29/03/2018
Keeping your warehouse clean is a key factor for running an effective and high productivity warehouse.
It have the capabilities to move more products in less time, with much lesser safety issues or accidents, which also inspire higher morale and better working conditions for the employees.
A dirty and disorganized warehouse, will be more prone to accidents, less efficiency and the employees will adopt an attitude of lower morale, and caring about your working area is less important, which can affect your picking accuracy, efficiency and overall performance. Dirt causes machines and equipment to malfunction, which cost money and time. Discarded packing materials, like pallets and plastic wrap cause trip hazards and obstacles for forklift operators, which may try to avoid these, by driving where they shouldn’t, or running over these obstacles causing damage to the machinery or surrounding product.
Warehouses need to have aisles that are clear of obstructions, and safe to move people, inventory, and heavy equipment around inside. For the sake of worker respiratory health, warehouses shouldn’t be dusty or moldy, either.
1. Maximize your warehouse space by using racks and shelving.
Whether it’s a warehouse, workshop, supermarket or an office, all spaces can benefit from well thought out racking and shelving. It’s all about increasing the ease of accessibility, safety and inventory control, and as an added benefit, these steps might save you from relocating to a bigger warehouse, simply by using the space in a more efficient and optimal way.
2. Use floor labeling to keep all available space organized
Floor labels and marking systems are one of the most cost-effective ways of organising your warehouse, whether it’s to mark your flow of traffic, or the forklift routes.
Designate fixed parking areas for your forklift once not in use, or pallet positions on warehouse floor to avoid stock being dumped in inconvenient places.
3. Use barriers for safety and organizing
Barriers can be used for a number of different reasons; protecting staff from heavy duty vehicles as they move around the workplace, preventing stock from cosmetic damage or cordoning off certain parts of the building when not in use. A portable expanding scissor barrier is particularly useful as they can be easily transported from place to place.
4. Use ergonomic equipment
Believe it or not, using ergonomic equipment will help your company regularly meet its objectives by keeping employees happy and healthy. The success of a business heavily relies on the health and well-being of its employees. Using ergonomic equipment in warehouses reduces not only liability issues, but also reduces the employee’s exhaustion and overall stress levels. Overworking your employees ultimately results in less productivity. Higher productivity means higher sales, higher quality of work, and less mistakes that cost you money.
5. Keep your high-volume products near the shipping area
It is easier to keep things orderly, if you make your popular products more accessible, while keeping them conveniently close also provide faster shipping. ABC analysis is the key word, and have your home work done, and do it regularly.
6. Supply plenty of waste bins and empty them regularly
Warehousing is associated with things like cardboard boxes, bubble wrap, papers, and so on, which must be properly disposed of to prevent packing materials from accumulating and leaving a big mess after just a few days or even few hours.
The best warehouses have plenty of garbage and recycling bins placed throughout the warehouse, encouraging employees to properly dispose of paper waste.
Regularly clear waste as overflowing bins will simply lead to more trash on the ground. Make sure to empty garbage bins before they are completely full.
7. Create a cleaning plan and schedule
A cleaning plan that addresses higher traffic areas like docking areas where packing materials tend to accumulate. Once you have identified the most cluttered zones, assign priority cleaning tasks for daily, weekly, or monthly cleaning.
8. Assign zones and employee responsibility
Make each employee responsible for their assigned zones. Many employees often specialize in a certain pick zone – make it hardfast rule that the zone needs to be cleaned before the employee leaves work for the day. This could include simple garbage pick, sweeping and dusting, or even washing floors or equipment (within reasonable safety standards). Turn idle moments into useful labor by having workers clean up on slow shipping days. Inspect the areas, use a rating sheet, and assign certain times during the working week or month, when employees can fully and thoroughly clean their assigned area.
9. Recycling
The 3 x R – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle is simple to implement and will ensure better organization for your business. The simplicity of running a “green” warehouse rests on the fact that most items in warehouses are readily recyclable.
Reduce – As mentioned, clean out all unnecessary clutter and garbage
Reuse – More than 50% of pallets are thrown away after just one use. The habit of reusing products in even the slightest way is extremely sustainable for the environment.
Recycle – Most types of paper, wood, metal, steel, iron, and glass are recyclable
10. Review and evaluate your design
No matter how organized you may be, if your company’s sales are increasing each year, you will eventually need a new warehouse design layout or even a whole new warehouse to relocate to. As your space requirements in your warehouse will naturally need revising over time, it is highly recommended that you evaluate every 3 – 5 years, depending on the rate at which your company increases sales.
Author: Torben Eskelund
