There are many responsibilities when it comes to warehouse operations. A major one to consider is shipping. After all, this is the final step to ensure the customer ends up satisfied. Shipping has to run smoothly and efficiently. In the current age, many businesses want to find ways to ship faster, while remaining practical. Learn some ways to make shipping easier in warehouses by reading below.
Invest in Order Tracking Software
The digital age has made many tasks throughout various industries more practical than ever before. When it comes to shipping in warehouses, order tracking software has been an amazing addition. These programs allow you to automate orders from receipt to shipment, which ultimately streamlines the entire process. Oder tracking software will also decrease the risk of errors since workers won’t need to enter orders manually. Make sure you train everyone working in your warehouse on how to use the software of your choice so everyone can operate without any issues.
Make Sure To Use Inventory Control Procedures
Inventory control procedures will help you efficiently manage the warehouse stock, which is a vital part of the shipping process. Some of the common procedures involve tools such as a perpetual inventory control system, which automatically updates inventory levels when the stock sells, performs periodic inventory counting, establishes a reorder point, and offers radio frequency identification. All these tools will help you with storing and shipping products.
Keep Your Pick, Pack, and Ship Process Efficient
The pick, pack, and ship system refers to the process of receiving an order and pulling the product from your inventory, then packaging and shipping it out. This may seem like a simple process, but it needs to run quickly and smoothly for it to benefit your business. Make sure your order tracking process is efficient from start to finish. Order tracking for pick tickets can lead to errors that could hold up shipping and make quick delivery less likely. As such, set up a printing station, so shipping labels can print automatically as an order comes through. If the system is set up properly, you should be able to have it scan barcodes to enter shipment data instead of having to write it down.
Only Use Quality Equipment
One of the simplest ways to make shipping easier in warehouses is to avoid using bad equipment. That means to make sure that things like your forklifts and pallets are in good working condition. Do routine maintenance checks on forklifts and other lifting equipment. If you have machinery that won’t operate correctly, it’s going to slow down the processing of moving loads out for shipment. Your pallets need to be well-kept, so they protect the shipments in route. Weak or broken pallets will lead to damaged product, which means you may have to reship orders. Store your wooden pallets properly to ensure they remain in quality condition. Also, teach employees how to correctly handle them and avoid things like dropping or throwing them.
