Common Warehousing Mistakes To Avoid This Year

Running a warehouse is more complex than it seems. A misstep can throw off processes and affect productivity, so it’s essential to recognize potential issues. Read these common warehousing mistakes to avoid this year, and steer clear of problems.

Not Organizing Inventory

Failing to organize inventory is a huge mistake for warehouse operations. Employees can’t locate items, and it’s hard to retrieve things for customers. Creating a manageable organizational system is critical. Companies should integrate warehouse management systems to keep track of inventory and orders.

Overlapping Shipping and Receiving Area

Warehouse teams with limited space find it challenging to designate specific areas. In particular, they may overlap shipping and receiving areas. This isn’t a good idea. Failing to separate these spaces creates chaos and inefficiencies. It’s easy to send the wrong items or misplace important orders in a crowded room.

Luckily, warehouse partition walls separate areas into sectioned workspaces. Quickly designate shipping and receiving areas with the divider! Partition walls are must-have warehouse tools.

Not Maintaining a Clean Facility

Scattered debris, messy loading docks, and overfilled racks aren’t a good look. A messy facility is dangerous and not productive. Workers may trip over scattered items and injure themselves. An unkempt warehouse is inefficient, as employees spend time searching for products rather than completing tasks.

The best tip for cleanliness is to tidy the warehouse throughout the day and prevent clutter from accumulating. Small housekeeping efforts make a huge difference!

Forgetting To Properly Train Staff

Forgetting to train staff properly is a warehousing mistake to avoid this year. Your staff members are the backbone of the business, as they fulfill orders and keep everything afloat. At times, companies forget to prioritize staff training and assume workers understand procedures, but this isn’t always the case.

Ongoing training and development ensure workers understand processes. It’s necessary to address everything during training, from stocking shelves to understanding safety protocols. Knowledge creates confident and efficient workers. It also avoids in-house mistakes and workplace accidents.

Failing To Plan for Growth or Change

Business owners use warehouse space that’s appropriate for their operation. Unless they plan to carry more stocks, owners lease sizeable spaces for the company. However, planning for growth and change is important, regardless of anticipated situations.

What if your company experiences a shift in demand? What if you get an influx of products? You need enough space to handle extra inventory. Establish backup plans for different situations, such as extra storage locations to fit additional items. Have extra pallets, racks, and storage tools ready to go!