Even if there are lots of companies that start employees in the receiving area, they would be a lot better off to assign pro's to handle the put-away jobs. Qualified individuals who really understand and know the products rarely mix things that are similar in appearance but are somewhat different and they know how to properly stock bins and shelves and thus, work a lot more efficiently.
It is a good idea if you have new employees to start them out by filling orders. This provides them with a great chance to know the products, customers and paperwork along with any electronic inventory system which can take some getting used to. In addition, it is really easy to check their effectiveness by going over their work orders when they are packed for delivery.
The next suggestion is to plan the truck arrival, as you really do not want all trucks to arrive at the same time. By scheduling arrivals and being organized, you will eliminate pressure on receivers and shippers and also eliminate excessive waiting time in the yard. The more effectively you can plan the arrival of your trucks, the fewer dock doors you would have to operate that will really save you a lot of money on utilities in the long run.
If you can, work different shifts for shipping and receiving. One method is to receive products in one shift and separate the shipped products to another shift. Organizing yourself in this manner can enable you to reduce the staging area needs by 50%. You might also be able to eliminate time-wasting bottlenecks in the warehouse. Moreover, by separating your shipping and receiving, you can keep track of orders more effectively and would know which shift to look over if any discrepancies occur down the road.
If the unloading process is sped up, this would tremendously help you out as the unloaded truck could congest your yard. According to research, around 60% of mass merchants are capable of unloading trucks in under 60 minutes, while roughly 20 to 30% of the grocery business works at a similar standard. Take time to watch and time operations in order to see how your facility measures up overall.
Floor maintenance is important because floor defects could cause lift truck operators to take detours or slow down. This can result in a reduction of efficiency. Potholes or deteriorating floor section seams or uneven floors also lead to wheel wear and vehicle damage. In certain situations, really damaged floors can result in loads tipping and product damage.