Several businesses might prefer to utilize new employees in the shipping and receiving area, although they might be better served to allocate professionals to handle these difficult tasks. Experienced individuals who really understand and know the products rarely mix objects which are similar in appearance but are quite different and they know how to stock bins and shelves correctly and therefore, work much more efficiently.
The best tip for new employees 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 that could take some getting used to. In addition, it is easy to check their effectiveness by going over their work orders once they are packed for delivery.
The next suggestion is to schedule the truck arrival, because you truly do not want all trucks to arrive at the same time. By being organized and scheduling arrivals, you will eliminate pressure on shippers and receivers and also eliminate too much waiting time in the yard. The more efficiently you can schedule the arrival of your trucks, the fewer dock doors you would have to work which will truly save you a lot of money on utilities in the long run.
Operate with different shifts for shipping and receiving. If you are able to, receive products in one shift and separate your shipping to another shift. Organizing yourself in this way could allow you to lessen the staging area needs by 50%. You might also be able to eliminate time-wasting bottlenecks within the warehouse. Furthermore, 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.
If the unloading process is sped up, this would really help you out because the unloaded truck can congest your yard. Based on studies, about 60% of mass merchants can unload trucks in less than 60 minutes, whereas approximately 20 to 30 percent of the grocery business works at a similar standard. Make time to watch and time operations to be able to see how your facility measures up overall.
Floor maintenance is crucial because floor defects could cause lift truck operators to take detours or slow down. This can result in a reduction of productivity. Uneven floors or deteriorating floor section seams or potholes also result in wheel wear and vehicle damage. In certain cases, really damaged floors could lead to product damage and loads tipping.