Managing Inventory
Inventory is one of the greatest challenges facing warehouse operation today. It is crucial to determine inventory cycles and know how much and how often inventory comes and goes. Most warehouses will feature bar code systems to help automate and accurately provide this information. This knowledge will help you organize and plan storage for your inventory and, over time, this should become a standard practice in the warehouse. Making it a normal practice in your inventory management process will help decrease the time managers spend on managing inventory.
The type of storage system you choose whether it be pallet rack, industrial shelving, bulk rack, flow rack, or rivet rack, must be ideal for picking and inventorying your merchandise. If you sell multiple products, identifying slow moving and fast-moving products will help you make smart storage decisions.
Training Labor Force
Once you have your warehouse storage system installed and ready to go, you want to train your warehouse staff to know the ins and outs of your storage system and processes. First and foremost, safety in the warehouse is essential, and with proper training you can get everyone on the same page and reduce your exposure to safety issues. Establishing goals for your inventory maintenance and shipping and receiving crews will save you time and money when receiving inventory and shipping out orders. It is critical to communicate your goals and why they are important to ensure that all employees understand their job and the importance of their job. Training will help you achieve a great level of optimization in your warehouse.
Redesigning Existing Systems
Finally, there may be a scenario, most commonly rapid growth, in which your current warehouse system is not enough. There are essentially two options for you and your team: you can redesign your existing space, or you can move to a new, larger warehouse. When you run into this problem, you are going to want to consult professional help and get an expert opinion, especially if this is your first move/redesign. It may be possible to re-arrange or add storage areas to your existing space depending on how drastic your growth change is. If you work with American Surplus, we store all our drawings in our system, so we can revisit your original layouts and come up with options to help manage your business growth and make something work in your existing warehouse.
