Several companies might prefer to utilize new workers in the shipping and receiving area, though they might be better served to assign professionals to deal with these demanding jobs. Experienced individuals who understand and know the products rarely mix items that might seem the same but are somewhat different and they really know how to stock shelves and bins correctly and hence, work more efficiently.
It is a good idea if you have new staff to start them out by filling orders. This provides them with a great opportunity to know the products, paperwork and clients as well as any electronic inventory system which could take some getting used to. Furthermore, it is very easy to check their efficiency by going over their work orders as soon as they are packed for shipment.
Since you do not want to have many trucks arriving at the same time, the next step is to schedule truck arrival. By scheduling arrivals and being organized, you would eliminate too much waiting time in the yard and also eliminate pressure on receivers and shippers. The more efficiently you can schedule the arrival of your trucks, the less dock doors you will have to work which would save you money on utilities in the long run.
If you are able to, work different shifts for shipping and receiving. One method is to receive products in one shift and separate the shipped items to another shift. Organizing yourself in this manner may enable you to reduce the staging area needs by 50 percent. You may also be able to eliminate time-wasting bottlenecks in the warehouse. In addition, by separating your shipping and receiving, you would know which shift to look over if any discrepancies occur down the road and could keep track of orders more effectively.
If the process of unloading is sped up, this would tremendously help you out as the unloaded truck can congest your yard. Based on studies, approximately 60 percent of mass merchants are capable of unloading trucks in less than an hour, whereas about 20 to 30% of the grocery industry works at a similar standard. Take time to watch and time operations to be able to see how your facility measures up overall.
Floor maintenance is important since floor defects could cause lift truck operators to slow down or take detours. This could lead to a reduction of efficiency. Deteriorating floor section seams or uneven floors or potholes also result in vehicle damage and wheel wear. In some cases, floors which are really damaged can result in loads tipping and product damage.