Even though there are a lot of businesses that start employees in the receiving area, they would be much better off to allot professionals to handle the put-away tasks. Qualified individuals who know and understand the products seldom mix items which are similar in appearance but are quite different and they know how to properly stock bins and shelves and therefore, work much more effectively.
The best suggestion for new employees is to start them out filling orders. This provides them with an excellent chance to know the products, clients and paperwork along with any electronic inventory system that might take some getting used to. Moreover, it is easy to check their effectiveness by going over their work orders when they are packed for delivery.
Because you do not want to have lots of trucks arriving at the same time, the next step is to plan truck arrival. By scheduling arrivals and being organized, you will eliminate pressure on shippers and receivers and also eliminate too much waiting time in the yard. The more effectively you could schedule the arrival of your trucks, the fewer dock doors you will have to operate which would truly save you money on utilities in the long run.
Operate with different shifts for shipping and receiving. If you can, receive products in one shift and separate your shipping to a different shift. Organizing yourself in this manner could allow you to reduce the staging area requirements by 50 percent. You may also be able to get rid of time-wasting bottlenecks in the warehouse. Furthermore, by separating your shipping and receiving, you can keep track of orders more effectively and would know which shift to look over if any discrepancies occur down the road.
Speed up the unloading process. This will really help you out as the longer a truck sits at your door for unloading or loading, the more congested your yard can become. Based on studies, roughly 60 percent of mass merchants could unload trucks in less than an hour, whereas around 20 to 30% of the grocery business performs at a similar standard. Take time to watch and time operations to be able to see precisely how your facility measures up overall.
Floor maintenance is important as floor defects can cause forklift operators to take detours or slow down. This may result in a reduction of productivity. Potholes or uneven floors or deteriorating floor section seams also result in wheel wear and vehicle damage. In some cases, floors that are really damaged can lead to loads tipping and product damage.