Tag: warehouse efficiency

What New Material Handling Innovations Were Showcased at ProMat in Chicago?

New Warehouse Equipment.
New Warehouse Equipment.

As anticipated, ProMat 2015 unveiled a wide variety of exciting new tools and solutions for warehouse efficiency. Chicago hosted the annual convention recently, and leaders in the material handling industry learned about innovative new products and advances in the field that are bringing great value to businesses — in the future and right now.

Highlights from ProMat 2015

We are particular excited about the products that boost efficiency by making it easier to store, move, and track inventory. At the Modula booth, for instance, the shelving and storage innovator showed off a new vertical storage solution. The new Modula VLM makes it easier to make use of square footage by maximizing vertical space. Controlled by computer and integrated with inventory management, the VLM makes it easy to pick items ranging from tiny and lightweight parts to large and heavy materials that weigh over a ton.

Our own warehouse mover solves the other half of the equation: pushing and pulling large, heavy carts around the facility. Workers slow down and face back, shoulder, and leg injuries from manually pushing wheeled carts. The warehouse mover speeds up material handling in two ways: automating cart movement, and keeping employees healthy and energized to get more done.

Other exciting highlights from ProMat 2015 included the Nuvera fuel cell battery from Yale and powerful fleet management software from Raymond. Overall, ProMat featured a wide variety of tools to improve efficiency and productivity in warehousing and material handling.

For more information about innovative new tools to speed up material handling at your facility, check out the warehouse mover and other industrial cart movers from DJProducts.com.

Tips for Ramping Up Warehouse Efficiency

The economy is forcing everyone to tighten up operations. Efficiency is today’s business byword. In a timely article posted on Supply Demand Chain, TriFactor systems engineer Greg Tuohy offered provocative tips to ramp up warehouse efficiency by improving material handling processes in distribution centers.

  1. Know where you’re at. Before you can decide where to make improvements, you have to know where you are, says Tuohy. Review operational data and break it down so you can see where your money goes and relationships between processes. Start with the big picture, but break it down to figure the cost of each element in the process. This will show you where you’re getting the best value for your dollar and where you need to tighten up your operation.
  2. Define customer service. Tuohy recommends defining your commitment to customers as narrowly as possible to allow more accurate measurement of success or failure. Defining what constitutes achievement of a perfect order, including labeling, delivery time, damage and documentation, also defines employee goals and customer expectations. Aim for realistic and achievable results that will give you a competitive edge.
  3. Touch it once. Each time an item is touched invites human error. Track the number of times an item is touched from the time the order is received until it ships out of your facility. Work to eliminate as many steps in the process as possible.
  4. Look up. When you need to expand operations, expand upward into unused overhead space instead of laterally. Elevating operations makes more efficient use of available space, allowing you to extend the useful life of your facility.
  5. Map SKUs. Gather data on SKUs in inventory, says Tuohy. Carefully map each SKU for shape, weight and velocity of use. Knowing how fast items move from demand to use allows you to slot your facility for maximum efficiency. “The data also allow you to take advantage of the cubing features of most warehouse management systems in order to calculate the appropriate-sized carton to use for a respective order,” says Tuohy, thus reducing carton and packing filler expenses.

Next time: More ways to ramp up warehouse efficiency

Warehouse Smart Systems and Software Boost Efficiency

Depositphotos_33796889_xs
Maximize Efficiency

As automation takes over your warehouse processes, the old warehouse management systems may be insufficient. A WMS can help direct people, but you need a warehouse control system (WCS) to direct the machines. A smart system provides the data you need, while also optimizing with some adjustments automatically.

Warehouse “smart systems,” like a modern WCS, can boost efficiency through real-time alerts and automated decision making. When one piece of equipment malfunctions, the manager can see that on the WCS and immediately take action to prevent a domino effect on the rest of the process.

When you manage a variety of industrial warehouse tugs, conveyor belts, scissor lifts, and other automated and manual equipment in one place, you need a single overview and command center to keep them working in harmony. That’s the beauty of a warehouse smart system.

Scott Stone of Cisco-Eagle describes the benefits of a WCS:

  • Efficiency: Maximize the potential benefits of automated materials handling by letting a WCS automatically monitor and adjust equipment in real-time.
  • Maintenance: The WCS serves as a proactive tool to detect equipment problems faster than a chain of human communication.
  • Real-time Data: Make better warehouse efficiency and performance decisions by using data on specific equipment and the entire process, all in one place.

Every step to bridge together manual and automated processes helps. Automate what you can, and use ergonomic equipment to help partially automate human tasks. Motorized equipment like our industrial warehouse tugs makes more of your processes efficient and reliable.

Explore our industrial warehouse tugs including the PartsCaddy electric platform cart and the RiderCaddy motorized tug at DJProducts.com.

Improve Your Warehouse’s Efficiency with These Tips

Small changes in warehouse management can quickly add up to a major boost in productivity. Here are some crucial tips to improve warehouse efficiency day in and day out:

Update your Management Software

Nobody should be relying on pen and paper or decade-old inventory software. Even very small businesses can find affordable options for advanced software with features that streamline the efficiency of both the warehouse and your management tasks.

Count—and Recount—Everything

Someone should count and double-check every item and box, in both incoming and outgoing orders. Ideally, two employees should check each order. The moment of time costs very little compared to the labor and resources that go into correcting a mistake later.

Organize & Clean All Areas, Including Your Office

With a repeatable system for staying clean and organized, you will lose fewer items, misplace fewer order slips, and enjoy a healthier and more positive work environment. Seeing a clean manager’s office helps encourage this among the staff.

Encourage Employees with Experience to Help Others

You can build accountability and efficiency by instructing your experienced staff members to spend some time monitoring and helping their fellow employees. Senior workers can spot inefficiencies and can also report back to you on how your staff and system are really doing.

Use Motorized Carts Instead of Unnecessary Labor

The manual labor of pushing and pulling heavy equipment hurts your efficiency and causes a greater risk of lost time due to injuries. Look into ergonomic motorized carts to boost productivity on every task.

If your warehouse has carts, platform trucks, waste containers and other heavy equipment, check out our cart caddy solutions that will boost your efficiency.