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Avoid making these warehouse management mistakes
Managing a warehouse isn’t an easy job. There are a number of complexities that need to be considered, especially the growth of ecommerce and the consumer demand to get things faster. There is constant pressure to ensure that a warehouse keeps the supply chain process running smoothly. To do so, here are a few warehouse management mistakes to avoid making. Every warehouse is different, and will require different procedures to be put into place, but there are are some universally-applicable mistakes that should be avoided.
3 warehouse management mistakes
1. Not making safety and training a priority
It’s pivotal for warehouses to follow occupational health and safety regulations. Taking shortcuts in this area can be extremely costly. You may assume that your warehouse is organised, and therefore safe, but accidents can happen so quickly, e.g. boxes toppling on top of a visitor, a forklift operator driving into someone, a truck driver reversing into racking or an employee falling from a mezzanine level. This makes it pivotal to adequately train everyone who comes and goes from the warehouse. There is no excuse for not training those involved in warehouse operations in an effort to reduce injury and improve productivity.
2. Not investing in appropriate storage solutions
It’s impractical to store boxes of items on the floor of a warehouse. And it’s certainly not safe to stack stock up either. In fact, it’s absolutely necessary to invest in storage solutions that make sense for the specific items in your warehouse. There are 4 key warehouse storage solutions that you can (and should) implement to get the most out of your storage space:
1) Racking
2) Shelving
3. Not managing and monitoring stock items effectively
If there is one thing a good warehouse manager knows, it’s that behaviour patterns change and stock trends change over time. It’s never a good idea to just keep ordering, receiving and sending stock without consistent close analysis. If stock is not managed properly, you may end up with excess inventory that not only takes up valuable warehouse space, but can also expire or become dead stock. You may also end up with understocked items that are fast-moving, high-demand products. Detailed supply chain management is key to effective warehouse operations.
At King Brands, we believe a good place for you to start your warehouse management journey is to invest in racking, shelving, mezzanine flooring and hooks that can help you get the most out of your warehouse space. Get in touch with our Dura Racking team to arrange a site visit.
