6 Solutions to Improve Warehouse Productivity and Efficiency | FORTNA
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6 Solutions to Improve Warehouse Productivity
and Efficiency

Discover innovative strategies to boost your warehouse productivity and efficiency. In FORTNA’s guide to overcoming operational challenges, explore data-driven forecasting, advanced picking methods, inventory management and more.

 

by TJ Franco

As the midpoint of the year arrives, distribution operations push to find productivity and efficiencies within the four walls of their warehouses. Whether you are preparing for a seasonal promotion or simply conducting business as usual, finding solutions to challenges like labor availability and retention, capacity, and fulfillment is the key to improving and optimizing your operations.

As the economy continues to recover and customer expectations and demands continue to grow, organizations will need to ensure their supply chain is healthy and ready to perform at the needed levels. According to a recent report, the global supply chain management market is projected to grow from $25.7 billion in 2022 to $72.1 billion by 2032, a compound annual growth rate of almost 11 %.1

In this FORTNA blog, we’ll examine solutions that can be considered in 2024 and beyond.

1. Boost forecasting with a deep dive into your operational data

Organizations that have invested in harnessing their operational data are better positioned to understand and react to the flow of orders and demand. By analyzing past performance, ordering patterns and market trends, operations can gain valuable insights to assist in planning for inventory, staffing and logistics needs. FORTNA’s proprietary software and data scientists can turn volumes of data into actionable business intelligence for your team.

Read more on how FORTNA utilizes data and analytics.

 

2. Warehouse system health check

Ensure your warehouse fulfillment system runs optimally by having a third party perform a system health check or assessment. This proactive step can comprehensively assess your operation’s processes and equipment by identifying potential issues and optimization opportunities. Understanding parts wear and tear, bottlenecks and areas for improvement will instill confidence in your system’s reliability and performance.

Learn how the FORTNA Lifecycle Performance Services team can help.

3. Increase productivity through slotting software

Productivity and efficiency in inventory and the fulfillment process are two areas in the warehouse that can be greatly optimized. A budget-friendly and easily deployable solution is utilizing slotting software to place high-velocity SKUs and items that are likely to be ordered together in easily accessible areas so they can be picked faster, which leads to faster order times and decreases the steps workers take.

FORTNA OptiSlot DC™ is an industry-leading slotting software with an integration time that can be measured in weeks instead of months. The software can be used as a stand-alone or integrated into an organization’s warehouse software.

Click here to schedule a demo.

 

4. Apply the Pareto Principle

The Pareto Principle, or the 80/20 rule, is a more than-100-year-old theory that states 80% of all outcomes come from 20% of the effort. This principle can be used in distribution when considering inventory, order fulfillment and resource planning. To bring it into the twenty-first century, how do you maximize your return on investment?

Understanding this principle by gathering data, classifying inventory and driving productivity through warehouse optimization will allow you to recognize and respond to demand patterns and replenishment cycles.

Learn more about the Pareto Principle here.

5. Move to an improved picking method

In warehouses with a manual picking process, moving from a single-order picking methodology to zone, pick-and-pass, or wave picking can dramatically increase order time and help reduce the dependency on regular and supplemental labor needs. Understanding what picking methodology best fits an operation today and into the future can be the key to an overperforming operation.

Click here to learn more about various picking methodologies.

 

6. Implement cross-docking

Cross-docking is the practice where an inbound truck delivers products to a facility, the products are processed, sorted and consolidated rapidly, then loaded onto an outbound truck for delivery. This dramatically reduces the time the items spend in the facility and increases delivery time. This practice can benefit organizations dealing with expiration dates, high-velocity promotional or seasonal items, prepackaged, ready-to-ship products and third-party logistics companies.

Click here to learn more about cross-docking and its advantages.

FORTNA Can Help

As 2024 moves into its second half, there is still time to adjust, improve, and optimize your operations to ensure that, no matter what industry you are in, you are ready to meet customer demand and react to market fluctuations. FORTNA has the expertise to help you make your operations a competitive advantage in 2024 and beyond.

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<sup>1</sup> <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/en/news-release/2023/11/01/2770807/0/en/Supply-Chain-Management-Market-Size-to-Reach-USD-72-1-Billion-by-2032.html#:~:text=The%20supply%20chain%20management%20market,10.9%25%20from%202023%20to%202032.&text=Ottawa%2C%20Nov" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.globenewswire.com/en/news-release/2023/11/01/2770807/0/en/Supply-Chain-Management-Market-Size-to-Reach-USD-72-1-Billion-by-2032.html#:~:text=The%20supply%20chain%20management%20market,10.9%25%20from%202023%20to%202032.&text=Ottawa%2C%20Nov</a>

About the author

photo-of-tj-franco-account-executive

TJ Franco

Sales Director

TJ is a seasoned supply chain professional with over 15 years of experience in roles varying from production and sourcing, to importing and omnichannel distribution. TJ is a CSSC Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt and a member of CSCMP and the Procurement Foundry.