Do You Have These 3 Common Warehouse Management Problems?

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The funny thing about managing a warehouse is that there are surprisingly similar problems and challenges, no matter where you work. To help maximize your employees’ performance, it’s important to address these common problems.   

  1. Warehouse Worker Safety 

The truth about safety is that it’s inspired by both corporate leadership and the employees themselves. As a warehouse employee (or a candidate looking to enter into the industry) warehouse safety needs to be a top priority because at the end of the day it is you and your coworkers safety and wellbeing that is on the line. Safety is everybody’s responsibility, and it’s your investment in a safety culture that makes it practical and central to a warehouse’s core operating principles.   

Here are a few ways you can up-level your safety at work:  

  • Create a true safety culture.  
  • Understand safety protocols.  
  • Teach and model warehouse safety.  Understand that the need for high safety standards stems from high vulnerability.  

Warehouses can be dangerous work environments. Things can fall when not stored correctly. Equipment, when handled improperly, can harm or wound users or those nearby. The list goes on. The need for high safety standards comes from the true vulnerability of the workers in that environment. When taken seriously, a safety program requires constant vigilance, and worker empowerment to handle safety issues should they occur will help to establish effective communication, mutual trust, and timely response to safety issues and concerns.   

  1. Cost Reduction  

Many factors influence the cost of managing a warehouse. Everything from rent, staffing, maintenance, and energy usage can drive your prices up. But there are ways to reduce cost, even as a manager.  

Here are three things you can do from evaluating the warehouse climate control plan and energy use, optimizing storage, looking into preowned items like containers, bins, etc. to save on purchase costs, and so on.   

Try re-evaluating your lighting needs to get a handle on warehouse costs. One of the simplest ways to reduce operational costs is to take a good, hard look at energy consumption. Do that by taking a look at your lighting options, as well as the number on your thermostat. For instance, your warehouse may be filled with energy-sucking light bulbs that have been on automatic order for years. This is a simple oversight error that could actually be costing your facility thousands per year. In addition to your lighting, look at the climate control plan in place for your warehouse.   

You can also mitigate cost overruns by taking steps to optimize your storage space. When it comes to storage options for warehouse facilities, there are many different options available. While the initial investments required to put into these systems might seem steep, they are built to save square-footage, a powerful factor that could come with a cost-saving facility downsize, or even the ability to take on more inventory. Take advantage of the vertical space in your warehouse. Understand and communicate your goals clearly so you can best maximize your given space. Optimizing to get the most out of your storage space is a cost-saving and smart way to make things work more efficiently in a warehouse.   

  1. Staying Ahead of the Technology Curve 

Automation is a big buzz-word in the warehousing and manufacturing industries. The incorporation of connected devices can help increase efficiencies in tracking, storing, ordering, and overall managing of inventory for significant cost savings when compared to human-based inventory control. Automated picking technologies, for example, have come a long way in recent years, both in terms of efficiency and price.   

If you’re on an operation that manages a large stock of inventory or a wide range of SKUs, it might be time to invest in an automated picking technology to support the work of your picking associates. Though the initial investment can be a steep one depending upon the level of technology selected, many collaborative machines are built to speed up the picking processes by more than 100%, which can help you reduce costs in the long term.   

Let us do the heavy lifting for you 

For help hiring the warehouse professionals you need, connect with the recruiting team at All-Star Personnel today.   

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