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Your warehouse KPIs determine how efficiently you turn a profit. If you’re running your warehouse fast and loose, how do you know what is there, what’s coming in, or what’s heading out the door?

You probably already have a software package that compiles data and analyzes information. What you do with that information may determine the success or failure of your logistics business. Specifically, you need to determine the metrics that matter when measuring warehouse performance.

If you’re using a paper and pencil system in your operations, you’re not alone. Forty-eight percent of facilities are still conventional in receiving, picking, inventory replenishment, and storage (non-mechanized).

Modern ecommerce warehouse and fulfillment operations staff are tasked with some hefty challenges in any given year. But when the pandemic triggered an abrupt shift to online purchases last year, many were handling larger inventories and more receipts, picks, shipments, and returns than ever before.

There’s a common misconception that warehouses operate in an endless loop of basic processes that move items from point A to point B. Sure, things get moved. But the supply chain is increasingly faced with labor shortages, pandemic issues, and rapidly changing market conditions, making the warehousing environment more complex than ever.

When the temperatures start to rise in the summer, so do the dangers to your warehouse staff. The U.S. experienced its hottest June on record in 2021, and there were over 31 million people subjected to heat advisories or excessive heat warnings in one month alone.

When it’s over 100 degrees outside, you can bet that the temperatures are much higher inside a warehouse or distribution center. That’s why it’s vital that fulfillment centers, warehouses, and 3rd party logistics providers understand the dangers of heat stress and take the proper steps to avoid it.

Warehouses have been evolving for years, and the past few have been no exception. In an era impacted by a deadly pandemic, warehouses are among the rare businesses that experienced a surge in demand for workers, making it more important than ever for employers and managers to motivate their existing staff.

Peak season creep is no joke. According to the National Retail Foundation, over half of the consumers are well underway with their holiday shopping in early November, and many much sooner. As seasonal shopping preferences shift, warehouse preparation must react in kind, prompting the question of how soon is too soon to get ready for that peak season rush.

Ramping up your operations with the expectation of more activity is one thing. But what about changing your warehouse processes or making some upgrades? Would these types of changes benefit your operations or give you one more headache that you’ll have to manage in the coming months?

It may seem odd to think about the holiday season during the heat of summer. But anyone working in retail or order fulfillment knows that the busy season is just around the corner. And those who are best prepared for the holiday rush and the logistical challenges it presents can reap the greatest rewards.

Unless your facility is consistently recognized as a bleeding edge innovator and always staying two steps ahead of the rest of your industry, you’re probably like the rest of us and are hungry to know more about how your facility performs or compares to your competitors or others in your industry.

Last week the Washington Post did some excellent work calculating a number of key statistics around the logistics of Santa’s big night of Christmas Eve (See “The Breathtaking Scale of Santa Claus’ Task on Christmas Eve - by Philip Bump”).