Optimizing Your Warehouse: 10 Strategies for Improving Efficiency

Emma Sturgis

June 16, 2015

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If you work in a warehouse, efficiency is always the top priority. Efficiency in a warehouse means more than just getting products out in a timely manner, however. It's also about strong organization. The more efficient you make your warehouse, the more productive it will be. Keeping track of inventory, freight, labor and countless other things isn't easy when you're not prepared.

Make Use of WMS Software For Order Sequencing

Sequence the orders you receive by zone, non-conveyables and pick paths, for example. Doing this can be effective for conserving time. WMS Software can work like a charm for this purpose.

Change up Your Methodology

Find a picking methodology (zone picking, single order picking, etc.) that's appropriate for your company. The right picking methodology can give productivity a serious boost.

Participate in Order Profiling

Order profiling can be great for making sure that your SKUs are located in their proper designated spots, both physical and media. A specialist from Quantum Storage says proper bin organization can help reduce your busy order pickers' travel requirements.

Assess Your Storage Equipment

Pay attention to your storage setup. Insert rapid-moving products into cartons. Put slow ones, on the other hand, into bin shelves. Doing this can enhance both picker productivity and storage density.

Gather Your Most Popular SKUs

Gather your most popular SKUs together to minimize your pickers' travel requirements. Find the SKUs that make up the vast majority of your orders and place them all in a convenient and accessible location.

Set Up "Waist-to-Shoulder" Zones

Make your picking more productive by setting up handy "waist-to-shoulder" zones in your picking section. Put your speediest SKUs in your storage media's "waist-to-shoulder" section. This can also be terrific for pure picker ergonomics.

Select a Few Designated Standard Shipping Cartons

If you merely have two to three boxes at your disposal, it will allow your pickers to assemble orders in a quicker manner. Just make sure you add a couple custom sized cartons to your selection, too.

Think About Automation

Order pickers are always taking products from point A to B. Make their jobs more convenient and efficient by looking for automated options like conveyance. This can greatly decrease valuable time spent traveling.

Motivate Your Pickers

Incentive programs can do wonders for companies. Make sure your company is a success by establishing an incentive program that assesses worker productivity in a fair and precise way.

Embrace Technology

Technology can be a great help for boosting warehouse efficiency. Explore your choices with radio frequencies, bar codes and voice activation galore.

Make use of these simple and practical tips to take your warehouse productivity—and overall success—to the next level.