Warehouse management is a specialized field that involves managing the storage and swift movement of the materials from the warehouse and also within it. Managing a warehouse is not just about looking after the goods stored inside, it is much more than that and it is not as easy as it may seem.
It requires taking good care of the products, monitoring the progress of the goods, physical inspection of the infrastructure facilities, ensuring safety of the goods, dealing with bills and receipts and many more. If own a warehouse, the following management tips will greatly help you in running your business smoothly and efficiently.
Look at the SKUsFirst and foremost thing you need to do is profile the SKUs (stock keeping units) according to the goods that you stock in the warehouse. Typically, the SKU are needed to be changed according to the season, so re-arrange the slot to accommodate the goods. Also, as inventory management system experts suggest it is important that you review the set-up periodically to ensure that the SKUs are in good condition and are located at the right place enabling smoothing flow of the good in and out of the warehouse. It is best advised to have a dynamic slotting set-up.
Review the pickup techniqueOne of the key aspects of a good warehouse management is having a good pickup system; it must suit your business needs. Depending on whether you choose multi order or single order, implementing the correct picking methodology -be it single picker or zone picking is vital for optimizing productivity. Also, having good inventory management system software to keep track of the flow of goods would help you to ease the management process and improve the efficiency of work flow.
Consider automation of the processesTypically, the order pickers spend majority of their time in producing walking or moving the goods around. You can reduce the moving time by implementing an automated process, you can install conveyer belts to reduce the moving time of the goods and the extensive travel time of the pickers. You can also have multi-level pick towers to reduce the travel time.
Embrace modern technologyThere are several ways by which you can increase the efficiency of your warehouse operations – these include radio frequencies, bar codes, voice activated technologies, pick to label and many more. These technologies are specially designed to increase picking productivity at different levels as well as improve accuracy.
Provide incentive for pickersAn incentive program for the pickers can add great value to your warehousing business. To ensure that the program is effective, you can use KPI (key performance indicators) to drive productivity.