Best practices for warehouse management activities

A warehouse is more than a place to store stock; warehousing is an integral part of any business because it encompasses logistics, manufacturing, customer relationship management and more.

Getting things right at this juncture can make all the difference when it comes to ensuring orders are fulfilled on-time and on-budget. Businesses and end-customers alike can benefit from a more efficient warehouse – and here’s how:

Train your warehouse management operatives

Efficient warehousing activities start and ends with a competent team. With the right planning, guidance and performance monitoring it’s possible to improve team productivity and streamline warehouse management activities. Regular retraining and morale-boosting sessions can help staff to remain focused and dedicated, and good leadership will ensure commitment – even when the going gets tough (think night-shifts during the Christmas rush as just one example).

Implement the right ERP Software

Enterprise resource planning is crucial when it comes to managing all aspects of your warehouse, and an ERP system aimed specifically at the distribution, fulfilment and manufacturing sectors will have all the functionality that will make all the difference. A good ERP solution will include warehouse management features and provide the scalability, flexibility, customer management and stock control methods required to allow employees to manage and schedule warehousing tasks with complete professionalism. Ultimately, busy environments need to be able to react – and software with just-in-time stock control is precisely what you need to give your business the upper hand.

Choose the right tools for the job

At a bare minimum, most warehouses require the following:

• Shelving
• Pallet racks
• Pallet jacks
• Flow racks 
• Order picking trucks 
• Fork lifts 
• Employees

In addition to this, your operation may require conveyors and other mechanisms designed to increase efficiency and improve packing times. Although making physical improvements to a warehouse can take a certain amount of planning, the right ERP can play a crucial role in the design and implementation of improvements the warehouse processes.

Optimise your storage

Some warehouses will house a variety of assorted products from multiple suppliers at any given time. By optimising storage areas, you're ensuring that your warehouse is efficient, transparent and productive. Once again, ERP software can help make this job a lot less painful than it initially sounds. For added optimisation consider automated handling systems, data collection and barcoding so, you will be able to track all goods inwards and outwards. 

The only way is up 

Believe it or not, by maximising your vertical space in your warehouse you can drastically increase picking speeds by up to three times. Consider compressing your shelf levels and narrowing aisles to reduce the level of footfall your employees cover on a daily basis.

A simple solution

WinMan is a comprehensive all-in-one ERP system designed to cover every aspect of warehouse management, distribution, manufacturing and CRM. It’s been specifically developed from the ground up to function as an integrated business solution for single or multiple site agencies.

For more information on how WinMan ERP can help solve many of your warehousing and logistic problems, simply get in touch and a member of our friendly and experienced team will be happy to discuss your requirements.