Running a successful warehousing operation involves inventory control and a clean, efficient floor plan. You’re competing with more than 4.2 million warehousing businesses across the United States of America, so making the most of your physical space is essential to store more goods and access them easily. You can find several methods that will fit your needs when you stock shelves.
Overhauling your existing layout can feel daunting, but the benefits of an organized storage space outweigh the work required to make it happen. The good news is that you’ve found the perfect guide to learning about different methods to stock shelves for an efficient and effective warehouse business.
Keep reading to learn more today!
Organize Your Floor Plan
The first thing to do when you efficiently choose to stock shelves is to consider your current floor plan. Most floor plans need to be designed with efficiency in mind. The new floor plan can fix several issues with one action.
Overhauling your floor plan isn’t necessary to maximize your physical space. It could become a long-term goal with gradual changes to your warehouse.
Your warehouse organization should always prioritize safety for your employees. You’ll never operate an efficient warehouse if your employees are in harm’s way each day. Warehouse workers are more efficient when moving about the warehouse without injury.
Start focusing on your workflow, with the inventory you receive getting processed and placed into a storage space. This makes a pick-and-pack method more efficient for your operations.
Stay Organized
An excellent way to make the most of warehouse organization is to invest in signage and labels for different areas in your warehouse. It’s an easy tip to implement immediately to keep operations moving smoothly. Don’t write off signage as a minor upgrade, as it will benefit your workers and processes in the future.
Your employees will always know where to go to find essentials for their work tasks. Things will always end up where they’re supposed to, thanks to the labels that you’ve placed throughout your company warehouse.
Inventory is essential to label, but you should also include signage to warn of potential hazards. Little changes like hazard signs go a long way toward promoting a safe work environment. Replace labels as needed to prevent mistakes and accidents.
Classify Your Inventory
Learning how to classify your inventory is vital if you want to run an efficient and organized warehouse. SKUs are an excellent way to track the products that enter and exit your warehouse. Use data with your SKUs to keep track of how many items your warehouse moves each week.
You should also take inventory of the items already in your warehouse. Classify them into different sizes and types when you reorganize your storage space.
Another helpful category to use is the amount of time it takes for products to move. You can categorize your products into groups like fast, medium, slow, and very slow movers.
Using the data you collect allows you to know how much each item costs to pick and pack. Using the best inventory app will help you stay on the right track with your inventory management.
Create an Efficient Receiving Process
Much of the stress you’ll experience with warehouse organization starts with your receiving process. A pile of boxes that have yet to get sorted and stored is a sign of a disorganized warehouse operation. Take time to review your receiving process when you set out to learn how to stock shelves in an organized manner.
The inventory you receive is just as important as the inventory you’re selling and shipping to customers. It’s wise to choose an employee who is responsible for receiving and stocking new inventory when it arrives. This employee acts as the quality gate and ensures everything ends up where it’s labeled to go.
You’ll never know if you received the correct quantity if you’re not processing your new inventory. It’s also possible that you’ll discover damage to your new inventory after it’s too late to get replacements from your supplier. Store your items as soon as they arrive in the proper storage space for each.
Lean Your Inventory
Another tip to use when you stock shelves in your warehouse is to use a learn inventory storage method. You’ll need to use Just-In-Time principles for your inventory, meaning you only store what you need. There is less to organize when you carry less inventory in your warehouse.
Keeping some backup stock is wise, but you should avoid keeping more than you need. The data you collect will help you determine what a safe inventory level is. It’s much easier to provide the service your customers expect when you have a lean inventory.
Keep Safety Stock Organized
Safety stock helps you keep things afloat when supply chain crises occur. The COVID-19 pandemic displayed to many business owners how vulnerable their supply chain is. Having safety stock organized and ready to go allows you to have your bases covered if you sell out of inventory.
You’ll manage unpredictable issues with your supply chain with ease when you have your safety stock organized. Designat a special storage space for this inventory to ensure it doesn’t get lost or unorganized. Your inventory won’t get misplaced if you keep safety storage labeled and organized.
Use a Warehouse Management System
Warehouse management software is essential if you plan on managing a large warehouse. It’s an investment worth making for optimizing your storage methods and tracking the SKUs in your warehouse at all times.
Now You’re Ready to Stock Shelves
Learning the best ways to stock shelves for your warehouse is vital if you want to run a successful and efficient warehousing venture. Use labels and signs to promote warehouse organization and safety, and invest in a warehouse management system to track inventory. Reorganize your floor plan to maximize your storage space for a pick-and-pack shipping method.
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