Warehouse productivity problems are like bugs that infect the entire company. We talk to exasperated managers about this all the time. Many wholesalers are so fixated on squashing the bugs in the warehouse that they fail to see how other departments may be contributing to the problems at hand.
Managers’ time and energy spent fixing warehouse problems often do not produce the results they’re looking for, causing more confusion and frustration. In reality, most times, the solution to the warehouse problem is revealed in cross-departmental collaboration.
HERE ARE 7 SALES SOLUTIONS THAT CAN HELP IMPROVE WAREHOUSE PRODUCTIVITY.
1 // BALANCE THE VOLUME AND STOPS MORE EVENLY OVER THE DAYS OF THE WEEK.
Re-balancing high- and low-volume days reduces long shifts and picker burnout and can help reduce turnover and absenteeism.
2 // OPTIMIZE SALES ORDER SUBMISSIONS TO GET TRUCKS LOADED ON TIME.
Have sales reps send in specific, selected account orders required to get more picking done earlier and to complete trucks so they can finalize loads and reduce congestion. Getting the right orders in earlier allows a larger pick shift to start earlier and reduces the number of partially loaded trucks and staged pallets on the floor.
3 // MAKE THE OFF-PREMISE ACCOUNT ORDER CUT-OFF TIME EARLIER.
If your sales reps are channel-specific, the off-premise reps are usually done early. It is completely reasonable to have an off-premise order cut-off time of 3:00 or 3:30 PM. An earlier cut-off time allows load planning and picking to be more efficient.
4 // REDUCE STOP FREQUENCY AND INCREASE THE CASES PER ORDER THAT NEED TO BE PICKED.
The sales team needs to work with delivery to reduce stop frequency to accounts being over-serviced. Fewer orders and bigger orders increase order builder productivity.
5 // ELIMINATE LATE ADDITIONS OR CHANGES TO ORDERS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN SUBMITTED.
Any change to an order that has already been submitted causes rework somewhere in the order flow process. This rework is expensive, inefficient, and unnecessary.
6 // ELIMINATE OFF-DAY DELIVERIES AND THE EXTRA WORK THEY CAUSE THE WAREHOUSE AND DELIVERY TEAMS.
Off-day deliveries are often caused by sales reps having too many stops and either rushing through their accounts or skipping accounts. The more orders that need to be picked, the more work the picking crew has to do. Whether the order is for five cases or twenty-five cases, the picker still needs to make another trip through the pick path to build the order.
7 // ELIMINATE SLOW-MOVING PACKAGES MORE QUICKLY.
Sales and brand management need to be aggressive in eliminating slow-moving items. These low-volume SKUs increase travel time and lower cases per hour. In many warehouses, pickers drive past slow-moving items that are not needed for their orders. The more SKUs in the carton flow racks, the longer replenishment and inventory counting take. Reduce picker travel time and increase picker efficiency.
Implementing these sales solutions can significantly improve warehouse productivity. Upper-level management needs to facilitate joint sales and warehouse project teams to address the causes of warehouse problems and the impact sales changes can have on warehouse productivity.
What’s in it for sales? Sales will have more accurate orders and trucks will be loaded and go out on time, leading to improved customer service. Make sure you communicate with warehouse and sales management so they can prepare their teams and further support the changes you make.
What if you don’t implement these changes? Choosing not to address sales as a potential source of warehouse productivity problems leaves you like an ostrich with its head in the sand—stuck, blind, and consequently vulnerable.