Change is inevitable when it comes to business, but often, that change is good. This is because it grows and develops rather than shrinks and fails. For a successful business, or at least for one that’s experiencing steady growth, you’ll still be faced with a number of challenges that can be difficult to tackle when trying to develop your company further. Below are five challenges you could face as a warehouse owner together with ways in which you can tackle them.
Keeping processes as consistent as possible
Standardising business processes can pose a problem for even the biggest of warehouses, especially if you own multiple sites. However, the key to success in this respect is to enforce and maintain consistent processes across the board. These particular practices work better in the long run, with training remaining a guiding light as opposed to a second thought.
This is because adequate training will always be needed to ensure standardised practices throughout your warehouse or warehouses. It’s important that all of the warehouses you own are following the same procedures. From WMS and inventory to POs and shipping, it should remain consistent across your premises.
Managing inventory effectively, especially between warehouses
Often, a growing warehouse business will spell the acquisition of new properties and this can be difficult to manage simultaneously. This is because, not only are your premises likely to spread across multiple sites, but you’ll also be responsible for, and manage, several different workforces, each with different needs and responsibilities. The inventory might also differ from warehouse to warehouse, meaning stock might need to be stored or transported differently from other stock present in another warehouse.
Use warehouse management systems (WMS) where appropriate to help keep track of stock, including where it is, where it’s going and how it’s being stored. A WMS will also tell you how much of it you have in stock and, approximately, how long it’ll last. A multi-warehouse management system will run on the cloud, meaning you won’t even have to be on-site to understand your inventory and stock levels.
Collaborating, in real time, between different locations
A warehouse that runs during this modern age relies on real-time visibility. Your warehouse team, including management, depend heavily on having access to the most up-to-date information and data available. This helps to prevent backlogs and delays when shipping stock elsewhere. Collaboration, when it comes to discussing real-time data, is paramount and is often the key to solving communication issues.
Real-time data provides insights into product picking, stock levels, product packaging and cycle counting and this is where WMS comes in. You’ll always be able to trust the data it’s presenting to you, meaning you’ll be able to make plans surrounding that information and convey this to any customers or employees who pose questions regarding the levels of stock you have or even the products you have available.
The optimisation of internal resources
When it comes to the warehousing and distribution industry, waste can come in a variety of different forms, including, but not limited to:
- Payroll hours
- Supplies
- Cubic storage
Where you can implement different pieces of more efficient warehouse equipment to help cut working times in half or to increase productivity, such as a VNA forklift or a multi-directional lift truck for narrow aisles or reach trucks to reach extremely high racking, a WMS will be able to help also, especially if it’s automated.
Each warehouse space can be optimised in specific locations and payroll and other resources can be adjusted in order to match the needs of your customers, your staff and your warehouse as a separate entity.
Automation will also help to save time and money in the long-term, filling the gaps of ongoing labour shortages. You won’t have to worry about performing repetitive manual data entry tasks with the help of an automated WMS.
Ensuring customer satisfaction every single time
Customer satisfaction is key to the success and growth of any business, no matter the industry you work in. You need to ensure that your customers have the best possible experience when ordering products from you. Whether they’re an individual buyer or a large-scale company that you supply, customer experience and satisfaction is paramount.
A WMS will be able to help with all of the aforementioned. From delivery times and stock levels to picking processes and packaging practices, a WMS will be able to track it all for you. This gives you definitive data that can be relayed back to your clients, regardless of the nature or scale of their custom.
Hire Forklifts are able to provide high-quality pieces of warehouse equipment, providing our customers with the most ideal solution. We’re able to hire out state-of-the-art material handling equipment, each with different abilities in a bid to meet your exact needs and requirements, regardless of the industry you’re in. To find out more about our forklift hire service, with also involves renting electric forklifts, diesel forklifts, VNA forklifts, multi-directional forklifts and LPG forklifts, to name a few, get in touch with a member of our professional team today – we’re also able to rent out warehouse equipment, including pallet trucks, order pickers, stackers and more.
