A warehouse teeming with workers over its hundreds of thousands of square feet may not experience downtime in the traditional sense, but there are plenty of ways in which time is wasted on the sly while people appear to be working their tails off. Unscheduled maintenance, long transit times, and communication hang-ups are among the most popular ways that we waste time on the job. Whether we're too lazy to fix them or too stubborn to entertain new methods, there's no denying that we're often wasting time when a little forethought and preparation will go a long way to increase productivity and reduce effort.
Mobile workstations
Pickers, inventory managers, and other personnel who frequently make trips to the warehouse may find themselves spending an awful lot of time between tasks. Rather than force them to retreat to a central workstation like a honeybee to the hive, bring the workstation to them, wherever they go. That way they can pull the product they need and record their actions instantaneously.
Wireless technology
Take mobile workstations a step further by researching wireless technology to incorporate into your warehouse management system. Tech companies are pushing the envelope every day with wearable, ergonomic gear, and while we're not insisting you become an early adopter, we do suggest looking into gear that will fit your system and has been proven to work.
Inventory placement
You wouldn't have to put every workstation on wheels if you can cut down on transit times. Consider revising your inventory placement strategy so that popular products are closer at hand for pickers. This goes hand in hand with all warehouse traffic improvements. Avoid traffic snarls, accidents, and wasted time all at once by consolidating products. Get rid of the unpredictability of it all.
A well-stocked parts depot
When regular maintenance fails, you can save the next shift from wasting time by having a well-stocked parts depot for your maintenance techs to get the job done. Nothing like waiting for a specially ordered part to arrive when you need your full fleet of forklifts up and running to meet quotas and ensure high production.
Regular maintenance
Accepting that regular maintenance should be done to your equipment will help you keep things running smoothly over the long run It may require some extra work to start, but you'll notice that after awhile without any major interruptions from crises involving poorly maintained racks, equipment, and vehicles, you're saving lots of time that would've been sacrificed in the scramble to get things back to normal.
Speedrack Midwest is dedicated to getting the most out of your warehouse with the right equipment and the best design. You can contact us today at 616-887-8886 to talk to a member of our team about the problems your warehouse is facing and what you're looking to accomplish.