Amidst the rising competition these days, businesses are striving hard to achieve place and time utility with the help of appropriate material handling procedures and practices. Later than never, everyone has realized how material moving equipment affects the cost and the labor and finally started taking small steps towards including them in their respective settings.
An efficient material handling has become more necessary because of the increasing rate of accidents. The right kind of process plays a significant role in reducing these mishaps by transporting materials safely across floors and streamlining every work, especially where bulky materials or loads are transported.
Here are some of the best practices warehouse professionals deploy in their material handling activities to ensure better productivity at lower costs –
- Automation of Systems
It has been observed that the warehouses with automated material handling systems drive higher efficiency. They can fulfill the needs of their business on time and successfully reduce or eliminate the need for humans to check-in and out, sort material, or to move items. The equipment that comes under this category includes RF devices, conveyor systems, automated guided vehicles, and automated storage and retrieval systems.
- Use of RFID
Known as Radio-frequency Identification, the implementation of this technology works wonders in enhancing operational efficiency and productivity in warehouses. It uses electromagnetic fields to identify and track tags attached to products and do real-time tracking of objects within the facility. This further gives the manager an ability to plan product locations strategically and also reduce any thefts or losses.
- Cleanliness and Organization
I don’t have to stress enough that your warehouse must be neat and mess-free at all times. Any compromise on the work conditions can land you up with severe product damages, safety issues, and an endless search for materials. The more disorganized your warehouse is, the more time has to be wasted to put things in place. Even the best of technologies won’t benefit you in that case. So, educate your labor for the same so everyone can work in that direction.
- Lane Designation
The traffic in warehouses is unlike any other. There are forklifts, large tractor-trailer rigs, pickup trucks, and pedestrians. With so much happening around, there can be chances of bodily harm or injury to the people, damage to products, industrial equipment or the facility itself, thereby making even the basic safety a critical issue. The smartest way out of this trouble is to create separate lanes and prevent unnecessary crossovers for workers and moving machines. Fines and penalties are required so that no one violates these rules.
- Regular Training
Your newly recruited workers may start using the material handling equipment wrong and cause their backs to strain or muscles to tear. That can be disastrous for their well-being as well for the reputation of your brand. Hence, organize mandatory workshop sessions for them so that they can practice safe materials handling skills right from the beginning of their jobs.
Angelique Chrisafis is the Guardian’s Paris correspondent. She is responsible for churning out quality articles based on her research while keeping an eye on the tech world. She likes technology, gadgets, and food. Works as an individual contributor to the team.
