How to Improve Warehouse Productivity
Productivity is essential in the workplace, especially in warehouses that deliver, receive and track shipments. Every element of operations can use an efficiency boost. Working faster, safer and more efficiently is key to growing your business and ensuring your team shapes a worthwhile working environment.
If you want to see warehouse productivity increase, check out this guide for the best tips. With Holt of California, you can refine your operation strategies and ensure productivity soars.
1. Reduce Wasted Time to Increase Workplace Productivity
One of the quickest ways to maximize productivity is to reduce wasted time throughout your facility. Making your team’s responsibilities more manageable can incentivize them to complete tasks much quicker and safer. Check out these strategies for cutting time:
- Ask for feedback: Sometimes, the best place to start is by asking your team about the changes they want to see. Your employees have in-depth knowledge of the day-to-day operations, so they may have some great ideas about where you can dedicate resources.
- Organize workstations: Organization is the key to productivity. Dedicated workspaces with easy access to all the tools or equipment your team needs can increase efficiency. Ask your team to inspect tools for wear and remove any items that need repairs so they don’t take up valuable space. This can reduce frustration and time by empowering your team to access materials they know will work without searching for the correct items.
- Think about item placement: Rethink your shelf strategy to find the best location for every item to reduce the time your team needs to search for things. For example, place tools your employees use most days on accessible shelves and place any products you rarely ship in less accessible locations.
- Train and encourage managers to help: Managers can easily help workers increase productivity by offering a helping hand and being approachable for questions and advice. Improving your manager training can affect your entire facility as you ask more hands to assist in daily functions while being accessible to other team members.
2. Find Efficient Tracking Technology for Modern Processes
Technologies and management systems offer a reprieve for warehouses to minimize manual tasks. For example, tracking by hand can take much time and effort, especially if a product is in the wrong location. Using a tracking system such as radio frequency identification (RFID) can streamline this process because each product has a specialized barcode, allowing your team to track whatever they need at the push of a button anywhere in the warehouse.
You can also consider various warehouse management systems (WMS). This software can help refine your strategies for workflow, plan layouts and similar tasks. These systems can create the best methods for picking inventory and direct employees to the most efficient route for product selection. These time-saving techniques can minimize lost time and aid your team in achieving higher productivity.
3. Use Proper Equipment for Better Material Handling
Using proper equipment with excellent function is vital for each job. Each piece should aid your team in transporting or tracking products. Modern, advanced pieces will help your team excel much quicker than outdated or damaged ones, and maintaining your equipment will help every piece last longer.
All moving pieces need planned maintenance to ensure their lifetime and provide the best service possible. Neglecting maintenance can lead to costly repairs and cause large downtimes as your team learns to navigate its process without the necessary machines or components. Create a maintenance plan to service your essential equipment to ensure productivity remains at its best.
Furthermore, consider adding valuable equipment pieces to your arsenal. For example, a forklift increases productivity by empowering your team to quickly place items in high locations and move more products at a single time. Using the right forklift will significantly impact your team’s productivity, as some are more suited for moving large amounts of product quickly, and others are better for navigating narrow isles and right angles. You can also choose between stand-up and sit-down models, so evaluate your team’s needs alongside battery capacity, battery type, voltage and carrying capacity.
How You Can Boost Forklift Fleet Productivity
As your business grows, you’ll need more space and efficient practices to keep a consistent flow. Forklifts can boost productivity, but there are many other ideas you can consider to ensure you get the most out of your equipment and time. Forklifts make it easier for employees to:
- Navigate the facility: Lift trucks empower teams to reduce the time it takes to complete some manual tasks. Large lifting capacities and efficient movement speeds can help people navigate the facility much faster while holding more items.
- Move large quantities of products: Forklifts have high-strength abilities, allowing one team member to move a heavy load without exerting as much physical effort or relying on other team members for assistance.
- Store items more efficiently: Facilities without forklifts often have many products taking up floor space. With a lift truck, you can utilize high shelves and ensure your warehouse remains organized while maximizing your space.
While your forklifts work to aid your team, you can boost forklift productivity by having the right attachments and accessories.
Accessories and features such as cameras, lasers, auto-tilt leveling and height indicators can reduce the guesswork in operation tasks, minimizing mistakes and time you need to adjust. For example, layer pickers can grab several product layers simultaneously, cutting down manual moving time. Other accessories, like a side shifter, can empower your team to quickly manipulate the forklift to position it for loads.
You’ll need to evaluate your facility’s design and layout to determine what accessories, features and attachments would most benefit your business. Each attachment is different, so be sure to invest in the pieces that will make the most significant impact on your facility. Understanding your available space and your team’s needs will define the most convenient pieces.
Contact Holt of California to Learn More
Holt of California is a proud Caterpillar dealer, and we bring unique solutions to meet the diverse needs of each of our customers. Our wide variety of equipment empowers business owners and workers to maximize productivity while increasing safety and efficiency.
If you’re looking for a lift truck productivity boost, look no further. We’re proud to be your go-to lift truck support and sales partner. Whether you need a rental or a more permanent solution, we’ve got you covered. Our team brings exceptional knowledge to every service and product, so you can feel confident that we can find the best solution for your business.
We’ve been partnering with our customers for more than 90 years, and we’ve earned our reputation as an industry leader. Our superior customer service adapts as your needs change, so we can always be sure to exceed your expectations.
We stand behind our products and services and feel confident you’ll love them, too. Contact us for more information about our products and services and to discover how we can help your warehouse boost productivity.
