When a single process accounts for more than half of your operating budget, like warehouse picking does, profitability depends on its efficiency. Professor René de Koster said it best during a 2008 international Warehouse Optimization conference, “Measured in time and money – order picking is without doubt the most costly activity in a typical warehouse. It [...]
No matter your order picking method- piece picking, zone picking, wave picking, sorting systems or pick to box- the success of your warehouse operation is largely reliant on a workforce of productive healthy employees. They’re hugely invaluable because the picking process itself, “is seen as the most labor-intensive and costly activity for almost every warehouse, where the [...]
Due to emerging eCommerce channels and increased SKUs, facilities across the nation are facing expansion or extinction. According to a 2015 Warehouse/DC Operations Survey reported by Modern Materials Handling, “the square footage for the average facility grew 25%” last year. Organizations who want to keep up are being forced to adopt more technology and material [...]
When it comes to preventable warehouse deaths and injuries, heat exposure is a top-ranking culprit. In a 10-year study of heat-related illnesses in the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), found there were an average of approximately 618 deaths per year. During a particularly brutal heat wave in 2012, OSHA recorded 4,120 [...]
Can you imagine spending to have your home remodeled without first understating what you want to achieve in the new space? Of course not. However, that’s precisely what many warehouse managers do when they fail to take the time to assess their material handling needs before selecting operation-appropriate pallet rack. It’s true that enhancing your [...]
Steel pallet racks are as critical to your warehouse operation as the employees that work within it. Unfortunately, these essential structures are often neglected after installation, creating potentially deadly occupational health and safety risks as well as costly property damage. Without comprehensive pallet racking inspections and self-assessments serious accidents from faulty or damaged racks are [...]
According to MWPVL International, a specialized supply chain, logistics and distribution consulting firm, “when the net working storage capacity of a warehouse distribution center surpasses the 85% utilization level, there is typically a concurrent reduction in warehouse productivity levels”. The result can manifest itself in overcrowded shipping and receiving docks, aisles flooded with product and [...]
With more than 4,600 deaths in 2012 alone, the warehouse environment is frequently cited as one of OSHA’s high-risk working environments. Due to the constant wear and tear of heavy loads, machinery and operations changes your racks may sustain damages that go dangerously unnoticed. One of the best steps you can take to prevent injury [...]