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Lizzie Weakley
Lizzie Weakley has written 79 articles for SB Informer.
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Pick, Pack, and Ship: How to Make Your Warehousing Business Go Round

Lizzie Weakley

May 25, 2017


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Today, warehouses are more important than ever to the function of the business world. Ecommerce continues to grow at a very steady rate. Statistics suggest will grow to nearly $2 trillion by the year 2020. Warehouses these days are more important than brick and mortar stores. With that in mind, below are a few tips on how to make your warehouse operations more efficient.

Batch Fulfillment

Traditionally, warehouse orders were fulfilled one at a time. While this process had a certain logic to it, it was nowhere near efficient. Often a warehouse employee would have to go to the same areas of a warehouse again and again throughout the day to pick items for different orders.

An alternative you should certainly consider is batch fulfillment. This is especially the case if you seem many similar orders during the workday. Instead of one warehouse work fulfilling one order at a time, multiple different batches that are similar are grouped together. The batches should be grouped based on common items in the orders or different items in different orders that are nearby each other in the warehouse. A batch fulfillment workflow can save time and increase efficiency.

Inventory Control Software

Second, an efficient warehouse needs to have the right software to help manage the entire process of inventory control. This inventory control software should be integrated with handheld barcode scanners that warehouse employees are given to do their work. As items enter the warehouse, they will be scanned. As they are picked and packed, they will be scanned as well. Inventory will always be accurate, and orders for restock can be automated based on the software keeping tabs on how much of each item is needed to keep up with forecasted demand.

Such software can also be integrated with RFID chips that can be placed on stock in the warehouse. This will insure that nothing ever becomes lost. Integrated with a warehouse map, pickers will also have an extremely easy job finding what they’re looking for on the warehouse floor.

The Right Equipment

Warehouse employees will also need the right equipment. This often includes forklifts to safely move heavy stock from one place to another. If what you have in stock is even larger and heavier than what a forklift can handle, you may need an overhead crane from a company like American Equipment Inc. Make sure employees have the certification to safely operate such equipment, and you work to properly maintain it so it never fails.

While warehouses rarely get a lot of publicity, they are the lifeblood of any well run business. If you want to maintain peak efficiency in your company’s workflows, you should start with how the warehouse is run. How products are picked, packed and shipped out of your warehouse is a big part of the success of your overall business operations.


                   



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