An organised warehouse is the secret to any business becoming and staying successful. Not only will it help you save money and keep your staff safer, but it will also create a less stressful environment with no product loss or confusion. Warehouses have one of the most important roles within the supply chain, it’s the component that keeps companies running efficiently. So not only does your storehouse play a vital part in the triumph of your business, but also with the brands you provide stock for. The design and layout are the first steps for arranging a warehouse however, what a lot of people don’t realise is that labelling, dividing, and having designated picking/receiving areas are crucial for taking your company’s organisation to the next, expert level.

Davpack wants you and your staff to be able to operate in a warehouse that is efficient and where everyone feels safe. Following this ‘How To’ guide will improve productivity and morale.

Create a Logical Floor Plan

The first step in ensuring all warehouse operations run smoothly is through creating or reassessing the building’s floor plan. All shelves, tools, workbenches, and other apparatus need to be logically set up and in near reach of staff. Having sensible stock-keeping units (SKUs) in places – such as most popular items, alphabetical order, colour, or brand name – will guarantee uninterrupted or messy workflow. Most warehouses have a basic setup of five units – Receiving, Storage, Office, Packing, and Shipping. Floor plans should follow this to make sure warehouse staff aren’t getting in each other’s way or clashing with objects. Alongside this, not placing stock too far away from where individuals can reach them, keeps staff safe and reduces the risk of injury through over-stretching for products. Successful warehouse layouts incorporate five characteristics:

1) Maximise all available space,

 2) Minimise the handling of goods,

 3) Enable easy access to all stock,

 4) Allow storage flexibility and,

 5) Create lots of working space for your staff.   

In order to assess how efficient your warehouse truly is or could be, put yourself in the shoes of your employees and think about if your warehouse is reaching its full potential. Speak to your staff, what annoyances do they come across daily? Taking on all information and feedback will be beneficial; raising spirits and respect from the employees by making them feel heard. In return, you get a coherent warehouse.

Use the ABC Analysis

The ABC Analysis is based upon the Pareto Law principle which states that 80% of your inventory movement comes from 20% of your stock. The principle further splits your merchandise into three categories:

A – Most profitable or most used items that account for 80% of the total movement, or 20% of total stock.

B – Second-best items accounting for 15% of the total movement, or 30% of total stock.

C – Less important items for the remaining 5%, or 50% of total stock.

Therefore, when arranging your warehouse, you should consider the ABC Analysis. With items belonging to Category A being placed somewhere in the building that is quick and easy for your operatives to access. Category B follows after and C is organised deeper in the warehouse, or on the top shelves due to it not being needed by staff as regularly as portions A or B.

Introduce a Well-Organised Labelling Solution

Labelling all items before putting them in the warehouse is incredibly important, this accounts for racks, shelves, and stock. You can customise your labelling system to best suit your warehouse, whether this involves long-range retro-reflective labels, cold-storage labels, multi-rack labels, or hanging warehouse signs. By incorporating the right labelling solution which adheres to your warehouse specifically, the storehouse will be easier for your operatives to navigate themselves around, picking and packing products quicker and more efficiently. It is also worth noting that mandatory labelling is the easiest way for mistakes to be made, either from human error or a stressed workforce. Using barcodes on the stock is the best option to cut down documentation time – through the use of a barcode scanner – but also, automatic data collection such as barcode labelling systems are practically error-proof. Investing in a methodical warehouse label solution is one that will pay off in terms of improved speed and productivity, better inventory control, warehouse optimisation, and the list goes on. It is much faster and simpler for staff to search for barcodes or SKUs to find the right stock. Rather than having the hassle of navigating through aisles to find the correct section shelf and product, which might end up not being right at all if read incorrectly.

Maintain your Workplace

The final piece of advice that Davpack can give you to certify a more organised and happy warehouse is to provide all staff with adequate protective gear, equipment, and cleaning solutions. There are many different things that warehouse owners do in order to save money, cutting down on equipment for staff being one. However, this tactic does more harm than good as it is counterproductive, due to having a decent amount of apparatus which is of good quality will enable your employees to do their jobs quicker, which in turn, will lead to an increase in warehouse efficiency. Along with, giving them protective clothing and accessories will make them feel safer and cared for, this can improve morale and attitude to work within your warehouse. Cleaning the workplace will also aid warehouse efficiency due to operatives not having to rummage through endless clutter that is in the way of the wanted product. Spending time cleaning and organising the warehouse is often overlooked as an unessential task yet, it can prevent damage inflicted on staff and products through dirt or risks of trips, slips, and falls. Messy workplaces can also create messy minds of work staff. Having a clean and tidy warehouse increases employee and product safety as well as decreases distractions for operatives through having to fight through obstacles when collecting stock.

Re-organising a warehouse can be a daunting task, so in the beginning, just pick two bits of advice from this article that you can implement easily into your layout. After that is done, review your changes: Did your staff become more efficient? Did the improvements have a positive impact on productivity and morale? Small adjustments within a warehouse can make a huge difference. Organising your warehouse today can set your business up for success in the future.

Shop now at Davpack for high-quality products for your company, we can help you optimise your warehouse.

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Rick Stanford

Rick has been a salesman in the packaging supplies business for more than thirty years. Now semi-retired, he divides his time between tending his allotment in north Devon, getting depressed at the continuing travails of his home-town football club Macclesfield Town, and sharing his considerable experience and knowledge with the readers of the Davpack blog. Davpack

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