Warehouse Management 101: 5 Simple Inventory Management Tips That Will Change Your Business

Are you looking for a way to organize your inventory?

As consumers demand faster delivery, it can be hectic to keep your inventory organized. A well-organized warehouse lowers overhead expenses and saves you time, boosting productivity.

But, there’s more to inventory organization than just putting everything in its place.

Here are five effective tips on how to organize a warehouse:

1. Plan Your Warehouse Space

Before you start organizing inventory, you need to account for all the warehouse space. Unused spaces may cost you money in terms of rent, electricity, and maintenance. So it’ll be a good idea to get rid of them, if possible.

Planning your warehouse space allows you to fully utilize your space for all your inventory. Besides, more space means fewer risks of injuries.

To optimize your warehouse, start by allocating space for your inventory. This is done with respect to the size of the items. Then, create the shortest pathways routes for the employees to access the goods easily.

Fast-moving stock should be placed closer to the shipping area to eliminate unnecessary labor time. This may demand that you keep track of your seasonal and frequent orders.

For effective inventory organization, you’ll also need to label your goods and warehouse racks. Labeling not only allows for easy picking and packing but also for quick navigation in the warehouse.

2. Make Use of Bin Locations

Bin locations allow the workers to find the exact location of a product in a storage unit. They also make it easy to pave warehouse pathways ensuring the quick reach of items.

To create efficient bin locations, you’ll need to divide your warehouse space into several manageable zones. You’ll then further divide the zones into smaller sections. If you have a warehouse rack with several shelves, you can label each shelf as a section.

To have a complete bin location, ensure each shelf is named according to its zone and section.

3. Minimize Unauthorized Traffic

Minimizing unauthorized traffic is one of the most overlooked factors in warehouse inventory management. Given that a warehouse is a dangerous working environment, it’s wise to keep tabs on the warehouse traffic.

You might consider giving your workforce some kind of identifiers. This can be in the form of a special t-shirt, PIN, or anything that might help distinguish workers from unauthorized persons. Monitoring traffic can also serve as a security protocol that keeps your inventory safe.

4. Train Your Staff

When your workforce understands the importance of warehouse inventory management, they’re likely to keep the warehouse more organized. Organizing regular training and induction programs ensures the employees stay up to date with the inventory system.

Training programs also provide a platform for workers to share ideas on how to boost productivity.

Inventory Organization Should Never Be a Hassle

Inventory organization goes a long way into ensuring maximum productivity and safety in the warehouse. The above tips will help you run a warehouse smoothly while keeping it neat and organized.

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