Assign Pros To Do Put-Away
While many companies start employees in receiving, they'd be better off using experienced people who know the products. The pros understand how to stock bins and shelves and seldom mix items that are similar in appearance but actually quite different. If you have new employees, have them start by filling orders. It's a good way to learn the products, customers and paperwork (or electronic inventory) system. It's also easy to check their work as orders are packed for shipment.

Schedule The Arrival Of Trucks
You don't want trucks to all come at the same time. By scheduling arrivals, you'll eliminate excessive waiting time in the yard and unneeded pressure on receivers and shippers. The more efficient your truck arrival schedule, the fewer dock doors you'll need to operate - which can save you money on utilities.

Use Different Shifts For Shipping And Receiving
If your operations permit, receive goods during one shift and do your shipping during another. This may allow you to reduce the staging area requirements by half. You could also reduce time-wasting bottlenecks in the warehouse.

Speed Up Unloading
The longer a truck sits at your door for loading or unloading, the more congested your yard can become. Studies show that 60 percent of mass merchants unload trucks in less than one hour, while only 20-30 percent of the grocery industry performs at that standard. How does your facility measure up?

Keep Floors Maintained
Defects in the floor's surface can cause a forklift operator to slow down or take a detour. This reduces productivity. Potholes and uneven or deteriorating floor section seams can also cause wheel wear and vehicle damage. In some cases, such floors can lead to loads tipping and product damage.

Improve Packing Operations
Make sure packers get complete orders. They should not have to be concerned with whether the order is complete, nor should they be running around the warehouse looking for a missing item. Also see if packers have enough space by observing their activities. They need enough room so they aren"t bumping into each other and tripping over boxes. It's also best to provide a consistent workflow so packing operations don"t fluctuate between dead periods and rush hour activity. If you notice such fluctuations, it may be that your picking process is not operating effectively and needs revising.

Seek Operator Input
If you teach forklift operators and other warehouse/material handling employees about process improvement, you'll improve efficiency. One approach is to ask them to identify one task they perform and to detail what's involved in performing the task. Then ask how it could be improved. You'll be surprised with the good ideas they come up with. Another method is to observe the best operators to discover their process tricks. Then have those operators teach others how to save time and/or effort. You may also discover a real leader among the operators as you improve efficiency. Remember that our lines of forklift trucks allow you to choose the right models for your material handling needs. Your local dealer can also help develop processes that make your warehouse application more efficient. Give them a call soon to learn more!