7 ways to improve warehouse efficiency

Efficiency in warehouse is incredibly important for the success of a company and improving warehouse efficiency is a leading priority of warehouse manager. A good warehouse is not only place everything in position and make the shipping quick and accurate, it ensures maximum productivity while saving time and money. But with so many moving products, fluctuations in demand and other change dynamics,increasing efficiency in a warehouse is often easier said than done.It’s amazing that some simple adjustments can be made a big positive impact to a company’s bottom line. Whether is a multi-channel warehouse or a small warehouse, making some simple changes can easily improve work efficiency. There are some helpful tips to improve your warehouse operation.

1. Analyse your product usage patterns

It’s an obvious point to increase efficiency in warehouse is analyze your product usage patterns, store popular items near the front of the warehouse for easy picking, which move the fastest through the stocking and picking process. And also store products that are often sold together near one another, build a separate area for items move at a lower rate to avoid interfering with the movement of other items. Maximising the warehouse operation by keeping the products you pick frequently in the most accessible locations, it could reduce eliminate travel time significantly.

2. Keep check on warehouse layout

A good warehouse storage rack systems layout does complement good warehouse efficiency to provide a good warehouse environment. But the poor management can quickly make a well-organized warehouse become disorganized,it may reduce your employees' productivity and even lead to safety issue. Keep check on the warehouse layout through building an understanding of functional areas, material flow into those areas and where you can move certain items. Efficient warehouse layout is to ensure that there is enough space and make sure your employees are following the correct procedures and the most efficient routes.

3. Optimise the vertical space

Rather than expanding the ground level, consider better use of the vertical space. By adding taller storage units and using more specialized lifting equipment to pick and store items can help you keep more items in each square meter.In addition, consider the type of shelving or racking used, store small items on pallet racking wastes the space and easily make items misplace. Thus you should use a variety of shelving or racking for different items

To ensure they are using space available to them in the most efficient ways. Optimizing all available space will increase efficiency, resulting in better productivity.

4. Take advantage of technology

The implementation of warehouse technology provides more visibility through data, which allows the employees to track real-time averages and variation in inventory. There are many options are available, bar code, radio frequency identification (RFID), WMS and so on. These new technologies are very helpful for increasing productivity and improving accuracy.

Using barcode or RFID readers can track products and orders, improve accuracy and reduce picking errors.WMS can improve efficiency by suggesting the best routes and picking methods. In addition, the system provides automated pick lists that can be sent to mobile readers and devices to help eliminate mistakes and reduce wasted time and paper.

5. Traning your employees

Making sure your employees get properly trained, which are caused fewer accidents and ensure processes are done right. Place them through a strict training process up front and provide them with professional guidance if they need anything. Make training important part of your warehouse racking system. Even the most efficient technologies lake value if your employees don’t understand them, keep all team members on track with system features by implementing robust training programs. In addition, properly incentive pay for employees performance can bring maximum improvement in labor productivity.

6. Make you KPIs visible

Make your KPIs visible to everyone in the warehouse storage system. Whether that is with is daily reports or dashboards up on the screen in the warehouse, just make sure the all employees and warehouse manager know and have access to that information. Not only does it set the standards initially, but it can also help identify problem areas while letting people knows when they are doing well. The most important thing about dashboards is that they give instant feedback, you don’t need to wait until the end of the day to find out how you did.

You can't improve what you don't measure, it’s still true in warehouse operations. The simple act of measuring operating metrics and reporting the results to your employees will result in an improvement even if you do nothing else with the data. Because most employees just want to know what they should do. By setting expectations and then telling everyone how they're measuring up, you can improve your productivity quickly.

Once these things are established, then build regular feedback to the employees on individual and departmental performance. They’ll respond and bring higher productivity for you.

7. Get feedback

Another way to increase warehouse efficiency is to get feedback from your employees. The employees who work in warehouse is the one who knows the warehouse operation best. Therefore, they are in the best position to advise you how to improve the warehouse efficiency. And more importantly,asking the opinions of your employees will provide them with a sense of their importance in the warehouse operation. It will boost their morale and lead to greater productivity.