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6 Different Ways to Improve Your Warehousing

By: Shashank Shekhar,

Founder & CEO at TQS Logistics

 With advances in technology and changes being implemented by the government, supply chains are constantly evolving. In these times, how does one improve warehousing productivity? Here are six factors that determine the efficiency of a warehouse. At TQS Logistics we focus on implementing most efficient and productive strategies for better customer experience. There are various ways top Indian logistics companies manage their warehouses.

Your employees are your strength

Keeping employees happy is an art form in itself. Good management begins with efficient frontline personnel. You can increase the efficiency of the warehouse by training your frontline managers. Optimization is the focus of their work, and they can help make sure that our employees' goals are aligned. Managing shift changes and handovers, lunch and tea breaks efficiently will also ensure that productivity targets are met on an hourly basis.

Productivity targets should be reviewed frequently and benchmarked against industry standards. To ensure productivity achievement trends are always on the rise, the learning curve should also be considered.

Finally, keeping employee morale high ensures better results and effectiveness. It has been shown that light music and frequent positive feedback can increase warehouse efficiency. Additionally, incentivizing work beyond KRAs and asking for employee feedback are great ways to improve.

 Technology – Identification, Customization, and Implementation

A warehouse's productivity is determined by its speed and accuracy. Keeping an eye on the newest technologies improves the pace and precision of warehouse activities. Storage companies have found that investing in wireless technology for inventory management has reduced labor costs, improved accuracy, and saved valuable time. Investment in weight-based ordering systems is another highly proven tool on the market. Based on the weight of the items occupying the storage area, this mechanism measures inventory levels, places an order to the vendor automatically if the levels fall, and then processes the payment automatically.

Newer technologies like voice-enabled control are also being made available to Indian logistics companies of all sizes.

They are known for their quick installation, fewer dependencies, and little training. Cold chain technologies are becoming more prevalent too, with temperature-sensitive movable storage, pallet cover systems as light as bottles, and more.

Optimized warehousing activities

Warehouse activities should be optimized based on merchandise whenever possible. Several warehousing professionals make the mistake of standardizing activities, which may not be beneficial in the long run. By taking shelf life and dispatch rates into account, time and money are saved. If the dispatch priorities are dynamic, for instance, implementing FIFO or LIFO procedures may not be the best idea. A great way to increase efficiency is to store items with shorter shelf lives near the staging area, which makes heavy picks easier to organize. Bulk items can be moved directly to staging areas in this manner, simplifying the process. In addition, eliminating unnecessary processes, or combining them, can help save time and money by reducing touch points.

Waste management and Resource Deployment

Wastes, such as excess inventory, over-processing of orders, waiting for resources, etc., should be identified and eliminated as effectively as possible.

Monitoring of projected orders in relation to actual orders should be consistently performed, and resources should be deployed/cross-deployed according to the ramp-up and ramp-down cycles.

An efficient WMS is a pure magic

By implementing a good warehouse management system (WMS), you can optimize your entire fulfillment chain. The right WMS can enhance every process, right from reconfiguring storage to pick-and-pack activities, resulting in dramatic reductions in cost, effort, and time. Boosting warehouse productivity is the single most effective way to increase profitability. There are many modern warehouse management systems that provide customized solutions based on the needs of the warehouse they are serving. Today's modern warehousing professionals take full advantage of this massive advantage.

Predict vendor actions

Often, warehouse activities are negatively affected by unexpected delays and unpredictable delivery schedules. Planning activities according to the promised deadlines may not necessarily be the best idea. Lead time and delivery time may be different depending upon the efficiency of the vendor. One should strictly enforce SLAs with vendors and consistent monitoring should be done. However, it is always a smart move to be well-versed with the history of the vendor’s actions to plan activities ahead of time. The knowledge of this ahead of time may help warehousing professionals plan ad-hoc actions to deal with unexpected inflows. Knowing the vendor's history is important, as it facilitates the mobilization of staff to serve them better, leading to faster turnover.

Final Takeaway

No one can truly define how logistics should be managed but as big our logistics industry is there are always possibilities for improvements. This blog is for people to understand how the logistics business works.