A warehouse manager holds the major role in ensuring efficiency within the warehouse. He is expected not only to manage the flow of goods from one point to another but also ensure high productivity from the workers. Detailed planning ought to be put in place to achieve a seamless operation.
1. Inventory System
In the past, many warehouses were operated in a casual manner. That resulted in a lot of inefficiencies. It prompted warehouse managers to adopt inventory systems in a bid to achieve efficiency. Managers may contact one of the companies in Australia that develops warehouse management software to design a system that has been customised to their operational requirements. The purchased inventory system should have efficient and capable features to handle all the activities conducted in the warehouse. It may be used to record the goods that are admitted into the warehouse as well as the released goods. The information system should also allow for the efficient tracking of the location of any goods stored in the warehouse.
2. Floor Layout and Design
All warehouses ought to be designed in a manner that facilitates efficient movement. This means that a suitable warehouse is one that can sustain continuous traffic without the interruption of its activities. For instance, a warehouse should be designed so that it has separate entry and exit points. That way, it becomes possible for a warehouse to admit new goods and release goods from its stores concurrently. A warehouse should also be designed so that it allows for the efficient use of the available space. That is especially true where a warehouse is operating from a rented space. The smaller the occupied space, the smaller the space to be rented and the rent expenses to be incurred. An efficient warehouse layout may also impact the number of workers required for its operations, which may have an effect on the labour expenses and overall profit levels of a business.
3. Modern Handling Equipment
Every warehouse ought to be equipped with the required handling equipment. More importantly, a warehouse manager should compel the owners to invest in the purchase of modern equipment. Modern handling pieces of equipment increase the efficiency of handling and moving loads from one point to another within and outside the warehouse. It may result in a huge decrease in the time required to complete a given task. The type of handling equipment used may also affect the amount of labour required in a warehouse. Efficient handling machines translate to fewer human labour requirements and, therefore, lower labour expenses.
The use of handling equipment greatly impacts the safety of the goods to be handled. That is because items are transported while still in their shipping containers whose physical properties provide much-needed protection against mechanical damage.
Every manager should aim at achieving the highest productivity and efficiency levels possible within their warehouses. This increases the efficiency with which they serve their clients well. This is an important aspect of customer service. The result may be customer satisfaction that is good for business.
