Techniques for Reducing Waste in Warehouse Operations

These 2 metrics impact your warehouse efficiency the most. Number of touches and the time between tasks. These are fundamental questions I ask when evaluating automation: 𝟭. Will this reduce the number of times product is touched? 𝟮. Will this reduce the amount of time between touches? This helped me recently show a brand how to remove 4 touches and several hours of dwell time from their inbounding process. Which also freed up thousands of square feet in their receiving area previously used for staging. 𝗢𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱: Each item was received at the dock then manually sorted by many workers into cages suitable for order picking lifts. When a cart was filled it was moved to a staging area. It took between 30 minutes and an hour for a lift driver to retrieve the cart then drive down the aisle to put away locations. When the pick shelving needed replenishment another order picker would drive down the same aisle , retrieve master cartons, then take them to the carton flow area. Another worker would then remove the cartons from the mixed pallet replenishing the correct carton flow slot. This was 5 touches: sort, stage, put-away, retrieve, replenish And their product sat in a dwell state for 2-3 hours. 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱: The worker in receiving scans the carton and places it onto a shelf that has been brought to them by a mobile robot...then taken away by the mobile robot. That was 1 touch and 0 dwell time. Product is now live inventory and ready to be ordered. No replenishment necessary. This change saved an average of 5 minutes per master carton. Their smaller-sized operation uses 1,000 master cartons per day. This equates to 5000 minutes per day saved or roughly 10 people. How much is your legacy inbounding process costing you? ===== 📩Send me a message or schedule a meeting in the “featured” section of my profile to find a solution that is right for you. I supply automation technology for fulfillment operations like yours. I am your “easy” button. ♻️Repost if you found this useful.♻️

You might think you're saving time, but you're actually creating inefficiencies Here's why: You're stuck in a bad habit of batching your work. ___ Batch Production is an old-school manufacturing practice where identical or similar items are grouped together, before moving on. They do this to keep machines running and to avoid lengthy changeovers. But there are many downsides. One of them is overproduction. Operators lose focus working on large batches, while equipment drifts out of standards between changeovers. Operational snags: -Long lead times -Uneven workflow -Inefficient space management -Defects hide among the batches -Piles of WIP inventory waiting for the next step These lead to: -Some stations being overloaded, others waiting -Low responsiveness to customer demand -More scrap and rework -Higher carrying costs -Facility costs up Luckily, there is a way out: Switch to One-Piece Flow (OPL) With OPL, workcells are arranged so that products can flow one at a time. Changeovers become quick and routine. Main benefits: +High customer responsiveness +Minimal work-in-process inventory +Quality issues are detected immediately +Reduced wasted space and material handling +Easy to level load production to match takt time Choosing between batch and one-piece flow can have HUGE impacts on quality, productivity, and lead time in operations.

CPG brands are losing millions to expired inventory. But with lot tracking, FEFO, and FIFO, you can stop the bleed—if used correctly! 🚀 Lot number tracking is your quality control superhero. When problems arise, locate the exact batch in seconds. FEFO gets fresh perishables flying off shelves while reducing waste and delighting customers. FIFO ensures non-perishables rotate smoothly without gathering dust. Together, these strategies minimize expirations and maximize profits! But remember: implementation matters! A clunky system turns tools into roadblocks. Seek a 3PL partner that integrates effortlessly into your operations—one that truly understands CPG inventory management. Don’t let expired stock cut into your profits. Embrace smart practices for soaring efficiency! Your inventory is crucial; treat it accordingly! #InventoryManagement #SupplyChainEfficiency #WasteReduction #QualityControl #BatchTracking #FreshnessMatters #OperationalExcellence #PerishableGoods #NonPerishableStrategy #LogisticsSolutions

Want to trim down your inventory and product fulfillment expenses? Here are some strategies:   📦 Reduce inventory cost:   1. Focus on minimizing write-offs due to damage, spoilage, shrinkage and obsolescence. Use the first expire, first out (FEFO) method for inventory management, maintain proper storage conditions and ensure accurate tracking. 2. Inspect goods upon receipt from suppliers and hold them accountable for damaged items through chargebacks and logging infractions. 3. Implement regular cycle counting for continuous visibility on inventory levels, reducing shrinkage. 4. Strengthen upstream processes to modulate the demand signal effectively to avoid overstocking and reduce dead inventory.  📦 Reduce cost of fulfillment:   1. Streamline receiving and putaway processes for incoming goods to minimize labor and touches. 2. Drive throughput in transforming raw materials into finished goods through optimized work orders, kitting and assembly processes. 3. Improve accuracy of picking, packing and shipping processes for finished goods to customers.    Don’t know what to start with? I recommend prioritizing value over the cheapest option.   Why? Because you get what you pay for. Shortcuts tend to become long term headaches that risk the customer relationships you worked so hard to build.   #fulfillment #SupplyChainManagement #supplychain #supplychaintrends #inventorycosts