Even if there are numerous businesses who begin employees in the receiving area, they will be much better off to allot professionals to deal with the put-away jobs. Qualified people who really understand and know the products seldom mix objects that are similar in appearance but are somewhat different and they know how to stock bins and shelves properly and thus, work more efficiently.
The best suggestion for new staff is to start them out filling orders. This provides them with an excellent chance to learn the products, paperwork and customers along with any electronic inventory system which may take some getting used to. In addition, it is very easy to check their effectiveness by going over their work orders when they are packed for shipment.
The next tip is to plan the truck arrival, since you really do not want all trucks to arrive at the same time. By scheduling arrivals and being organized, you will eliminate excessive waiting time in the yard and also eliminate pressure on shippers and receivers. The more effectively you can plan the arrival of your trucks, the fewer dock doors you would need to operate that would really save you money on utilities in the long run.
If you can, operate different shifts for shipping and receiving. One method is to receive products in one shift and separate the shipped products to a different shift. Organizing yourself in this way could enable you to lessen the staging area requirements by 50%. You may also be able to get rid of time-wasting bottlenecks within the warehouse. In addition, by separating your shipping and receiving, you would know which shift to look over if any discrepancies occur down the road and could keep track of orders more efficiently.
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 research, around 60 percent of mass merchants are capable of unloading trucks in less than an hour, while about 20 to 30 percent of the grocery industry performs at a similar standard. Make time to observe and time operations to be able to see precisely how your facility measures up overall.
Floor maintenance is key since floor defects can cause forklift operators to slow down or take detours. This can result in a reduction of efficiency. Deteriorating floor section seams or uneven floors or potholes also lead to wheel wear and vehicle damage. In certain situations, really damaged floors can result in loads tipping and product damage.