If you are looking for ways to ensure that all of your orders are completed perfectly then you are in the right place. Many businesses dream of being able to run a distribution centre at peak performance, but many struggle to reach this goal.
There are so many stages and personnel that are required to make the material handling solutions in your business effective. This might seem like a challenge, however, it is also an opportunity. With so many moving pieces, the material handling process offers you a lot of room to improve. By unpacking all of the stages that go into your material handling, you will be able to see where you can optimize each stage. Read on to learn more about how you can improve your material handling process:
1. See what is happening right now
The first place to start is to make sure that you have a clear understanding of what the current process is from start to finish. From when the order is made all the way to fulfilment you need to ensure that you know what is happening. From here you will have a solid foundation to improve and build on, rather than making assumptions on what is taking place.
2. Establish a clear customer service policy
You need to make sure that any commitments that you make to your customers are realistic and achievable. You should also set internal goals that you strive to meet when it comes to exceeding any of your client’s expectations.
If you are dedicated to delivering your product to a customer within a certain time frame then it is vital that you do this with every order. If there are any internal procedures or processes that prevent you from meeting this delivery schedule, then you can make changes to ensure that this happens.
3. Keep track of touchpoints
When you are examining your process, you should make a not of how many times an item is touched by an employee before it goes out the door. With each touchpoint, there is an inevitable delay in the delivery of a product. If you are able to cut down on the number of touchpoints, you will be able to speed up the overall process.
4. Make good use of your space
When it comes to scaling your business you may find that you need more and more space in your warehouse to meet the demands of your customers. This is a good thing, however, you should make sure that you are aware of the additional costs involved. If you think that you need more space then you should first look at how you currently use the space that you have.
There are some great new modular ways of maximizing any workspace that are definitely worth the investment. If you are able to stay at your current location and still scale your business then that is a win-win situation.
5. Ask for everyone’s input
There may be some problems with machinery that you are not aware of that could be slowing down the process of getting orders fulfilled. This can continue indefinitely if all of your employees are not consulted and asked for their input on how the process can be streamlined. You may also not be aware of some of the bottlenecks in the process that slow everything down and frustrate your team. Keeping an open dialogue can do wonders for efficiency in the short and long term. This is also a great way to foster team spirit and improve morale.
