An onlooker may say that managing a workhouse is an easy job as it only includes little management regarding labor, freight, and inventory. They do not realize that managing just these factors are influenced by a lot of other factors that make it challenging. Among all, increasing labor productivity is one of the top priority of warehouse managers. Following are a few key ways that can help managers with this important and difficult task related to increasing the efficiency of work.
1. Improving Environment of Warehouse
Surroundings of the workforce in terms of tangible as well as intangible environment influences the efficiency of the workforce significantly. Various little places such as a mess or other usual places where the workforce is during their breaks, things such as the relationship between workers, how well a new worker is helped by fellow workers to accommodate and learn, every little thing pertaining to their work environment in social and physical ways, influences their efficiency of work. Warehousing services Singapore take special care of this factor and hence making their workforce efficiency one of best.
2.Flexibility to Upgradation and Improvements
In terms of improvements, one must always be on the lookout for new tricks and techniques of packaging, picking and dispatching so that cost-cutting could be done on those activities. As far as the improvement in the technology goes, one must do the proper cost accounting as to determine if the new technology will help you reduce your expenses and improve efficiency more than what you have at present.
3.Utilization of Maximum Space
The utilization of maximum space depends on certain factors such as choosing the right size of storage units, innovation with vertical space and having the proper equipment to deal with situations so that space can be saved. There have been some studies which show that occupancy cost of warehouses range from 25 to 35 percent, and they are that high because of ill management of space. Using of racks in storage, multi-level ordering concepts of picking and the use of powered conveyor can really step up space utilization whilst reducing occupancy costs.
4.Choosing the Right Workforce
A warehouse has various jobs which may not be categorized completely as skilled or unskilled, instead, they are a mixture of both skilled and unskilled and even semi-skilled. Most of the warehouse operations require the job of a semi-skilled or unskilled workforce. To increase operational efficiency at various stages of operation, the focus should be on increasing work-related skills. Warehousing services Singapore have an edge over others as they are very particular about the job profile for each kind of jobs.
5.Organization of Work Stations and Lean Inventory
Organizing workstations to your employees will help improve their productivity. That way, everything will be kept in one place and if an employee is searching for his tools, he’ll find them in their designated place. One must also standardize the procedure of work and set in order s chain movement. Also, one must adapt to the concept of lean inventory, where only those things which are needed are bought, nothing more. Safety stock could be reduced, whilst asking suppliers to deliver smaller packages.
Conclusion
Managing a warehouse is a difficult task, of which making workforce efficient is still greater. Human resource is important for increased overall efficiency and reduction in cost. The above are some of the important factors that every warehouse manager should take care of for better results.