Tips For Manage A Warehouse With Efficient Organization

Author: Preben Paulsen

Setting up a business that majorly relies on warehousing can be an arduous task. The role of warehouses is crucial in the supply chain. A lean, well-organised warehouse is one of many keys that keeps businesses prosperous and running efficiently. Therefore, warehouse management and organisation can impact your business. An effective shopfitting warehouse design is built around a good layout and space optimization. Apart from this, it also includes various other elements such as inventory shelving systems, warehouse labeling, shelve management systems, warehouse management systems, technology, and assigned picking and receiving areas. Warehouses that are properly managed and are well-organized are more effective in receiving merchandise, preparing orders, loading containers, delivering on time, etc. All these factors contribute towards a great performance of a business and as a result, attract a huge customer base.

Usually, business owners neglect the significance of a decluttered, well-organised warehouse which eventually affects their business. Organising the warehouse must be the priority of every business owner. All the decisions should be supporting the organization of your warehouse and should aim towards boosting productivity, space optimization, reducing costs, and finally delivering exemplary customer services.

Following are some of the ideas and tips that you can consider while organising or shopfitting warehouse design:

1. Reevaluate The Floor Plan

The floor plan of a warehouse is crucial to consider while designing. Tools, shelves, inventory shelving systems, workbenches, tables, etc need to be placed logically and must be accessible to your staff. Your staff must be perfectly trained and must work together to maintain a smooth and efficient workflow. The physical layout of your warehouse should be a well-functional one and should not obstruct the daily operations of your business. An ideal warehouse layout aims at the following aspects:

  • Minimize handling of merchandise
  • Maximising available space or space optimization
  • Easily accessible merchandise
  • Enabling storage flexibility
  • Creating ample working space

2. Utilise the vertical space

The owners of any warehouse will be wasting substantial space if they are not opting for the shelving method in the form of a warehouse shelving management system, inventory shelving systems, shelving management systems, etc. The shelving method can be used effectively to rack your merchandise. You have to carefully plan where each item would go to avoid cluttering inside your warehouse if you do not go for a good shelving system. On the other hand, opting for a shelving method makes things so easier and efficient. You can save a lot of time & effort and gain valuable space if you decide to place the merchandise at the top of the shelves. Just remember not to place the items too high as they can collapse under the weight.

3. Declutter your warehouse at regular intervals

Clutter is the biggest obstacle for any warehouse as it is bound to create several problems. Risks of severe injuries also increase if your warehouse is cluttered. Therefore, you must regularly declutter your warehouse to ensure the safety of your staff and the efficiency of your business. You should inspect the condition of your warehouse at regular intervals and make sure to eliminate any potential threat. Moreover, you can teach your work staff about potential hazards and serious implications of a decluttered warehouse that has things lying around. Once you have trained the workers thoroughly, you can have a smooth functioning warehouse.

4. Labels & Signage

You can have a perfectly organised warehouse by putting up some labels and signage. Labeling and signage ensure organisation and facilitate the smooth functioning of your warehouse for a longer period of time. Once you are done laying out your warehouse, labels will make it easier for your employees to find things and will save a lot of time. This will be very helpful for the recently appointed workers or for the temporary labor.

Apart from labeling you can add signage to restricted or hazardous areas and ensure the safety of your employees. Make sure to regularly update the labels and signage as per requirements. This will reduce the opportunities for errors and mistakes.

5. Review storage capacity

Another aspect that can ensure the organization of your warehouse is reviewing your storage capacity. Storage capacity is basically the maximum limit/amount your systems can hold. You can determine the storage capacity by doing simple mathematical calculations i.e., height x width x depth = storage capacity in cubic feet.

You can have a different approach to calculating the storage capacity depending upon the type of shelving you have opted for.