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As a business owner, you want to make sure that your operations run as smoothly as possible so that you can be as successful as possible. However, when it comes to running a warehouse, many times there are issues that arise that could otherwise be prevented if the operational side of things was more streamlined and productive.

Making your warehouse more efficient is the main goal of nearly every company. Taking inventory, ensuring the right inventory goes to the right place, finding what you need, and working more efficiently are crucial to the success of a manufacturing company.

Workstations are an excellent tool to help your manufacturing plant become more efficient, work smoother, and reduces the amount of shrink in your warehouses. When you can provide the right tools for the job, your company is more likely to succeed. Here are five factors that provide flawless fulfillment for your warehouse. 

With companies such as Amazon and Walmart continuing to strive in the direction of supply-chain technological advancements, it is worth a consideration of where this is leading warehousing. The focus is not so much on what these two companies are doing as it is the startups and their innovations.

This is not to discredit 2 of the “leaders of the pack”, instead we will look closely at 10 startups who will potentially change the face of warehousing as we know it today. The funding that is driving these startups demonstrates how prevalent the products and services they offer will become.

Setting up a warehouse can seem like an impossible task, especially if you’ve never had to design one before. There are some things you need to know before installing all the parts and moving in the employees. If you’re thinking about designing a warehouse, you should consider things like the location, and the design of the interior. You want to make sure everything is the right place to maximize production, and prevent accidents. Before you run out to design your warehouse, here are some things you should consider. 

Workers who are comfortably and appropriately dressed to handle job tasks will be more productive and happier at work. One of the most important parts of an order picker's wardrobe is his or her footwear.

Proper work shoes will allow order pickers to maximize their potential daily workload. The best work shoes will also be safer and help workers to avoid accidents that could potentially sidetrack them from getting work done.

In the warehouse and logistics industries, productivity is king. Every step of every process can be broken down and measured to ensure that the client is getting the most for their investment, the customer is happy with the products they receive and the warehouse staff are reaching their maximum potential because they use a warehouse cart with portable power.

At least, all these factors should be measurable and regularly checked. In the increasingly analytical, technical world of today, any company not hitting all cylinders will soon be left behind for a more efficient alternative.

The digital age that we live and work in provides each of us with a host of easier ways to get the daily ins and outs accomplished. This, of course, includes the day in the life of a warehouse manager and employee. From the receiving dock, to the lift operator putting the goods away, the picker, and the outbound department, WiFi has virtually eliminated the paper trail. 

This does not mean that WiFi does not present a unique set of challenges in the warehouse environment. What are the difficulties that can arise with WiFi in the warehouse, and is there a solution?

Most people, regardless of the industry they are in, are fearful of two prospects. They are change and staying the same. A paradox of sorts, and confusing to management who have developed a growth mindset.

When presented with the idea of a lean operation, rather than the status quo, most team members, and some members of management, recoil from the notion. They are afraid of the change, yet they are quick to point out the flaws in the current workflow. See, this is the paradox.

The perception that many have of the simplicity of warehouse operations merits consideration. How simple is it? We receive goods, put them away, pick them upon order, ship, and then maintain the overall operation. On it’s face it appears simple. Yet, let a novice manager in training step into the shoes of an existing warehouse manager and they may soon find themselves overwhelmed. 

When proposed with the option of stand alone warehousing versus an integrated operation of warehousing and distribution, many managers today shrug at the notion of added responsibilities. So, they continue on with their typical approach, and the end result is profit reduction and dissatisfied customers.

While this is not an across the board occurence, it is commonplace enough to bear consideration of a new way to view housing and distributing inventory. The profit reductions can occur as a result of one segment, i.e. the warehouse or distribution, focusing their attention on what only they can control at the expense of other functions of the supply chain. This creates an avalanche of cost increases ultimately impacting the end customer, thus lost revenue.