Making Adjustments to Warehouse Processes

While efficiency is the name of the game in the warehousing industry, ensuring your operational strategy is as efficient as possible is often easier said than done. If you are thinking about instituting some changes in your operations, there are many factors and variables you should keep in mind before, during, and after making adjustments to your warehouse processes.

Knowing what to expect and what will be expected of you ahead of time can be especially helpful when it comes to streamlining business optimization strategies. Using a platform like HapiGig can help maximize productivity while minimizing growing pains, so consider becoming a HapiEmployer today.

Have a Clear Starting Point

Before making any adjustments to how a warehouse operates, managers must have a clear and complete understanding of current day-to-day functions. It can be helpful to sketch out your warehouse’s layout and floor plan, make a list of all inventory and equipment, and review procedures which are already in place.

This auditing process may reveal whether current processes are producing their intended outcomes or functioning as efficiently as they could be. This knowledge can give you a much better idea of where adjustments need to be made in your warehouse operations.

Identify Unique Needs and Weaknesses

Of course, not every solution can be applied universally. After figuring out where slowdowns and inefficiencies exist in current warehouse processes, the next step is establishing specific goals for productivity and the metrics by which they can be measured.

Since your budget and time are limited, understanding the challenges unique to your particular warehouse is essential to making positive adjustments. To get a good return on investment, warehouse managers must adjust processes they know to be problematic while leaving functional ones alone.

Seek Input from Employees

In addition to quantitative data about current warehouse processes and inefficiencies, you should also seek qualitative input from workers on the warehouse floor. After all, nobody knows more about warehouse processes in practice than the employees who interact with them every day. Both in-person interviews and observations of an average workday can provide crucial insight into potential operational improvements.

Remain Open to Alternative Solutions

It’s important to keep in mind that some new warehouse processes may not work as well as predicted. Don’t get swept up in the “sunk cost” fallacy and assume that you are stuck with a new process if doesn’t work as well as it was supposed to. If the need arises, warehouse managers should be willing to try a different procedural method, make facility improvements or personnel changes, or even start over from scratch to make sure the next solution is the correct one.

Prioritize a Safe Working Environment

Regardless of how much or how little a warehouse process needs to be adjusted, the first priority of any manager overseeing such an adjustment should be the safety of their workers. Employees should receive thorough training on new processes, and you should factor an adjustment period into your plans for workers to get used to the altered workflow.

HapiGig allows you to hire workers on an as-needed basis, and our carefully vetted workforce is familiar with all the latest warehouse processes and can make these transition periods easier on your existing staff. For these reasons, you should consider our platform a valuable tool in making adjustments to warehouse processes. Register as a HapiEmployer today to start enjoying the benefits of flex labor.