Even if there are a lot of companies that begin employees in the receiving area, they would be much better off to allot pro's to deal with the put-away jobs. Experienced people who truly know and understand the products rarely mix objects that might look the same but are somewhat different and they know how to stock shelves and bins properly and hence, work more effectively.
The best tip for new staff is to start them out filling orders. This provides them with an excellent opportunity to know the products, paperwork and clients as well as any electronic inventory system which can take some getting used to. Additionally, it is easy to check their effectiveness by going over their work orders when they are packed for shipment.
The next tip is to schedule the truck arrival, as you really do not want all trucks to arrive at the same time. By being organized and planning arrivals, you would eliminate too much waiting time in the yard and also eliminate pressure on receivers and shippers. The more effectively you could plan the arrival of your trucks, the less dock doors you would have to operate that will truly save you money on utilities in the long run.
Operate with different shifts for shipping and receiving. If you are able to, receive goods during one shift and separate your shipping to a different shift. Organizing yourself in this way may allow you to lessen the staging area needs by 50 percent. You may also be able to get rid of time-wasting bottlenecks in the warehouse. Additionally, by separating your shipping and receiving, you can keep track of orders more efficiently and will know which shift to look over if any discrepancies happen down the road.
Speed up the process of unloading. This would really help you out since the longer a truck sits at your door for unloading or loading, the more congested your yard could become. According to studies, approximately 60 percent of mass merchants can unload trucks in under 60 minutes, while roughly 20 to 30% of the grocery industry works at a similar standard. Make time to observe and time operations in order to see exactly how your facility measures up overall.
Floor maintenance is important because floor defects can cause lift truck operators to take detours or slow down. This may result in a reduction of productivity. Potholes or uneven floors or deteriorating floor section seams also result in vehicle damage and wheel wear. In some cases, floors which are really damaged could result in product damage and loads tipping.