Even though there are a lot of companies that start employees in the receiving area, they will be much better off to allot professionals to handle the put-away tasks. Experienced people who truly know and understand the products seldom mix items that are similar in appearance but are quite different and they know how to properly stock bins and shelves and hence, work more effectively.
It is a great idea if you have new employees to start them out by filling orders. This provides them with an excellent opportunity to know the products, clients and paperwork along with any electronic inventory system which could take some getting used to. Moreover, it is really easy to check their efficiency by going over their work orders once they are packed for delivery.
The next suggestion is to plan the truck arrival, because you truly do not want all trucks to come at the same time. By planning arrivals and being organized, you will eliminate pressure on receivers and shippers and also eliminate too much waiting time in the yard. The more effectively you can plan the arrival of your trucks, the fewer dock doors you would need to work which will save you money on utilities in the long run.
If you can, operate different shifts for shipping and receiving. One method is to receive products during one shift and separate the shipped items to another shift. Organizing yourself in this way may enable you to lessen the staging area requirements by 50%. You may also be able to eliminate time-wasting bottlenecks in the warehouse. As well, by separating your shipping and receiving, you would know which shift to look over if any discrepancies happen down the road and could keep track of orders more effectively.
Speed up the unloading process. This will tremendously help you out as the longer a truck sits at your door for loading or unloading, the more congested your yard can become. According to studies, about 60% of mass merchants are capable of unloading trucks in less than 60 minutes, whilst approximately 20 to 30 percent of the grocery business performs at a similar standard. Take time to watch and time operations in order to see exactly how your facility measures up overall.
Floor maintenance is key as floor defects could cause lift truck operators to take detours or slow down. This may result in a reduction of efficiency. Deteriorating floor section seams or uneven floors or potholes also lead to wheel wear and vehicle damage. In certain situations, floors that are really damaged can lead to product damage and loads tipping.