8 tips to manage and organise your warehouse

A new wave has consumed the industrial landscape in the manufacturing and production segment, owing to Make In India initiative by Government of India. Warehouse leasing companies offer specifications that are built to suit the business needs. However, designing and customising these spaces is essential to increase efficiency. Here are a few warehousing concepts for optimising operations–

1. Categorise and compartmentalise

The first step to efficient business operations is a planned and systematic approach in your warehouse.

Organising your inventory by categorising is the most efficient protocol for warehousing.

1. Classification based on strategic buckets:

Safety reserves: Storing for ad-hoc demand of products, bulk orders, or if suppliers delay the delivery.

Notifying buffer inventory: Reorder point is the level which alerts that the particular stocks need to be replenished.

Seasonal Goods: stocking of products based on specific periods.

Track of non-marketable/unsellable goods: Obsolete goods– products reaching the end of their life cycle. They need proper tracking to avoid wastage of space.

2. Classification based on cycles:

Perishable: Limited life cycle.

Durable: Products with a longer span.

Expired : Strictly non-saleable.

3. Classification based on your business requirements

Order volume: Stocks with a high transaction frequency.

Minimum inventory volume: Balancing production and distribution by maintaining a steady minimum inventory volume.

Maximum inventory volume: An upper limit of the inventory is desired to avoid high operating costs and save on loading/unloading/disposal time

Receivable stocks: Orders that are yet to be delivered by the supplier.

Based on these categories, you can sort out your inventory for your warehouse’s cost-effective and time-efficient functioning. With a slotting strategy, you can mark up strategic placements for these products, thus enabling prompt access based on categories.

2. Regular decluttering/maintenance

Always clean out unnecessary stock at regular intervals.

As mentioned earlier, obsolete goods not only take up space but also result in high maintenance cost. The key to optimising is to declutter regularly.

With the reduce-recycle-reuse protocol, you are preventing wastage and creating an eco-friendly environment.

Another aspect of warehouses is the regular maintenance of all appliances, equipment, and storage; which can ensure uninterrupted operations.

3. Labelling for quick access

Save time by labelling the boxes in order with a tracking index.

• Create a private catalogue of your warehouse inventory — index all the essential categories. Now sort and label the products accordingly. This helps in time-efficient functioning while maintaining a personal code for your enterprise.
• Stock Keeping Unit or SKU is a unique code on all the products. This allows easy tracking of goods by scanning the barcode. You can also keep regular track of the product order cycle– letting you know which inventory needs frequent stocking and which are obsolete goods.

4. Optimise all dimensions of the space

Map out your warehouse so that all corners are utilised

• Strategic organising of the horizontal space will yield better efficiency. Formulating a design that optimises space according to the automated storage/retrieval system (AS/RS), space required for efficient mobility, and compliance with security regulations is vital.

• Pallet Racking System:

Apart from ground space, one can optimise every dimension of the area by using the pallet racking system. Most warehousing companies in Chennai have a vast vertical stretch for optimal storage.

5. Use organised docking facilities

Organised sorting of goods while docking will avoid piling of boxes, thus enabling seamless operations.

While receiving goods in the warehouse, it is crucial to sort the inventory immediately. Otherwise, this stock would keep pilling and cause clutter for other procedures. Hiranandani Industrial Parks has dedicated docking facilities for warehousing services in Chennai. With such specific inlets, it is easier to organise the inventory and quickly sort them, thus saving time and resources.

6. Avoid overstocking inventory

Do not overstock your warehouse but allot a dedicated space for safety stock.

• Inventory Cycle counting is essential to keep track of the stocks and maintain accurate levels for optimum warehousing storage solutions.

• Lean inventory management helps in increasing the value of your goods by detecting any waste and eliminating them. This helps in enhancing the supply chain and manufacturing process while managing labour and time.

• Overstocking might lead to wastage of perishable products while also interfering with the KPIs.

7. Advanced Tracking System

Track, record, account, and verify your inventory with a state-of-the-art tracking system.

• Integrate an advanced Warehouse Management system that consolidates all your operations. With this, you can easily track your inventory while assessing the performance of each sector.
• With a proper record and accounting system, you can evaluate the daily KPIs and quarterly/ annual overall progress.
• The savings from operational costs are phenomenal with any appropriate tracking system.

8. Ensure security and training of staff

Effective security systems and trained staff are a must in any warehouse.

PREVENTIVE MEASURES

Warehouses should comply with all safety norms to prevent any severe occupational hazards. Every staff should be provided with apt training for an in-depth understanding of the industrial warehousing services.

SECURITY SYSTEMS

A few critical features for optimum security are:

• Robust entry-way with a digital security system
• Authorised verification for Access control systems
• Advanced security camera systems
• Alarm systems
• Patrolling
• Proper warehouse lighting

Versatile space solutions

To ensure seamless scaling for your business, you need a warehouse that accommodates your operations without interruption.

Hiranandani Industrial Parks is one of the warehousing companies in Chennai that offers either ready spaces or built-to-suit spaces. This array of choices lets you pick the apt warehouse for your business, according to your industry. The ready to move in spaces also enables efficient business operations. For a coherent space within a progressive infrastructure, browse through https://hiranandaniindustrialparks.com/what-we-offer/ to know more.

FAQ

Q1: What are the three basic principles of warehouse management?

A: 1. Maintain an appropriate level of inventory

2. Frequent maintenance and organising

3. Link your warehouse management system to sales order processing.

Q2: Does Hiranandani Industrial Parks have provisions for all types of processes?

A: Hiranandani Industrial Parks offer bare shell warehouses where you can customise your space and install systems according to your industry needs. We offer optimum floor plates, where you can also customise the floor plates according to your requirement.

Q3: How to maintain hygiene in warehouses?

A: — set up a monthly cleaning schedule.

• Assign area-wise cleaning tasks to your staff.
• Maintain clean shelves to avoid damage to goods.
• Discard the waste materials regularly
• Manage your stocks.