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Maximise & optimise all available space
Instead of expanding the footprint of your existing warehouse, you’ll need to consider several storage solutions that will make the most of the space you have available. Most warehouse owners will make better use of vertical storage units as opposed to smaller, shorter warehouse racking.
Racking is available that spans from the floor right up to the ceiling. With the right equipment, your employees will be able to reach products that sit on even the tallest shelf. You should also look to put the items that are most popular on lower shelves and those that are in the least demand on the taller shelves. Not only does it help by way of optimising storage space, but it also enables you to keep your warehouse clean, tidy and highly-organised.
Implement what is called a ‘lean’ inventory
Having what is called a ‘lean inventory’ is paramount when it comes to ensuring efficiency in a small warehouse. A ‘lean’ inventory is essentially the idea that a warehouse only houses what it needs; no more or less than that. By having just the right amount of stock, it will make the picking process easier and quicker as everything will be far more accessible, especially if everything is kept in its place.
Maintaining a ‘lean’ inventory is possible by reducing expired or out-dated stock and having lots of small deliveries on a regular basis rather than exceptionally large ones once or twice a year. In fact, you could order stock as and when you need it rather than having lots of small, scheduled deliveries.
Adopt state-of-the-art, enabling technology
Warehouse management systems (WMS) have enabled even the largest warehouses to increase efficiency and productivity. Some of the best, most state-of-the-art ones are able to suggest the best possible routes and methods for order picking and offloading stock into, or onto, warehouse racking.
Picking lists can be sent directly to mobile devices and readers, making for a far more efficient and productive process overall. As well as that, it reduces the amount of waste paper a warehouse produces and it helps to eliminate human error and mistakes. Not only will your warehouse operations run more smoothly and be more straightforward, but they’ll also become more eco-friendly.
Ensure feedback can be given regularly by your employees
Your employees will be able to provide you with valuable feedback, suggestions and constructive criticism. They’re likely to spot problems on the warehouse floor that the manager or owner will not notice.
They will also be able to identify problems or inefficiencies in the system, being able to tell when a process isn’t quite working or needs improvement to make their job easier. It’s imperative that warehouse owners and managers, regardless of the industry they’re in, are listening to their workers. They can provide vital information that might not be known if you didn’t think to include them in your overhaul.
Keep workstations and the premises in general tidy & organised
Making sure that all of your stock is in its place and stored neatly away is a quick and easy way to improve efficiency in a small warehouse. This makes it more simple for warehouse employees to locate, access and package specific products. Not only does it help to increase productivity and improve efficiency, it also ensures the health and safety of your warehouse employees.
If items are stored correctly, then it reduces the risk of slips, trips and falls. If products are stored on racking in the right manner, then stock won’t topple or fall onto your workers or damage equipment that might be nearby. In addition to protecting your employees, it will also save you money as you won’t need to replace or repair damaged machinery.
Make sure everyone is trained to the highest possible standard
Your warehouse employees need to be adequately trained. This ensures that they know and understand where stock needs to be, how to stack inventory correctly and safely and are competent in the operation of order pickers, reach trucks and forklifts, among other pieces of warehouse equipment. This will help to keep your workers safe and working as efficiently and as productively as possible.
