The annual DC Velocity/WERC (Warehousing Education and Research Council) DC Metrics Survey is out for 2019. This research is conducted every year and offers us insight into what measurements are most critical according to DC managers. As we know, the only constant is change, and this year showcases how e-commerce pushed accuracy and capacity to the forefront of DC managers’ minds.
E-Commerce Propels 2019 Distribution Center Metrics Study
Tags: distribution center, warehouse, e-commerce, ecommerce
Posted in Warehousing & Distribution|
So You’ve Decided To Automate Your Facility. What Next?
With the rapid increase of the pace of manufacturing and distribution, facilities that automate manual processes will increase their ROI and grow their bottom line. Customer demand is ever increasing, right along with the costs to service that demand. You want your warehouse to deliver faster and more efficient results without sacrificing production. You’re looking at automating components within your facility to produce this change. But how can you really get started?
Tags: e-commerce, warehouse productivity, Warehouse Management, warehousing, Material Handling, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, distribution center
Posted in Automation, Labor & Efficiency|
How your 3PL Can Meet Customer Demands
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.
Tags: distribution center, warehouse, Third Party Logistics, ecommerce, Warehouse Management, warehousing, Material Handling, 3PL, logistics, Supply Chain
Posted in Warehousing & Distribution|
Planning the Future of Your Warehousing Operation: Don’t be Left Behind
The landscape is constantly changing for warehousing, distribution and order fulfillment operations, but it’s rarely changed so quickly as the last half decade — and will likely change even more the next five years. The rapid growth of smart devices, database efficiency, and robotics guarantees that elite storage and order picking operations in 2025 will be different than those of today.
In fact, distribution centers and warehouse operations that want to thrive must change, adapt and think differently.
Tags: distribution center, Robotics, internet of things, warehouse technology
Posted in Automation, Labor & Efficiency|
Innovations in High Density Storage
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.
Tags: warehousing, Pallet Rack, order fulfillment, warehouse storage, space savings, storage, industrial storage, distribution center, Order Picking & Fulfillment, Warehouse Management
Posted in Pallet & Warehouse Racks|
A Quick Guide to Reducing Warehouse Costs
Over at the Operations & Fulfillment site, Curt Barry has written a brief, informative piece on reducing warehouse costs. In particular during a difficult economic climate, cost reduction is at the top of mind for distribution operations.
Tags: distribution center, product slotting, warehouse productivity, ROI, labor management
Posted in Warehousing & Distribution|
How to Improve Order Picking without Automation
Cliff Holste at Supply Chain Digest (opens in a new window) has a good piece on ways to improve picking productivity.
Distribution centers will benefit from emerging automated case picking technologies, but those don’t fit for every operation, at every level. They’re also expensive upgrades, so your ROI has to be considered as well.
Tags: ROI, Order Picking & Fulfillment, Warehouse Management, warehousing, order fulfillment, distribution center
Posted in Order Picking & Fulfillment|
How to Quadruple the Number of Pick Faces in Carton Flow
When your load is case-picked, relatively light, and smooth, column flow racks allow you to create storage density and increase the number of pick faces.
Tags: Material Handling, distribution center, Carton flow rack, gravity flow systems, Order Picking & Fulfillment, warehousing
Posted in Order Picking & Fulfillment|
Comparing Gravity Flow Rack Types
Walk into any order fulfillment operation, and you will see gravity flow rack.
The reason is obvious–it’s one of the best ways to pick orders utilizing first-in, first-out principles. It used to be that there was one kind of the stuff, the plastic-wheel tracks, but these days the choices are more diverse than ever. For the most part, these flow rack types act the same; they decline toward the picker and boxes or totes or even larger components flow toward him. They’re restocked from the rear and picked from the front onto a takeaway conveyor line, a cart, workstation, or another step in the process.
Tags: Hytrol, order fulfillment, Supply Chain, carton flow, gravity flow rack, distribution center, Unex, Keneco, Conveyor, picking systems, warehousing, Material Handling
Posted in Order Picking & Fulfillment|