Some companies may choose to utilize new workers in the shipping and receiving area, although they might be better served to assign pros to handle these demanding jobs. Experienced people who really understand and know the products seldom mix objects that are similar in appearance but are somewhat different and they know how to stock bins and shelves properly and therefore, work more effectively.
The best tip for new employees is to start them out filling orders. This provides them with an excellent opportunity to learn the products, customers and paperwork along with any electronic inventory system which may take some getting used to. In addition, it is easy to check their effectiveness by going over their work orders as soon as 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 planning arrivals and being organized, you will eliminate pressure on receivers and shippers and also eliminate too much waiting time in the yard. The more efficiently you could plan the arrival of your trucks, the fewer dock doors you will need to work which would save you money on utilities in the long run.
Operate with different shifts for shipping and receiving. If you can, receive goods in one shift and separate your shipping to a different shift. Organizing yourself in this manner can allow you to reduce the staging area needs by 50 percent. You might also be able to eliminate time-wasting bottlenecks within the warehouse. Moreover, by separating your shipping and receiving, you would know which shift to look over if any discrepancies happen down the road and could keep track of orders more efficiently.
Speed up the process of unloading. This will tremendously help you out since the longer a truck sits at your door for loading or unloading, the more congested your yard can become. According to studies, approximately 60% of mass merchants could unload trucks in less than an hour, whereas about 20 to 30% of the grocery business works at a similar standard. Take time to watch and time operations in order to see exactly how your facility measures up overall.
Floor maintenance is crucial because floor defects could cause lift truck operators to slow down or take detours. This may result in a reduction of productivity. Deteriorating floor section seams or uneven floors or potholes also lead to wheel wear and vehicle damage. In certain cases, really damaged floors can cause loads tipping and product damage.