Warehousing Challenges, Part II: Time to Evolve
Stress.
If you’re in the warehousing industry, odds are you’re quite familiar with this word. The growth of eCommerce continues to happen at a fast and furious rate and it’s hard to keep up. You probably often wonder what it will take to stay relevant in this ever-changing industry. What it boils down to, is this:
It’s time to say goodbye to your legacy systems, including your trusty computer-on-wheels. It’s time to automate.
Any retailer interested in staying relevant in the 2020s has no choice other than to combine the operations behind its online store and its traditional shopping centers or risk becoming obsolete. And behind the scenes in the warehouse is where the magic happens.
With online orders flooding in, the quantities of goods in your warehouse are multiplying. Your entire warehouse management system (WMS) must acclimate to these changes, while taking into account many considerations, including the following:
- Can transportation costs be lowered?
- Can the speed of delivery times be improved?
- Are new suppliers/partners with optimal locations available?
- Should inventory policies be changed?
- What will it take to retain skilled employees?
- How can we equip workers to perform most efficiently
- How can we stay in compliance with regulations?
Think LEAN.
The principals of “lean manufacturing” have translated into the warehousing world, and enterprises are striving to create facilities that reduce waste and increase productivity. According to an article on Lean.org;
“The ultimate goal is to provide perfect value to the customer through a perfect value creation process that has zero waste.”
Zero waste means that your warehouse will be performing at optimal levels and maximizing profits. That’s where we all want to be, isn’t it?
So we’ve established the fact that there is an overwhelming need for efficiency, value and modernization. However, the fact remains that you aren’t quite sure how to make updates without disrupting your processes and causing further delays.
Part 3 of this blog series dives into the first step towards attaining an updated, efficient, and highly productive warehouse. The key is implementing real-time visibility into your warehouse operations. Visit our warehouse distribution center portal to learn more.
