Even though there are numerous businesses that start workers in the receiving area, they will be a lot better off to allot pro's to deal with the put-away jobs. Qualified individuals who truly understand and know the products seldom mix items that are similar in appearance but are quite different and they know how to stock shelves and bins correctly and therefore, work more effectively.
The best tip for new staff is to start them out filling orders. This provides them with a great chance to learn the products, clients and paperwork as well as any electronic inventory system that can take some getting used to. Furthermore, it is easy to check their efficiency by going over their work orders as soon as they are packed for delivery.
The next suggestion is to schedule the truck arrival, because you really do not want all trucks to come at the same time. 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 efficiently you could schedule the arrival of your trucks, the less dock doors you will have to work that would save you money on utilities in the long run.
Work with different shifts for shipping and receiving. If you can, receive products during one shift and separate your shipping to another shift. Organizing yourself in this manner can allow you to lessen the staging area requirements by 50 percent. You might also be able to eliminate time-wasting bottlenecks in the warehouse. What's more, by separating your shipping and receiving, you would know which shift to look over if any discrepancies occur down the road and can keep track of orders more efficiently.
If the unloading process is sped up, this would really help you out as the unloaded truck could congest your yard. Based on studies, around 60% of mass merchants are capable of unloading trucks in less than an hour, whereas approximately 20 to 30% of the grocery industry performs at a similar standard. Make time to watch and time operations in order to see precisely how your facility measures up overall.
Floor maintenance is key as floor defects could cause lift truck operators to take detours or slow down. This can result in a reduction of efficiency. Potholes or uneven floors or deteriorating floor section seams also result in vehicle damage and wheel wear. In some cases, really damaged floors could result in loads tipping and product damage.