Some companies might choose to use new employees in the shipping and receiving area, although they might be better served to allocate pros to deal with these challenging jobs. Experienced individuals who really understand and know the products seldom mix objects that are similar in appearance but are quite different and they know how to stock bins and shelves correctly and therefore, work much more effectively.
It is a great idea if you have new employees to start them out by filling orders. This provides them with a terrific opportunity to know the products, paperwork and customers along with any electronic inventory system that may take some getting used to. Furthermore, it is very easy to check their efficiency by going over their work orders as soon as they are packed for shipment.
The next tip is to schedule the truck arrival, because you really do not want all trucks to arrive 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 efficiently you can schedule the arrival of your trucks, the less dock doors you would have to operate that would truly save you money on utilities in the long run.
Work with different shifts for shipping and receiving. If you are able to, receive products during one shift and separate your shipping to a different shift. Organizing yourself in this way can allow you to reduce the staging area needs by 50%. You might also be able to get rid of time-wasting bottlenecks within the warehouse. Also, by separating your shipping and receiving, you will know which shift to look over if any discrepancies occur down the road and can keep track of orders more effectively.
If the unloading process is sped up, this would really help you out since the unloaded truck can congest your yard. According to studies, around 60% of mass merchants can unload trucks in under 60 minutes, whereas around 20 to 30% of the grocery industry performs at a similar standard. Make time to watch and time operations to be able to see precisely how your facility measures up overall.
Floor maintenance is key as floor defects can cause lift truck operators to slow down or take detours. This can lead to a reduction of productivity. Deteriorating floor section seams or uneven floors or potholes also cause wheel wear and vehicle damage. In some cases, floors that are really damaged could cause product damage and loads tipping.