Even if there are many businesses who begin employees in the receiving area, they would be much better off to allot professionals to handle the put-away tasks. Qualified people who understand and know the products rarely mix things that might look the same but are somewhat different and they really know how to properly stock bins and shelves and therefore, work more efficiently.
The best suggestion for new employees is to start them out filling orders. This provides them with a terrific chance to learn 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 efficiency by going over their work orders once they are packed for delivery.
The next suggestion is to schedule the truck arrival, as you truly do not want all trucks to come at the same time. By being organized and scheduling arrivals, you would eliminate pressure on shippers and receivers and also eliminate excessive waiting time in the yard. The more effectively you could plan the arrival of your trucks, the less dock doors you would have to work which would truly save you a lot of money on utilities in the long run.
If you can, operate different shifts for shipping and receiving. One method is to receive goods during one shift and separate the shipped products to another shift. Organizing yourself in this way may enable you to lessen the staging area requirements by 50%. You might also be able to get rid of time-wasting bottlenecks in the warehouse. Furthermore, by separating your shipping and receiving, you could keep track of orders more efficiently and would know which shift to look over if any discrepancies happen down the road.
Speed up the unloading process. This would tremendously help you out because the longer a truck sits at your door for loading or unloading, the more congested your yard could become. Based on research, about 60% of mass merchants could unload trucks in under 60 minutes, whereas around 20 to 30 percent of the grocery industry performs at a similar standard. Take time to observe and time operations to be able to see how your facility measures up overall.
Floor maintenance is important because floor defects can cause forklift operators to slow down or take detours. This may result in a reduction of efficiency. Potholes or uneven floors or deteriorating floor section seams also cause wheel wear and vehicle damage. In certain situations, really damaged floors can cause product damage and loads tipping.