5 Tips for Organizing Your Warehouse
There’s much more to warehouse organization than just putting everything in its place. You have to try to get the most of your warehouse space while saving both money and time. It’s also important to keep the whole space uncluttered and easy to manage. So if you’re getting ready to organize your warehouse, here are 5 tips you’ll definitely find useful.
Use Different Colors
No matter what the size of your warehouse is, you can always benefit from using a couple of different colors in it. It’s a great way to code different areas and make it much easier to find things you’re looking for. In case you decide to do this, you can install blue racking for one type of stock, red for another one, and so on. Another thing you can do is adopt “bay” system and number each racking as well. No matter how you decide to do this, just make sure any new stock that arrives to your warehouse is put on the right racking.
Put Everything at the Right Height
Another thing you’ll have to be careful about is the height you put all of your items at. For example, things you’ll have to get quite often should be placed somewhere they can be accessed easily. This usually means the bottom two or three racking shelves. If you do this, you won’t have to use some additional equipment, like ladders, to reach them too often. On the other hand, the stock you rarely ship should be stored on top shelves. You can keep these behind the shelves as well.
Make Labels
If the stock in your warehouse isn’t labeled, make sure you start making labels as soon as possible. The more unlabeled things there are, the more confused you’re going to be. This is especially the case with some new stock or the things that have been stuck in your warehouse for too long. Depending on the size of your warehouse, you should choose the way you’re going to make the labels. Sometimes, coming up with your own labeling system might be a good idea but you can also use a labeling software or purchase thermal printing labels.
Don’t Move Anything
When it comes to organizing your warehouse, one of the worst things you can do is keep moving your stock and not putting it back where it’s supposed to be. This means that after some time, trying to find something will cause you a real headache. Of course, sometimes you’ll have to move some stock in order to reach something else. In case you do this, make sure you either put everything back where it used to be or mark the spot you moved it to. You can also keep a record of the things you moved around.
Implement Quality Control
One of the most important things you should do when organizing your warehouse is implement quality controls. This means you should double check before you move anything around your warehouse. Also, whenever you pick an item, make sure you always check if it has the correct stock keeping unit (SKU) and quantity. This is also a great time to check all of your stock for any signs of damage. Experts in storage units say that implementing quality control is crucial when it comes to organizing your warehouse.
Make sure you put warehouse organization into practice on a daily basis and you’re going to end up with a neat and orderly space. More importantly, you’ll be able to find the thing you’re looking for, pack it, and ship it the shortest time possible.