Most warehouses are just organised on the fly as your business grows, but paying attention to how your warehouse is laid-out is vital to increase efficiency, maximise storage space and decrease worker fatigue.
Save yourself time and effort by making sure your warehouse is well designed. Here are our top tips:
1. Product placement
The items that you pick most frequently should be grouped together and be the most accessible. This means that forklift operators and pickers are not driving around looking for items, or going long distances between popular items. They should be stacked in such a way that they are easily picked, and don’t require a lot of manoeuvring of machinery to pick – this is a waste of time, petrol and causes extra wear and tear on machinery.
2.Using levels
A lot of warehouses expand without much planning as the business expands. You can save a lot of money by not expanding your warehouse unnecessarily by making sure that you are making the most of your space. If you have a lift, or can rent a lift, making use of mezzanine storage or two or three tier storage can be an effective use of space. Also consider shelving that can be squeezed together and opened by hand for less popular items.
3. Choose the right picking method
Each business is different when it comes to which picking methodology is going to be right for them. Consider whether single picking, multi-order picking, or zone picking is best for you, by analysing what will reduce travel times between areas and items. This will be different for each business, which is why it is vital that you customize your warehouse plan to your unique needs. Make sure that there is no clutter in your walkways, as this slows down workers.
4. Establish a regular maintenance plan
Having machinery break down or work inefficiently can be a big time waste. If you own your own machinery, make sure that you have regular maintenance schedules. You can avoid this by renting machinery, and reducing wear and tear on machinery by optimising your space to reduce machinery usage.
If you’re having issues with storage, efficiency or finding items in your warehouse, we can help you! Contact us today for a FREE consultation on Warehouse organisation.
