There are many factors, both large and small, that go into the continued productivity of a warehouse. Any of these factors, whether it be the layout of a facility or the actions of a single employee, can positively or negatively affect the efficiency of a facility. The common problems that warehouse managers run into are varied but must be identified and solved to run the business as efficiently as possible.
Issues With Facility Design
Many considerations go into the layout of a warehouse, including optimal use of space, the directional flow of work, and areas of both foot and vehicle traffic. If any of these factors are incongruous with one another, work proficiency can suffer. You must look at how your layout affects your workers and vice versa—sometimes, the issue is that there is not enough space to house all your inventory. Or incoming materials may have to cross heavily trafficked areas before employees can properly store them.
Begin With Organization
You need to know how to organize your work area to create a productive atmosphere for your employees. Your building’s layout is a foundation that the rest of your business builds upon, and without that solid foundation, efficiency will decline.
Poor Records of Inventory
Inventory management is the backbone of a productive warehouse, and without it, your team will scramble to know what you have in storage, how much of that item you have, and where you store these items. This lack of knowledge will lead to confusion and disorganization on nearly every level of the process, from delivery drivers to the receiving and storing team and the delivering team.
Know What You Have
You must keep meticulous records of everything you have, when you received it, where you store it, and when you need to transfer it out. These records will eliminate confusion and create a trail that you can follow if there is a problem at any point in the process.
Damage From Equipment
Your facility will most likely need to deal with heavy machinery, typically in the form of forklifts. These vehicles can cause serious damage to your pallet racks, inventory, and workers if not managed properly. Damage to racking systems can lead to weakened support structures, which may result in a total collapse, and injuries to workers, in the worst of scenarios, can prove fatal.
Require Training
Before anyone handles a vehicle on the warehouse floor, you must ensure they are trained and qualified to handle that type of machinery. Forklifts can cause untold damage in untrained or incompetent hands, and you need to treat these vehicles seriously.
Have Solutions Before Issues Become Serious
The problems that warehouse managers have to deal with vary in severity, but you need to give each issue sufficient and serious consideration. Whether it is a problem of safety or efficiency, you need to have an answer that satisfies the demands of the business and the needs of your workers.
