Winter is always coming.
While you might not be battling an army of zombie warriors, the seasonal surge in orders and fulfillment poised to engulf your 3PL warehouse can feel like a never-ending battle. Preparing for this fulfillment onslaught should be the goal for any efficient 3PL, so you can be ready for the inevitable increase in all facets of your business. By efficiently handling the high volumes of orders that flow through your warehouse during peak season, you’ll enjoy the spoils of higher production, correct shipments and overall customer/client satisfaction.
To enhance the preparation, you need to analyze each segment of your process and pick those that seem to be the biggest torment.
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Tags: warehouse flow, Warehouse Management, 3PL, productivity, warehouse, warehouse productivity, Third Party Logistics, performance improvement
Posted in Order Picking & Fulfillment|
E-commerce customers are increasingly comfortable with a buying experience that includes easy, free and frequent returns. Returns—and the issues involved with them—are nothing new for retail and e-commerce distribution, but the “new normal” of frequent returns offers 3PLs that can leverage their reverse logistics capacity a significant competitive advantage over competitors who can’t adapt to the new reality.
While some companies consider reverse logistics a necessary evil, those with well-managed returns programs can increase overall efficiency and profitability while satisfying customers and increasing loyalty. They find ways to resell more returned products, and are able to dispose of or restock what they can’t resell more efficiently and with less environmental impact.
What are some ways to increase your returns capacity?
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Tags: Warehouse Management, warehousing, 3PL, logistics, warehouse, inventory control, warehouse productivity, Third Party Logistics, inventory
Posted in Warehousing & Distribution|
Adjustable workstations make operations like packing, picking, assembly and inspection safer, more comfortable and more productive because they easily let operators work in the ergonomic “golden zone” suitable for their own needs – the same station can be used by someone 6’4″ as someone 5/2″ on multiple shifts, or if the load or work varies in height, like multiple sized boxes or various motors that may be different sizes. These workbenches are adjustable, usually by crank or by powered switch or pushbutton. What might suit you best?
That said, having to utilize a crank to adjust the height is inherently counter to the fundamentals of ergonomics, and it’s slow. To combat this, consider electric adjustable workstations, which provide multiple advantages over their cranking counterparts.
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Tags: Warehouse Management, warehousing, warehouse, workstations, ergonomics, plant safety, forklift safety, Safety & Ergonomics
Posted in Storage, Organization & Workstations|
It’s a good time to be in the third party logistics business. 3PLs are in demand with no end in sight as the warehousing industry copes with higher volumes, increasing e-commerce demands and challenging customer expectations.
This gives 3PL operators with a unique opportunity to build lasting relationships with key customers, suppliers, and retailers of their choice. However, this can also lead to an increased demand for quality service from warehouses and fulfillment centers. In order for 3PLs to succeed in this new environment, they must be ready to face increasing levels of customer and prospect expectations.
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Tags: Warehouse Management, warehousing, Material Handling, 3PL, logistics, Supply Chain, distribution center, warehouse, Third Party Logistics, ecommerce
Posted in Warehousing & Distribution|
In a recent report of current industrial and logistics trends released by the CBRE, the prevailing theme among U.S. Tenants and Landlords is that of shrinking available space. While this should come as no surprise to those within the logistics community, the rate at which warehouse vacancy is dwindling is far outpacing the increase in new construction (new supply trails leasing demand by 1.5 to 1). This puts 3PLs in a predicament, but also provides opportunities for those who can maximize their available footprint.
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Tags: warehouse space savings, Warehouse Management, 3p, logistics, Racks, warehouse storage, storage, mezzanine, warehouse, storage space, Third Party Logistics
Posted in Space Optimization & Planning|
AisleCop® forklift safety systems are used by  many companies concerned with the safety of pedestrians who work near forklifts in warehousing, manufacturing and other operations. The system relies on a series of gates, sensors and intelligent controls to manage dangerous, high-traffic, or limited visibility areas. Aside from general traffic applications, AisleCop® is also utilized in innovative ways to guard work cells and other areas where people and traffic interact.
In a major product upgrade, new pedestrian gate systems have been introduced to increase the visibility and versatility of the system.
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Tags: facility safety, Warehouse Management, forklifts, industrial accident prevention
Posted in Forklift - Pedestrian Safety|
What Does a Warehouse Management System Do?
A medium-sized chain of convenience stores once asked me to take a look at their Warehouse Management System (WMS) to see if it was time for an upgrade. After documenting all the functions it performed, we discovered that none of them could be described as serving warehouse activities. The system had lots of good purchasing functions—but offered nothing to support the actual warehouse.
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Tags: WMS, Factory Automation, Warehouse Management
Posted in Automation, Labor & Efficiency|
Ever find yourself wondering how you can get more out of your pallet rack? Do you have goods that take up very little space, but your pick operations don’t call for entire pallets full of the product? Then you might need to look at ways to achieve more density in your storage, and we’ve recently found a gem of a product that can help you out. It’s called Dynamic High Density Storage and it’s made by SpeedCell.
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Tags: industrial storage, distribution center, Order Picking & Fulfillment, Warehouse Management, warehousing, Pallet Rack, order fulfillment, warehouse storage, space savings, storage
Posted in Pallet & Warehouse Racks|
When it comes to warehouse storage, pallet racks provide an optimal, easy-to-maintain solution. They’re the most common way of storing pallet loads in the world, and they’re used in the vast majority of warehouses, manufacturing facilities, commercial operations and even retail stores. Whether you’re dealing with selective, pushback, drive-in or other types of racks, the issues are frequently similar.
Safe pallet rack operation involves understanding how to properly use racks; an otherwise safe rack can become dangerous and expensive if used incorrectly. Here are 5 common mistakes people make with pallet racks—and what you can do to ensure you don’t make any of them in your warehouse.
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Tags: Warehouse Management, pallet racks
Posted in Pallet & Warehouse Racks|
One of America’s groundbreaking marketers, John Wanamaker, once famously said “half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half.”
Those who run warehouses, factories and other industrial facilities are hopefully not quite as in the dark about our expenses as Wanamaker was when it came to his ad budget, but there is definitely room for improvement when it comes to understanding hidden costs and fruitful expenditures.
For most of us, the coin of the warehouse is time and how it is expended.
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Tags: Warehouse Management, lean warehousing, distribution centers, time management
Posted in Warehousing & Distribution|
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