The best-run warehouses in the nation stick to tight schedules and work like well-oiled machines. Accomplishing this level of efficiency doesn’t happen accidentally, though. It takes effort and a keen awareness of various daily warehouse operation mistakes you need to avoid. Making predictable and easily avoidable mistakes wastes time and money and ultimately costs your customers’ trust. To improve, you need to be aware of stocking errors and staffing, and you must seek to improve the inventory system and other procedures.
Warehouse Operation Mistakes #1 – Errors in Stocking Choices
Nothing slows progress down as much as an inventory that doesn’t focus on necessity. Stocking too many items makes locating and securing stock a struggle. On the other hand, an insufficiently small inventory leads to back-ordered products and unhappy customers who must wait for the rest of their purchases to arrive. The best system is to carefully maintain a lean inventory that reflects the average order needs. Only stock surpluses of items that will unquestionably sell out and thus not linger in spaces where you can store more relevant things. Stock just enough of everything else to meet customers’ orders and have extra products so that you can handle unusually large orders.
Warehouse Operation Mistakes #2 – Understaffing the Warehouse
Besides the workforce, the biggest daily warehouse operation mistake you need to avoid is failing to account for your mechanical force. Warehouses are dead in the water without the right tools to move inventory to and from shelves. An adequately equipped warehouse should have the correct number of palette jacks, L-carts, and forklifts to get the job done. What’s more, you should ensure you adequately maintain every forklift and have backup new or refurbished batteries charged and ready to go.
Warehouse Operation Mistakes #3 – Failing To Optimize Procedures
A well-organized inventory and a properly equipped staff are nothing without a quality operations plan. Every warehouse must make the proper training plan accessible to team members. It’s also vital to arrange the warehouse inventory logically and lay it out to assist a smooth flow of traffic. Finally, to be truly efficient, you must streamline the pick path as much as possible. Employees need to find the tools and supplies required to prep packages and rapidly move items out to ship.
