Shipping boxOf all the things involved in running a warehouse to make operations managers furrow their brows, order picking efficiency has to top the list. The process by which your workers pick and pack orders contributes to the highest costs of running your business, as well as your greatest losses in productivity when things don't running smoothly.

teardrop pallet rack - static gallery 1There's never a bad time to brush up on your pallet rack safety, and even if you're reminding yourself of a number of rules you already follow, you're doing yourself a big favor. The pallet rack experts at Speedrack Midwest make safety their number one priority, and we make a mantra of every one of these tips to ensure that no one ever gets hurt.

How to start your conveyor project rightYou can never have too much information when you're looking to install a conveyor system. A lot of thought and even more calculation must be put into something that is built entirely to improve efficiency. When you're ready to approach a material handling expert about a conveyor system, you'll want to be prepared with a number of things to speed up the process and share the same concerns as the experts building your system.

loading dock truck bayLoading docks are locations ripe for accident. The transition point between your building and the outdoor world is the spot where you're forced to cede control of things, whether you like it or not. Here you're dealing with trucks and drivers you don't know, bad weather, outdoor noise and distractions, and deterioration to your property. Any combination of factors can lead to accidents happening at the loading dock, and we're not just talking about those videos on YouTube of fully loaded pallet jacks tilting into truck bays and launching workers into the sky.

snow-glow-1405853-640x480Cross your fingers all you like, but coming off the back of two blisteringly cold, overwhelmingly snowy winters, you might be alone in your hopes for a mild start to 2016. Some had it worse than others, but even the hardy denizens of Michigan and the Midwest were ready to cry uncle when the mercury froze in place for weeks on end. We didn't forget how to have fun in the cold. We were just sick and tired of the havoc it wreaked on our infrastructure, closing roads, cutting power, freezing engines, and damaging our property. There isn't a warehouse manager out there who isn't afraid of the toll another winter could take on operations. With the right amount of preparation, however, it is possible to get through a bad winter largely unscathed.