We all know that organising your warehouse in order to find items quickly is best practice for all companies, however, there’s a lot more to it than simply enacting your own methods. Great warehouse organisation helps to maximise productivity as well as deliver a great ROI for your time by perfecting the accuracy of how you manage your inventory.
Get Started with our Inventory Management Tips
Make sure you’re on top of upkeep
Warehouse inventory management started with a well organised warehouse. In order to effectively manage your inventory control system, be sure you’ve got a warehouse that meets current industry standards and is inspected regularly.
Once you have a space that can safely and effectively store items, regular upkeep will ensure that nothing falls to the wayside, avoiding the disorganisation that can quickly take over any warehouse storage solutions in Melbourne. Staying on top of things is the first step.
Give priority space to your most in-demand products
If you have a product that sells better than the rest, you’ll want these items located in a place that’s easy to access and quick to move out. However, be sure that these truly are items that will “fly off the shelves” so to speak, in order to avoid any damage that may result from constantly relocating them.
Utilise cycle counts
When performing your inventory control audits, don’t wait till the end of the year to carry these out. Instead, facilitate cycle counts and analyse any discrepancies by choosing regular intervals that work for you. Cycle counting usually occurs in waves over time, occurring regularly or even perpetually, with small subsets being counted during each allotted wave.
It may be beneficial to count certain locations regularly so that your knowledge of what’s happening is more accurate throughout the year.
Minimise unnecessary/unauthorised traffic and have an allotted service space
To avoid unauthorised people walking through your space – which can be unsafe and hinder the momentum of workers in your warehouse – make entry into your space near impossible unless you’re a member of staff.
This can be through physical barricades, providing uniforms for certified staff to wear, or by putting protocol into place that ensures visitors know to go to the front of the office if they have a meeting. That way, anyone who is not meant to be amongst the warehouse operations won’t be.
Label everything
Ensuring that all products are adequately labelled is the best way to make sure that they’re easily picked out from other items when they’re needed. This way you’re not only making it easier for warehouse staff to find what they’re after but you’re also reducing the chance for errors which can be costly.
Labelling can be done through written stickers, however this may not be adequate for larger warehouses that move items in and out on a regular basis. With this in mind, a SKU system with the appropriate barcodes may be a better option.
Implement quality control measures
Avoid costly mistakes by putting quality control measures into place. This will ensure that another layer of responsibility is applied that will not only keep staff accountable but also ensures that they play their part in hindering avoidable mistakes.
Be sure to play your part in quality control by using the best pallet racking system for your storage needs. Erect-A-Rack has got you covered. Contact us today for safe and effective storage solutions and pallet racking installation in Melbourne.