If you run a business that requires you to have a warehouse, it means that you manage quite a large amount of your product. It also means that you have to comply with basic safety regulations to ensure that your employees and operations are safe.
But with the hectic warehouse environment, as new inventory comes in and other products leave in a rush to make timely deliveries, your warehouse can easily become disorganised and cluttered, leading to long-term inefficiencies and safety concerns. Here are a few tips to help keep your warehouse neat and efficient:
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- Prepare an inventory checklist
An inventory checklist that includes the number of items in storage, the amount to be shipped each day, and a list of the items to be re-ordered should be provided for daily review to avoid ordering surplus products or having late shipments.
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- Put high-volume products near the shipping area
If your warehouse has different types of products, it is a good idea to keep the more popular items in a place where they can be easily accessed, preferably near the shipping area for faster discharge.
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- Place things within reach
It is easier to keep things orderly when you can access them, so consider using colour-coded racks, shelves, and containers, as well as other organizational strategies to not only make things easier to find, but also make them more accessible.
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- Designate multiple recycle bins
Warehousing is associated with things like cardboard boxes, bubble wrap, papers, and so on, which must be properly disposed of to prevent packing materials from accumulating and leaving a big mess after just a few days. To keep the warehouse clutter free, consider using multiple recycle bins and regularly clearing any waste.
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- Create a cleaning plan and schedule
Depending on the size of your warehouse and business, you may prefer to get your warehouse professionally cleaned on a regular basis. But for smaller businesses with a limited budget it may be better to create a practical cleaning plan that addresses higher traffic areas like docking areas where packing materials tend to accumulate. Once you have identified the most cluttered zones, assign priority cleaning tasks for daily, weekly, or monthly cleaning.
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- Restructure your product line and travel time
Lastly, consider streamlining your product line and warehouse travel time. Evaluating your product line will help you identify infrequent sellers and remove them from your inventory, so you can increase space and ensure more efficient order fulfilment. To reduce warehouse travel time, consider getting a proper tow tractor or automating the process.
These simple steps will not only improve your work environment and efficiency, but also promote safety and save costs. That said, you should involve your employees in the warehouse cleaning and organisations tasks to promote consistency.