It's no secret that warehouses were the life and soul of business during the past difficulties. It's been quite the challenge for those that have been trying to stay afloat during the pandemic but also, for those that have been trying to see to it, they meet demand during all of this. Whether you have had to decrease or increase warehouse operations, you will likely never look at your warehouse the same again. Now that the way of the world is beginning to come back to how it was, you will need to rethink your warehouse strategy. The first thing you need to improve is agility.
More inventory needed
Before this all occurred, many warehouse businesses and manufacturers relied on a smooth lean inventory process. Being able to limit inventory overflow saved a lot of money and it helped to limit storage space that was required. However, when the recent commotion arrived, that lean strategy left inventory shortages and companies unable to fulfil as many orders. So now, stocking up heavily on inventory should be looked at again. It allows you to have piles and piles of inventory that can be chosen for delivery all throughout the week. This means that you need to have more storage space available for emergencies and for rush hour events. This will mean that you require more managers to help keep orders flowing through and not cause a traffic jam of stock.
Close production
The challenges that arrived were truly global. It was no secret that large and small businesses wanted to shorten the time it took for a product that had been manufactured to get to them. Warehouses want to stabilize their supply chains by getting manufacturers to build plants nearer to their location. This is called reshoring manufacturing operations. This will increase the speed of the process from production floor to warehouse storage. For smaller warehouses this has been the best strategy because this also drastically reduces inventory supply problems. If manufacturing companies cannot move to their warehouses, then creating warehouses closer to the shore where freight ships arrive, might be another option.
Better equipment
Having better equipment that will not break is one way to increase your warehouse agility. Let's start off with the basics, the pallet rack. Strong, sturdy and reliable, with low maintenance, this kind of pallet rack is going to make things easier. The next thing is the logistics. Trucks that operate within the warehouse that help load the racks and transport inventory, need to be properly serviced and in a timely manner. The little things like oiling the machines that convey boxes throughout the floor. Making sure that the rows are kept clear of debris and that fallen or damaged items are quickly swept aside, would help too.
Warehouses around the world need to increase their agility now that the world is heading back to how it was before. It's no secret that lean strategies might need to be redrawn to be ready for any future challenges.
