Looking to boost warehouse productivity and make more profit?
Getting the most out of your warehouse is key to the success of your business
Keeping productivity levels up is a mixture of…
- the right technology
- the right processes and staff who are well trained in their jobs
But below are five ways to boost warehouse productivity, ensuring you really are getting the most out of your warehouse and how to boost your productivity if not.
Automate Picking
Using your conveyor systems it is easier than you think to automate your picking operations.
With barcode scanners and advanced warehouse software alongside your conveyors it is pretty straightforward to get an automated system in place and it will also help increase the efficiency of the system as a whole.
Speedier picking should be one positive but another is the accuracy of the process, as specialised software has been honed to ensure very little error, improving customer satisfaction too.
Choose a Reliable WCS
Warehouse control systems (WCS) are an effective way of adding efficiency to your warehouse.
Processes which are known for slowing down the performance of your warehouse management system are boosted by a good WCS as they can be used to individually control certain parts of your warehouse or certain pieces of equipment such as sortation systems and conveyors.
Use Goods-to-Person Technology
The quicker employees can pick and pack each order, the more orders can be delivered and customers satisfied.
Technology that delivers your products to your staff at their stations saves the time and energy used by each individual travelling to different parts of the warehouse. It can cut time in the order fulfilment process and allows your staff to focus on the job in hand.
Measure Employee Performance
Keeping tabs on your employees is essential if you want to see your warehouse working at its best.
You can help your staff improve their productivity and accuracy by monitoring and measuring their performance regularly and offering incentives or competitive bonuses based upon their results.
There are a wide range of data collection software options which can track the efforts of your employees and also allow you to get a genuine feel for what they should be able to achieve in a shift. Integrated an awards system alongside your monitoring system will boost staff morale too which naturally improves their productivity.
Full Warehouse Restructure?
Maybe your warehouse isn’t performing as you wish because your production lines aren’t setup in the right way to succeed.
Think about your warehouse layout in depth and think about how it could be improved. Reorganisation or even complete restructure can make a huge difference to your productivity levels. Little things like ensuring your most popular product lines are the closest to the pick and pack area can boost efficiency and see more productive output from your warehouse in general.
A well-organised productive warehouse is the hub of any business that relies upon sales for profits.
Keep these tips in mind when you carry out your next warehouse audit.
