4 critical warehousing mistakes, and how to avoid them

Running an effective warehousing operation is a complicated business, and while many things can go wrong, there is very little room for error.

What would happen if stock was misplaced in your warehouse and orders were delayed? What if your staff are not performing to their optimum level? How would this impact your reputation?

Below are 4 critical mistakes that can occur during warehouse operations, and our advice for how best to avoid them:

1. Not profiling orders

Failing to profile the orders that come through to your warehouse means you are missing out on optimising your warehouse for common and frequently matched orders. Your pick and pack operation will become far more efficient if pallets with a high turnover rate are placed near the loading bay, and products that are frequently matched are placed together. Profiling orders will help guide you to arranging your warehouse effectively.

2. Not rewarding and listening to your staff

Your staff are the life blood of your warehousing operation, and their mind set is therefore very important. Research from Fast Company showed that happy staff are 12% more productive than unhappy staff. Take the time to listen to your employees’ concerns, and try to solve them. Also, consider introducing a system, such as a reward program, that incentivises your staff to operate at their optimum level to increase productivity.

3. Not using space effectively

A poorly arranged warehouse costs you time (because it takes longer to get around) and money (because you cannot store as much). Therefore, the emphasis is on arranging your warehouse to provide the maximum safe storage capacity, whilst maintaining the optimum easy-access routes. Consider looking up, not out. Packing pallets correctly, using high-rise shelving and a narrow-isle layout will help you make better use of your storage space.

4. Not using a WMS

Not using a warehouse management system means it will take far longer to locate and count stock levels than it needs to. By having a warehouse management system in place, you, and your customers or other people in your business can locate and track stock levels in an instant, which takes the pain out of trading in real time.

Do you think your business could benefit from having a highly productive, expert warehousing team in your supply chain? Contact us today for a no-obligation warehousing consultation.

Are you noticing too many mistakes in your warehouse? Using a 3PL saves you time any money. Find out more about our 3PL solutions.
Alternatively, call us on 01353 648 222 for more information.