy storage; they can carry laptops, mallets, labels etc. Call us today.
