Even if there are numerous companies who begin employees in the receiving area, they would be much better off to assign pro's to deal with the put-away jobs. Experienced people who really understand and know the products seldom mix objects that may seem the same but are quite different and they know how to stock shelves and bins correctly and thus, work a lot more effectively.
It is a good idea if you have new employees to start them out by filling orders. This provides them with an excellent chance to know the products, paperwork and customers as well as any electronic inventory system which may take some getting used to. Furthermore, it is easy to check their efficiency by going over their work orders as soon as they are packed for shipment.
The next suggestion is to schedule the truck arrival, as you truly do not want all trucks to come at the same time. By scheduling arrivals and being organized, you will eliminate pressure on shippers and receivers and also eliminate too much waiting time in the yard. The more effectively you can plan the arrival of your trucks, the less dock doors you will have to work which would save you a lot of money on utilities in the long run.
If you can, operate different shifts for shipping and receiving. One method is to receive products during one shift and separate the shipped items to a different shift. Organizing yourself in this way may allow you to reduce the staging area requirements by 50%. You may also be able to get rid of time-wasting bottlenecks within the warehouse. Also, by separating your shipping and receiving, you would know which shift to look over if any discrepancies happen down the road and could keep track of orders more effectively.
If the process of unloading is sped up, this would tremendously help you out as the unloaded truck could congest your yard. Based on studies, about 60% of mass merchants are capable of unloading trucks in less than an hour, whilst approximately 20 to 30 percent of the grocery industry performs at a similar standard. Make time to watch and time operations in order to see how your facility measures up overall.
Floor maintenance is key since floor defects may cause lift truck operators to take detours or slow down. This can lead to a reduction of productivity. Potholes or deteriorating floor section seams or uneven floors also cause wheel wear and vehicle damage. In some situations, really damaged floors could lead to loads tipping and product damage.