Even if there are lots of companies who begin workers in the receiving area, they will be a lot better off to allot pro's to deal with the put-away jobs. Qualified people who understand and know the products rarely mix objects which might seem the same but are somewhat different and they really know how to stock shelves and bins correctly and thus, work much more effectively.
The best suggestion for new employees is to start them out filling orders. This provides them with a terrific chance to know the products, clients and paperwork as well as any electronic inventory system that could take some getting used to. Additionally, it is easy to check their effectiveness by going over their work orders as soon as they are packed for delivery.
The next tip is to plan the truck arrival, since you really do not want all trucks to arrive at the same time. By planning arrivals and being organized, you will eliminate too much waiting time in the yard and also eliminate pressure on shippers and receivers. The more efficiently you could plan the arrival of your trucks, the fewer dock doors you would need to operate which will save you money on utilities in the long run.
If you are able to, work different shifts for shipping and receiving. One method is to receive products in one shift and separate the shipped items to a different shift. Organizing yourself in this manner can enable you to lessen the staging area needs by 50 percent. You may also be able to get rid of time-wasting bottlenecks within the warehouse. Moreover, by separating your shipping and receiving, you can keep track of orders more efficiently and will know which shift to look over if any discrepancies happen down the road.
Speed up the process of unloading. This would tremendously help you out since the longer a truck sits at your door for unloading or loading, the more congested your yard can become. Based on studies, around 60 percent of mass merchants are capable of unloading trucks in less than 60 minutes, whereas roughly 20 to 30% of the grocery industry performs at a similar standard. Take time to observe and time operations in order to see how your facility measures up overall.
Floor maintenance is important because floor defects could cause lift truck operators to take detours or slow down. This may result in a reduction of efficiency. Potholes or deteriorating floor section seams or uneven floors also result in wheel wear and vehicle damage. In some cases, floors which are really damaged could lead to loads tipping and product damage.