Warehouse Productivity Archives

How to Boost Warehouse Productivity Part One

Warehouse Productivity

Productivity is one of the biggest priorities for warehouses. It helps businesses save money, keeps operations running smoothly, and can lead to an increase in customer satisfaction. How can your warehouse boost productivity? The following tips can help.

Invest in More Efficient Equipment

Moving heavy loads from aisle to aisle or around other warehouse areas can be time-consuming. Using a forklift or other traditional equipment may lower productivity. Workers might have a hard time maneuvering them around, especially in tighter spaces.

Electric warehouse tugs offer an effective solution. These tugs have better maneuverability, resulting in less time spent moving heavy loads around. This helps improve productivity in warehouses.

Aim for a Better Organized Warehouse

Having items scattered around can interfere with how productive your warehouse is. Work on ensuring that all items, from merchandise to equipment and supplies, are organized as much as possible.

Improve the layout of your warehouse for a better workflow. Use signage, labels, and maps to make sure that all staff know where everything is located. Signs and labels should be highly visible and easy to read. Maps can help newer staff know where to go. These steps help streamline the work process, leading to enhanced productivity.

Improve Inventory Management

Keeping an accurate count of your inventory and organizing it is crucial for your warehouse. Make use of bins and other storage solutions to compartmentalize different items. This allows workers to easily and quickly find what they need.

If you haven’t done so already, look into automated inventory management software. This provides you with a simple way to keep close track of the products stored in your warehouse, along with other items. You can then order ahead to replace low inventory as needed.

How else can you manage inventory more effectively? Evaluate your receiving process to ensure that products are handled efficiently when they arrive. This helps prevent boxes from building up in the receiving area and ensures that orders can be promptly picked, packed, and shipped.

Electric warehouse tugs can significantly increase your warehouse’s productivity. Contact DJ Products to get more detailed information on our material handling solutions.

5 Tips for Improving Warehouse Productivity

Warehouse and logistics managers know that maintaining a productive loading dock operation is a challenge. Using an electric trailer dolly rather than hiring a 3^rd party shunting service or depending on inbound drivers to move trailers can help. The more control you have over your warehouse operations and the closer that you track key metrics, the more efficiently you can run your business.

These five tips can improve your warehouse’s productivity:

Get Organized

Allocate time to cleaning your warehouse and eliminating clutter. It can help find misplaced orders or avoid losing an order altogether. Being organized improves efficiency and safety as well. When aisles are clear and there are no obstructions in the way, employees are less in danger of injuries. Organization also means improving shelf access, container placement, and space utilization, while adopting lean inventory practices enables you to keep what you need without sifting through items you don’t.

Adjust Your Benchmarks

You want to cover as much as possible, but tracking too many metrics can be inefficient. Start small and add metrics as you go along. Include internal and external factors that affect your cash flow, but don’t focus solely on financials. Are customers’ expectations being met and are your vendors performing as expected? Start by looking at internal operations, or one facility, and look at how operations there can be improved. Apply what you learn later to other facilities serving similar customers.

Focus on Your Employees

A trailer mover might make work easier. However, making employees the focus of your facility improvements can go a long way. Provide regular safety and compliance training and let employees in on your production goals for the year. This gives them a target while providing incentives where possible can also help. For example, reward top-performing employees verbally and with rewards such as bonuses and gift cards, which can boost employee satisfaction, retention, and loyalty.

Take Advantage of Automation

Automating the logistics process can help more than the best electric trailer dolly. Track and monitor each delivery so there’s no guesswork. You can then have raw data from throughout the supply chain. Cloud-based inventory management software tracks everything in real time and displays what you have, what you need, and where your fleet assets are. It lets you refine any process quickly based on the most current factors.

Get an Electric Trailer Mover

When it comes to warehouse productivity, equipment matters. A battery-powered trailer mover, for example, is always available, so you don’t have to wait on an outside service provider to show up. The Electric Yard Dog, a terminal tractor from DJ Products, can move empty and loaded semi-trailers and other equipment around the yard and in and out of loading docks. Any employee can operate it with a minimum amount of training. Precise speed control minimizes the chances for dock, equipment, and trailer damage.

The motorized trailer dolly comes in various shapes and sizes. Units built to move boats and small trailers, all the way up to units that can move empty and loaded semi-trailers. For more information, browse our catalog or contact DJ products at 800-686-2651 or info@djproducts.com today.

Warehouse Management And Productivity Tips Part Two

Our Productivity and Management Tips for Warehouse Managers

DJ Products is more than just your preferred material handling equipment supplier. We’re your source for the latest information and tips on warehouse management solutions.

Here are more ideas from experts on how to improve operations and maximize productivity.

Eliminate Dead Spots

Warehouse space is valuable. Use an asset tracking system to monitor how often items are picked. If an product is rarely picked, move it to drop-shipping and put a higher-turning item in the slot.

Streamline the Returns Process

Handling returns is one of the more cumbersome processes in a warehouse. Automate the procedure with a specialized returns system such as a warehouse management system (WMS).

Control Freight Costs

Many people accept freight charges as the cost of doing business, but few elements eat into profits as quickly. Talk to an experienced consultant who can offer helpful advice on negotiating better rates.

Re-Slot Pick Positions as Needed

Changing slot positions may seem inefficient, but it’s actually the opposite. Business is constantly changing, and your strategies need to change with it. Keeping items slotted correctly lets your employees make better use of their time.

Make Safety a Top Priority

Manpower is your greatest asset. Use industry safety regulations as a starting point, not an ending point. You should constantly be looking for ways to implement better safety practices.

Save Time and Money with Material Handling Solutions from DJ Products

Our battery-powered tugs, pushers and movers pay multiple dividends for warehouse efficiency. They let your employees accomplish more in less time while avoiding workplace injuries.

Visit our website and use the real-time chat feature for assistance from our friendly sales engineers. They’re one of the reasons why DJ Products is your first choice for a material handling equipment supplier.

Warehousing for eCommerce – Capturing a Piece of the Profit Pie

As ecommerce has changed the face of the traditional retailing model, so too has it triggered new methods in warehousing and logistics. Has your company incorporated these best practices for ecommerce warehousing?

7 Methods to Improve Ecommerce Warehousing Efficiency

>Use a cluster-picking strategy with multiple order containers in a single cart. Pick rates will go up while order pickers have to make fewer trips throughout the warehouse.

>Timely and accurate communication between retail and warehouse locations is imperative. Integrated systems such as distributed order management (DOM) help ensure smooth processing of all sizes of orders from any point of origin.

>The natural progression from a multi-channel model is omni-channel, which focuses on enhancing the customer experience by providing consistent service across all purchasing options. Designing facilities that consolidate these operations results in better cost-effectiveness.

>Use level-loading throughout the year to avoid the seasonal disparities of order processing.

>Don’t discount the value of warehouse management systems (WMS) as a solution to ecommerce challenges. Many WMS vendors are including more automation in their systems to meet the demands of higher volumes of smaller orders.

>Warehouse seasonality doesn’t always correspond with holiday seasonality. Make sure you understand the specific seasonality of your business so you can plan for the highs and lows.

>Consider using pop-up fulfillment centers to better accommodate order flow.

Warehousing and Logistics Material Handling Solutions from DJ Products

Maximize your workforce with our best-selling CartCaddyShorty or any of our other battery-powered tugs, pushers and movers. Visit our website and use the handy chat feature to let our of our sales engineers help you find the best solution for your application.

Tips for Improving Warehouse Productivity the Low Tech Way

Improving Productivity

Technology has made its way into nearly every part of our personal and professional lives. In warehouse inventory management, solutions ranging from barcodes and scanners to industrial powered carts improve accuracy and efficiency.

This doesn’t mean that old school methods have no place in today’s warehouses. Here are some tried-and-true ideas to boost overall productivity.

Four Low-Tech Tips for High Productivity

Clean house. Daily operations cause disarray to every warehouse, no matter how organized it is to start. Walk the floor regularly to spot and correct any potential risk areas such as poor shelf placement of high-velocity items.

Implement cycle counts. Once-a-year inventories are a must, but they allow too much time for small problems to snowball into serious ones. Conducting cycle counts lets you correct discrepancies before they get out of hand.

Have a clearly defined receiving area. Receiving errors are like dominoes that trigger a ripple effect through the entire chain. Make sure your receiving team has plenty of space and all the necessary tools to work accurately.

Plan clean-up time. If your employees start the day in a messy workplace, their attitude and actions will quickly follow suit. Specify a cutoff time for processing orders and have employees use the rest of the day to clean up. With everything in place, they can start off strong each day.

Reduce Injury Risk with Industrial Powered Carts from DJ Products

Workplace injuries are a major drain on productivity. Industrial powered carts such as our popular CartCaddy5WP are ergonomically designed to allow a single employee to safely move loads of up to 10,000 pounds. Visit our website for more information.

Top Tips to Improve Performance and Efficiency in Warehouses

Tips to Improve Performance and Efficiency in Warehouses

Warehouse management can be a tricky operation, requiring great concentration and skill, and lots of inventory lists that need to be checked and re-checked to make sure all the material that is shifted in and out of the warehouse is the right product and quantity. Here are some warehouse management tips that can make the entire process simpler and more efficient:

1. Confirm Advanced Shipping Notice

An “Electronically transmitted Advanced Shipping Notification” is a cutting-edge shipping solution that many distributors have still not started started to implement. Using the electronic option allows for more efficient planning of the distribution procedure, and reduces delays and disruptions.

2. Employ Bin Locations

Making use of bin locations allows products to be located much faster, since it allows you to locate the product on the basis of sales volume, which means having to do less legwork to retrieve the key items that are sold the most.

3. Transparency of Operation

Work done within the warehouse must be as transparent as possible, with your keeping track of every piece of inventory that is sold or bought. This allows for easy spotting of mistakes and errors, and rapid correction.

4. Have an Emergency Response Plan

Along with the usual warehouse management tips, remember to keep alternative plans in place for potential fires, lockouts, and other hazards that can occur unexpectedly and disrupt work flow.

The next time you have to deal with warehouse inventory, remember to call on DJ Products for all of your moving and packing needs. Our range of vehicle products offer the latest in cutting-edge solutions to make your job and life easier!

Four Most Common Safety Problems for Warehouses

Warehouses Need to Run Smoothly, Safely and Efficiently

Your warehouse is a vital part of the supply chain. It is imperative that products move through the process efficiently and safely. Accidents can result in damaged products, costly downtime, and injuries or death for your team members. Take some time to review these four common safety problems and take the necessary steps to prevent them in your warehouse.

Insufficient training

Health and Safety Magazine says in depth operator training on all material handling procedures and proper communication of all rules for workplace safety are the most important things all warehouse managers can do to maintain a safe warehouse.

Warehouse ergonomics

Working in the same environment day after day with ongoing pressure to meet tight schedules, it is easy for employees to take their personal safety and things like proper lifting techniques for granted. That is why we offer a full line of ergonomic electric tuggers, powered carts and pullers for any industrial application.

Trips and falls

These common injuries are often the result of fatigue or insufficient sleep. Train your employees to use proper equipment like powered carts when applicable and be sure supervisors watch for signs that workers may be distracted or impaired on the job.

Harmful substances

Some chemicals are necessary, but can also be serious workplace hazards. Be vigilant about safety training and proper handling of harmful substances.

Knowledge of warehouse ergonomics is essential to prevent injuries due to overexertion. At DJ Products, we specialize in providing you with reliable and easy-to-use methods of moving product and heavy equipment. Visit our website for our full line of cart pullers and other warehouse equipment.

Warehouse Productivity Tips

How your warehouse functions and makes use of its available space can have a tremendous impact on your profit. To anyone not familiar with your business, managing the storage, movement, and shipment of goods and material may appear simple. But you know otherwise. Regardless of the size or purpose of your warehouse, there are a few basics tips that can improve productivity.

Organize to optimize

Real estate and monthly leases can be costly. You do not want wasted space or to have workers tripping over non-essential items and having to move materials more times than is absolutely necessary. Streamline order pulling and restocking based on which products move, or need to move, most often.

Consider ROI when buying equipment

Order picking and shipment is the most important logistic process in your warehouse. Products and shipment sizes vary. Versatile material moving equipment like cart movers can work in tight spaces and move any cart. By having reliable and easy-to-use material moving equipment readily available, you reduce back strains, injuries, and damage to product.

Re-evaluate and re-slot

Do not stay with a process that is not working just because it was a good way to do things previously. Many companies get locked into a slotting method that can’t adjust as their company and orders evolve. By reducing the travel time in order picking, you can reduce labor cost, damage to product, and reduce injuries.

Our knowledgeable and courteous Sales Engineers can help you improve efficiency in your business and warehouse with the material handling equipment that is best suited to your needs. You can reach them at 800.686.2651 or by using the online chat feature.

Got Extra Temp Warehouse Staff In – Here’s How to Help Them be Productive

The busy times that call for temporary staff also call for the highest level of warehouse productivity and performance. When your warehouse brings in extra staff, use these tips to get the most out of everyone:

Set Clear Expectations

Make sure temp workers know exactly what their job entails and how they can meet your expectations for productivity. Avoid vague instructions and describe the real tasks that are going to be assigned.

Focus on Specific Tasks

A regular full-timer probably handles some tasks that require significant training. Pool your temp talent toward the tasks with the least training. If you can assign a small scope project or break down a normal position into separate parts, even better.

Keep Everyone in the Loop

Communicating with a larger-than-normal staff can be difficult, but it’s worth the effort. If temp shifts do not coincide with daily or weekly meetings, take minutes from the meetings and brief the temps. If possible, stagger shifts so that you have periods of time when all workers are present. Keeping temp workers informed also increases productivity by boosting morale.

Set Rules & Protocol for On-Call Shifts

First, make sure you have home and cell numbers for all extra staffers. Then, touch base with everyone about availability for on-call shifts and establish a system for adding hours. If you might need extra coverage, temp workers will appreciate the consideration and accommodate on-call shifts more easily.

All workers can benefit from the productivity boost of ergonomic material handling products. Maximize efficiency by outfitting your warehouse with cart movers and other motorized solutions.

Tag: Warehouse Productivity