Information technology can be used to accelerate warehouse operations: inventory tracking can simplify physical management; electronic records can facilitate auditing and provide accountability; advance slotting of docks can shorten driver wait times; and, matching incoming shipments with outbound orders can reduce the amount of product being inventoried.
Simplify Physical Management
As part of an inventory control system, it is important to know where things are, exactly, in your warehouse. Keeping tight controls on where things are placed will speed order fulfillment and deter internal theft. These benefits have an obvious impact on the profitability of your operation.
Audit Trails and Accountability
Good warehouse operation software will create a record of each time something is received, moved, or shipped and exactly who was involved in the process. These records can be used to identify problems and increase efficiency: items commonly shipped together can be inventoried together; and, workers who are consistently involved in errors can be provided with additional training.
Driver Wait Times
In the current regulatory environment, idle truck drivers make shipping more expensive and drive up costs. Warehouse operation software can be used to coordinate the timing of dock arrivals/departures and the associated shipping/receiving activities to minimize the time drivers spend idle thereby minimizing shipping expenses.
Match Incoming/Outgoing Orders
Businesses with warehouse operations software tied into the purchasing and sales order tracking can line up incoming shipments with outgoing orders on side-by-side docks eliminating the need to inventory the arriving product and the associated costs.
Conclusion
Warehouse operation software can provide substantial savings through increased efficiency and accountability. Knowing where things are and how they got there, coupled with tight controls over dock utilization all work together to reduce overhead and increase profits.