Even though there are numerous businesses who start employees in the receiving area, they will be a lot better off to assign pro's to handle the put-away jobs. Experienced people who really know and understand the products seldom mix items which may look the same but are quite different and they know how to stock shelves and bins correctly and thus, work more efficiently.
It is a great idea if you have new staff to start them out by filling orders. This provides them with a great chance to learn the products, clients and paperwork along with any electronic inventory system that might take some getting used to. In addition, it is very easy to check their efficiency by going over their work orders once they are packed for delivery.
The next tip is to plan the truck arrival, because you really do not want all trucks to come at the same time. By being organized and planning arrivals, you would eliminate pressure on shippers and receivers and also eliminate excessive waiting time in the yard. The more effectively you can plan the arrival of your trucks, the fewer dock doors you would need to work that would really save you money on utilities in the long run.
Work with different shifts for shipping and receiving. If you can, receive products in one shift and separate your shipping to another shift. Organizing yourself in this way can allow you to reduce the staging area requirements by 50%. You may also be able to eliminate time-wasting bottlenecks in the warehouse. Also, by separating your shipping and receiving, you can keep track of orders more efficiently and will know which shift to look over if any discrepancies occur down the road.
If the process of unloading is sped up, this would really help you out because the unloaded truck could congest your yard. According to studies, around 60 percent of mass merchants are capable of unloading trucks in under 60 minutes, whereas about 20 to 30% of the grocery industry performs at a similar standard. Take time to observe and time operations to be able to see exactly how your facility measures up overall.
Floor maintenance is crucial since floor defects may cause lift truck operators to slow down or take detours. This can lead to a reduction of efficiency. Potholes or deteriorating floor section seams or uneven floors also lead to vehicle damage and wheel wear. In certain situations, floors which are really damaged could lead to loads tipping and product damage.