According to the report of Statista, “The number of warehousing services are increasing at a very impressive rate. In 2019, there were around 18,741 warehouses in the United States, employing around 6 million people.”
But why?
The reason behind this rise is:
- Development of the e-commerce and manufacturing sector.
- People have more disposable income (income after deduction of taxes).
- Upward turn in the demand for the different products.
The result? Manufacturers need more space to store their products. And undoubtedly the best storage place is a warehouse. However, storing your products at a place may look easy, but believe us, it is a struggle. You need to manage your inventory, record everything, and ensure that the shipping is as per the schedule.
As D. Ward has said, “If you can coordinate everything, but your warehouse or factory, you haven’t achieved very much.”
In simple terms, you have to ensure that the warehouse is organized. So that there is nothing that can cause any disruption in the working. Believe it or not, but in warehousing, even the slightest of clutter can lead to the loss of hundreds of dollars. Thus you need to stay cautious and be very particular about its maintenance.
Now the burning question is- How can you keep your warehouse organized? No worries! We’ve got your back! We have collected a few measures to help you arrange the space for smooth and efficient business operations. Are you ready to learn? Let’s get started!
Keep it clean and clutter-free
Imagine a scenario where you are searching for your favorite outfit to go on a date. But you couldn’t find it because your wardrobe is unorganized. And when you finally found it and went on the date, your partner was disappointed in you. Why? Because you were late.
The same goes for the warehouse. If it is not cleaned and clutter-free, you won’t be able to find the shipment packages on time. Consequences? Your client will not be satisfied with your service, and you might lose future business. That’s why you need to schedule regular cleaning of the warehouse.
Allocate different areas for different products, and create more space for the employees to walk around. Similarly, keep the items of regular usage at easy-to-access locations. It will reduce the chances of misplacing orders and will improve the efficiency of staff.
Use labels and signs
Once you have cleaned all the mess, you should label every inventory. It will make it easy for the employees to locate the product. In particular, for the new employees, it will be a new place for them and they can easily get lost or might misplace a product. Besides that, you should also add signs for emergencies, restricted entry, work zone, etc.
In fact, you can also provide maps to the employees to make it easy for them to navigate.
Utilize the whole space properly
To manage a warehouse is all about- how well you can use the limited space? For that, you need to be a bit good with math. Understand the height, width, and depth of the room and calculate its storage capacity. It will help you in utilizing the whole space available.
Nonetheless, don’t compromise with the safety of the staff, just so you can store more. Remember that it is one of the primary causes of higher warehouse related accidents.
Don’t forget about the door safety of the warehouse
When hundreds of items are stored in one place, the chance of damage due to theft, weather conditions, and any other cause rises. Thus you need to ensure two things:
A, No unauthorized person can enter the premises.
B, The items stored stay protected from the outside weather.
But how?
Well, you can do that by installing hangar doors. There are plenty of hangar doors that can help enhance its security. As it’s also been mentioned here https://www.appliedrite.com/tucson_industrial_hangar_doors.html, all the hangar doors are a work of expert craftsmanship. These can indeed reduce all your door safety concerns.
Keep a record of inventory
Is there any point in keeping the storage space clean if the inventory stored is not safe? No right? That’s the reason why you need to keep a record of all the inventory. As a matter of fact, inventory management is a crucial part of warehousing. It can indicate if any product is going out of stock, if you need safety stock or if any item is occupying unnecessary space.
Moreover, when you keep a check on inventory, it gives the dishonest employees a message that they won’t be able to steal anything from the company.
Regular training of staff
You can’t always be present at the warehouse. So you need to train your workforce to keep the place organized and cleaned. That’s not all! It is a dangerous job, so you also have to provide them training regarding the ‘do’s and don’ts of working at storage space’ to stay cautious and don’t do something that leads to a severe injury. In addition to this, if you use technology for the movement of goods, record inventory, or handle the waste. You need to provide it’s training as well.
Barcode your stock
If you are preoccupied with several things and don’t have time for keeping track of existing stock. You should implement barcoding software solutions. It can help you save a lot of time that you usually spend on production, recording, and shipment. It also provides you the real-time visibility of the place. Amazing. Isn’t it?
Regular pest control
Lastly, to help your workers stay healthy and your warehouse germ-free, you need to conduct regular pest control. Understand that every storage space can become a shelter for insects and birds. If you don’t keep on them, they can destroy the whole space. Pest control can help you in the prevention from such circumstances.
Wrapping up!
Yes, it is true that managing a warehouse is not at all easy. However, business is all about survival of the fittest. Don’t let a cluttered storage space be your weakness. Regular cleaning, proper signs, labels, secure hangar doors, training, and inventory records can help you manage. Once you get used to the cleaning, you’ll never face any difficulty in the operations.
