Even though there are many companies who begin employees in the receiving area, they will be much better off to allot pro's to handle the put-away tasks. Experienced people who understand and know the products rarely mix items which might seem the same but are somewhat different and they know how to stock bins and shelves correctly and thus, work much more efficiently.
The best tip for new employees is to start them out filling orders. This provides them with a great opportunity to learn the products, clients and paperwork as well as any electronic inventory system which might take some getting used to. Furthermore, it is easy to check their efficiency by going over their work orders once they are packed for shipment.
The next tip is to schedule the truck arrival, because you truly do not want all trucks to come at the same time. By being organized and planning arrivals, you will eliminate pressure on receivers and shippers and also eliminate too much waiting time in the yard. The more efficiently you could schedule the arrival of your trucks, the fewer dock doors you will need to operate that will save you a lot of money on utilities in the long run.
Work with different shifts for shipping and receiving. If you can, receive goods in one shift and separate your shipping to another shift. Organizing yourself in this way could allow you to reduce the staging area requirements by 50%. You might also be able to get rid of time-wasting bottlenecks in the warehouse. What's more, by separating your shipping and receiving, you will know which shift to look over if any discrepancies happen down the road and could keep track of orders more efficiently.
If the process of unloading is sped up, this will really help you out since the unloaded truck could congest your yard. According to studies, around 60 percent of mass merchants are capable of unloading trucks in less than an hour, while around 20 to 30 percent of the grocery industry performs at a similar standard. Make time to observe and time operations in order to see precisely how your facility measures up overall.
Floor maintenance is important because floor defects can cause lift truck operators to slow down or take detours. This could lead to a reduction of productivity. Potholes or deteriorating floor section seams or uneven floors also lead to vehicle damage and wheel wear. In some cases, floors which are really damaged can lead to loads tipping and product damage.