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Thank you from
Angela and Alec
Warehousing
A warehouse operation consists of two elements; the
amount of each product stocked and the position of
each item. The former ‘s aim is to provide the right
amount of stock at the right time and there are tools
to do this, often coming under the heading of ‘Stock
Control’ and these can calculate ‘Minimum Stock’
before it is time to re-order the stock. These take into
account the rate at which the stock can be
replenished and the rate at which it is used. We can
help with making inventory polices to optimise your
inventory management.
However, there is another side to the Warehouse
operation that is rarely optimised and that is WHERE
in the warehouse we should put the stock to optimise
the time it takes to pick & pack the stock.
The graph shows a typical picking pattern where
some 12,000 items on 700 picklists over a 24-hour
period were located and taken to the packing area. It
shows the warehouse has 20 aisles. If the packing
area was to the left, or right, or in line with the aisles
there would be very different costs associated with
the picking. As the packing area and aisles are fixed
locations then the real variable is to organise the
stock location instead. By analysing the way the ware
house is organised, we can reduce the operating
costs substantially. Then goods are located in
proportion to their usage rates and picking times to
minimise the operation costs.
Warehouse staffing is a little analysed event. A proper
analysis will determine how many staff are required
and at what times of the day, from which we will set
up the best shift pattern. Very often the work load in
a warehouse is a seasonal activity; it will usually vary
through the week anyway. Thus a shift pattern
appropriate to the workload is essential on a weekly
basis. The solutions for variations over long periods
can include the use of Annualised Hours and/or
Agency Workers to optimise the operation when the
workload varies over the year.
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Experts on Shift Operations and Scheduling
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