Warehouse security is sometimes slighted – other than perhaps exterior door locks and perhaps alarms. Security professionals will tell you that security is substantially about access to desirable items. How can you limit it? Let’s take a look at security equipment that can reduce temptation and help to keep vandals away from expensive exterior equipment.
Tags: security cabinet, truck, security products, wire cage, wire partition, woven, welded, mesh, expanded steel
Posted in Security|
Like the Paul Simon song goes, there are 50 ways to pick an order—except in reality there are far more.
With such a variety of methods, processes, technologies and equipment options out there, it can be challenging to determine the best ways to improve order processing efficiency and productivity. In this article, LIDD’s Charles Fallon discusses 10 ways for distribution center managers to boost their order picking crew’s performance.
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Tags: labor, Automation, productivity
Posted in Order Picking & Fulfillment|
Most operations maintain at least some numbers on the most critical aspects of the business. For order picking operations, you might track number of orders picked per day, hours per pick, cost-per-pick, on-time rates — and error rates. The question is this: how accurate are those numbers? For instance, if your system reports 50 order picking errors a week, does that represent half your errors? All of them? Most of them? It’s can be difficult to understand.
Posted in Order Picking & Fulfillment|
Steel guard rail is one of the best–and most economical–accident prevention tools in a facility’s safety arsenal. It helps keep workers safe from forklift traffic, protects valuable equipment from potential damage, and even guards ends of pallet rack rows. But there may be times when you need forklift or cart access to protected areas (or simply don’t want to step over or around railing). How do you handle those situations? How often are you having to remove your guard rail and then reassemble? There’s a better way available — lift-out rail systems.
Tags: Lift-out guard rail, lift-out/drop-in, drop-in, access point, lift-out, guard rail systems
Posted in Safety & Ergonomics|
Transportation management solutions are no longer just for moving freight at the lowest possible cost. Companies are using effective transportation management as a competitive advantage tool in the ever-challenging economic and commercial landscape. Additionally, shippers are now seeing both internal and outsourced transportation management solutions less as a commodity and more as a collaborative relationship between themselves and carriers as well as third party logistics services providers (3PLs).
Tags: transportation management, logistics
Posted in Docks & Shipping|
If you haven’t taken a look at your shipping invoices lately or talked to your freight rep, you probably should do so before the day is out. Significant changes have been made in the way shipping costs are calculated and it will impact your bottom line – no matter what you’re shipping.
Tags: shipping, freight cost, UPS, FedEx, carriers, dimensional weight
Posted in Order Picking & Fulfillment|
I received a newsletter the other day that really hit home during this busy Christmas season. It was about keeping warehouse order pickers motivated in their work and I thought, “That’s really key during peak seasons when highly stressed workers can get burned out quickly.” So, how do you keep order pickers moving when they’re already under the gun?
Tags: worker satisfaction, motivation, performance improvement, warehousing, order fulfillment, worker safety
Posted in Order Picking & Fulfillment|
Cluttered receiving docks seem to plague far too many industrial facilities. Part of the problem is that the way receiving affects the entire operation isn’t clearly understood. Also, receiving functions are sometimes seen as a low-value-add part of the operation. Either way, adequate focus isn’t always given to this vital function. When you can’t effectively receive shipments, everything upstream is compromised.
Posted in Docks & Shipping|
When it comes to those costs, the pressure is always on. Particularly in those unfortunate companies where the distribution center is considered just a cost, not a chance to add value. Even if you are hitting cost targets, you are probably interested in reducing operational costs without reducing effectiveness.
Tags: 3PL, ROI, Third Party Logistics, ecommerce
Posted in Warehousing & Distribution|
Hand trucks are great for moving heavy loads faster and easier than hauling them by hand from point to point, but don’t elevate them vertically. Can everyone working in your operation safely and easily lift the load to shelving or a work table?
Tags: carts, hand truck, Lift 'N Buddy, platform, wheels, trucks
Posted in Material Handling|
