New Report Offers 30 Ways to Improve Your Warehouse

Logistics professionals from Amway and DEMATIC provide thirty ways to improve supply chain warehouse operations.

Tim HayesContributing Editor, Healthcare Packaging

Jun 12th, 2019

Warehouse / Image: PMMI

Recently, Kim Overstreet reported on a talk from Paul Slack, of Amway, and Ken Ruehrdanz, of DEMATIC, at the WERC Annual Conference for Logistics Professionals in Columbus, OH, at the end of April. With 80 years of combined experience in warehouse logistics and supply chain, Slack and Ruehrdanz provided a “Grab bag of ideas” to improve supply chain warehouse operations. “Some,” said Slack, “are simple, and most are stand-alone so you don’t have to replace all of the equipment in your warehouse. Some can be done for $10, and some with some effort.” Here are the first nine:

Directed Put-Away– Many warehouse management systems have this feature, but most don’t utilize it. Let the system direct the loads as they come in, based on proximity or volume. Benefits include optimizing warehouse layout, boosting stock availability, optimizing stock locations and expediting put-away.
Mobile Automation– Autonomous mobile robots. Standard manually operated forklifts can be retro-fitted with automation controls to make them an automated guided vehicles.
Various Size Storage Locations–Split pallets on lower level to have a place to put shorter pallets and maximize storage space.www.warehousingtools.comfrom University of Louisville offers a free application for optimization.
Hands-Free Scanning– Keep hands and eyes free to keep workers more ergonomic, productive and safe. Wrist-mount and vision are a couple of options.
Pick By Location– Unique identifier for each pick location. Avoid confusion and mistakes when items are moved or other changes made. Assign a bay number to each bay shelving, a level number and a sequence number across the shelf. Results in productivity and quality improvement.
Preventative Maintenance– Instead of responding to breakdowns. Equipment maintenance schedules, spare parts, issue logs and maintenance systems.
Over-Conveyor Picking– Utilizes unused space. Is simple, inexpensive and a good place to keep small or slow products (or conversely, fast products since it is ergonomic and productive).
Pick Carts– Batch picking - discrete order pick. Can be cart, software, tablet, pick-to-voice or put-to-light. Low capital expenditure.
Stock Profiling– Software options available to make improved product placement easy. Benefits include improved ergonomics, increased productivity, reduced movement, better packing, reduced shipping damage, and, slotting flexibility.