Some businesses may prefer to utilize new workers in the shipping and receiving area, though they may be better served to allocate pros to deal with these challenging jobs. Experienced individuals who really understand and know the products rarely mix objects which are similar in appearance but are quite different and they really know how to correctly stock bins and shelves and thus, work more effectively.
It is a good idea if you have new staff to start them out by filling orders. This provides them with a great chance to know the products, customers and paperwork along with any electronic inventory system that can take some getting used to. Furthermore, it is really easy to check their efficiency by going over their work orders when they are packed for delivery.
Since you do not want to have lots of trucks arriving at the same time, the next step is to plan truck arrival. By being organized and planning arrivals, you will eliminate pressure on receivers and shippers and also eliminate excessive waiting time in the yard. The more effectively you could plan the arrival of your trucks, the fewer dock doors you will need to operate which would save you a lot of money on utilities in the long run.
Operate with different shifts for shipping and receiving. If you can, receive goods during one shift and separate your shipping to a different shift. Organizing yourself in this manner can allow you to reduce the staging area requirements by 50%. You may also be able to eliminate time-wasting bottlenecks within the warehouse. Moreover, by separating your shipping and receiving, you will know which shift to look over if any discrepancies happen down the road and can keep track of orders more effectively.
Speed up the process of unloading. This would tremendously help you out since the longer a truck sits at your door for loading or unloading, the more congested your yard can become. According to studies, about 60 percent of mass merchants can unload trucks in under an hour, whereas about 20 to 30 percent of the grocery industry works at a similar standard. Take time to watch and time operations to be able to see how your facility measures up overall.
Floor maintenance is important because floor defects could cause forklift operators to take detours or slow down. This could lead to a reduction of efficiency. Potholes or deteriorating floor section seams or uneven floors also cause vehicle damage and wheel wear. In certain situations, floors which are really damaged could cause product damage and loads tipping.