When was the last time you walked through your warehouse to find opportunities for improvement?
We all know data visibility and analytics are important in managing an effective supply chain. These analytics also require an efficient and organized space, in order to provide accurate insights. The first thing we do in our supply chain engagements is take a walk around our clients’ facilities to identify inefficiencies and highlight areas of opportunity. Here are a few key areas we focus on:
✓ What do the receiving and loading bays look like? Are they full of shipments requiring additional review?
✓ Are there frequent PO discrepancies?
✓ Do shipments arrive at the warehouse on time?
✓ Is the racking in the warehouse appropriate for the inventory stored?
✓ What is the pick flow of the facility? Is it ideal for the products stored or racking configuration?
✓ How often does the facility complete cycle counts?
✓ What is the state of their pick locations? Are they clean and free of debris? Are they empty?
✓ How does staging work at this facility? Is it the most efficient way for your products?
✓ Are there frequent bottlenecks when shipping orders? Do delivery trucks adhere to a schedule?
We understand that you may not have the answers to all of these questions, but they will prompt further attention if you can’t answer them, or your answer does indicate a need for improvement. When working with our clients, walkthroughs help them to align on our analysis by physically seeing what we have highlighted as opportunity areas. From there, we can diagnose the potential root causes of their issues and the best solutions to solve them.
If you’d like to complete your walkthrough with a Supply Chain expert, contact us to explore this further or discuss other business consulting services.
