Is your warehouse running at peak performance? How would you know if it wasn’t? Perhaps more importantly, how do you intend to keep your operation running efficiently in the future?
Even the smoothest-running warehouse can benefit from the occasional checkup. Here are a few things to consider when examining the performance of your current operation and to help guide your strategy moving forward.
Workforce
Along with technology, your labor force is one of the first places to check for opportunities to optimize your warehouse’s processes. Recent widespread staffing difficulties have highlighted the importance of maintaining an engaged team.
To maintain a healthy and functional workforce, cultivate a company culture that instills a sense of ownership in each employee. This can come in the form of competitive benefits and compensation packages, or training programs that give workers skills that will reinforce their value to the company’s mission. Even a nominal bonus can give workers the sense that they are appreciated and further bolster engagement with their work. A strong, dedicated labor force is the foundation to efficiency in any warehouse.
Process Optimization
Lift trucks, conveyors and racks are the basic building blocks of the typical warehouse. Even if your operation is fairly conventional, that doesn’t mean there’s no room for improved processes through light automation.
Autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) aka cobots are small, autonomous robots that can fulfill menial tasks like bringing product to pickers or delivering items for shipping. This simple innovation can free up human workers for tasks that require more skill or attention.
Likewise, if your inventory tracking is stuck in the pen and paper era, some light investment in new technology can help your efficiency grow by leaps and bounds. Modern wearable computer technologies utilize bar code printers and scanners to help track inventory in real time.
Whether your processes could benefit from a few upgrades or a complete overhaul, trust the experts at UMD to deliver a custom-built solution for all your material handling needs.