Even though there are many companies who begin employees in the receiving area, they will be much better off to allot pro's to deal with the put-away jobs. Qualified people who know and understand the products rarely mix things which are similar in appearance but are quite different and they know how to stock shelves and bins correctly and thus, work more efficiently.
It is a good idea if you have new staff to start them out by filling orders. This provides them with a terrific opportunity to know the products, paperwork and customers as well as any electronic inventory system which can take some getting used to. In addition, it is very easy to check their efficiency by going over their work orders as soon as they are packed for delivery.
The next suggestion is to schedule the truck arrival, since you really do not want all trucks to come at the same time. By being organized and planning arrivals, you will eliminate pressure on shippers and receivers and also eliminate too much waiting time in the yard. The more efficiently you could plan the arrival of your trucks, the less dock doors you would need to work which will save you money on utilities in the long run.
Operate with different shifts for shipping and receiving. If you can, receive goods during one shift and separate your shipping to another shift. Organizing yourself in this way may enable you to reduce the staging area needs by 50 percent. You might also be able to get rid of time-wasting bottlenecks within the warehouse. Furthermore, by separating your shipping and receiving, you could keep track of orders more efficiently and will know which shift to look over if any discrepancies happen down the road.
Speed up the unloading process. This will really help you out since the longer a truck sits at your door for loading or unloading, the more congested your yard can become. According to research, around 60 percent of mass merchants can unload trucks in under 60 minutes, while about 20 to 30 percent of the grocery business performs at a similar standard. Make time to observe and time operations in order to see how your facility measures up overall.
Floor maintenance is key as floor defects may cause lift truck operators to slow down or take detours. This may lead to a reduction of efficiency. Deteriorating floor section seams or uneven floors or potholes also result in vehicle damage and wheel wear. In some situations, really damaged floors can result in product damage and loads tipping.