Common warehouse mistakes

One of the most common warehouse mistakes I see is businesses holding onto paper work. A lot of smaller businesses consider themselves a pick and pack business with no need for technology. There is no doubt it seems simpler at first, however, when looking at the overall picture it is a sure way to slow down the processes from sales order to pick and pack to invoice. It forces warehouse staff to bring in paperwork from the warehouse, and office staff to take the paper work outside to the warehouse. Materials handling is increased, then there is interpreting issues and also lost paperwork. It can seem like a huge effort to switch to a digital WMS but there isn't a need for the WMS to be complicated. There is an upfront cost but the return on investment is pretty rapid and it ensures the business has a standardised process when new or casual staff start.

The other mistake I see is businesses not optimising picking paths. Efficient picking paths can only really be determined once a WMS is in place and the business can start measuring active bin locations. Looking at what the most active bins can mean the warehouse may need to be laid out a little differently to ensure the shortest pick path. It is all about optimising not just the pick path, but also the putaway path, the replenishment path and more.

Just from these two points a business can have a relatively quick return on investment when implementing the right WMS. Speak to our team at [email protected] to see if our WMS can fit your business needs.