FEATURE WAREHOUSE MANAGEMENT


THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX I


With the supply chain becoming increasingly more competitive businesses are looking for more ways to cut internal costs and increase distribution efficiency. Dale Paterson of Exporta Global discusses the elements needed to increase growth and warehouse productivity


mproving handling solutions is imperative to boost productivity and


reduce business costs. One strategy is to measure and record how many times an item is touched from the time it is ordered until it leaves the building. Look for ways to eliminate handling items twice; generally speaking, less steps equal fewer touches which equal lower costs. If too many touches are occurring it might be time to re-think your current strategy. Evaluate the merits of piece picking where one order is picked at a time until complete. How cost-effective is this versus say, batch, zone or wave picking? You may be considering a picking


technology such as radio frequency, pick- to-voice or pick-to- light. Such systems can be beneficial as they eliminate paper based picking which may not be cost- efficient. Reducing travel time can easily account for 50% or more of order picking hours. By combining orders into a single travel distance the time spent travelling is greatly reduced.


MAXIMISE SPACE THROUGH STORAGE OPTIMISATION A warehouse will normally run out of space due to rapid growth, large discount buying, planned inventory builds for shutdowns, seasonal peaks or even a slow sales period. An abundance of the right product appears positive in terms of customer service and order fulfilment goals. Yet this can mean you are operating well below established productivity levels. Alternatively, having too much of the


wrong product can indicate sales projections and production planning were incorrect. To combat these issues companies should consider leveraging outside storage, internal warehouse redesign and improving inventory management. To expand storage density one step is to ensure the facility’s entire vertical cube is effectively utilised. Vertical cube includes all space above


loads, total building clearance, space above cross aisles, space above work and pick areas. Within the rack the opening height should be approximately six inches larger than the load height to facilitate easy and safe loading. A formula to check this is to take a


sample of unit loads and divide a typical vertical bay of product height by the clear height in that area of the building. If the space is utilised less than 50% a great opportunity for improvement exists. This means creating multiple opening heights and implementing a re-warehousing program to move partial slow moving pallets into shorter locations.


BOOST SAFETY AND ENHANCE PRODUCTIVITY Packaging is essential to any well-run logistics operation and by using superior products such as containers, pallets and dunnage, businesses can implement reusable packaging systems. This means customers receive orders in pristine condition at minimal cost. Moving to more lightweight solutions such as plastic reusable containers can


achieve significant lifetime savings. Exporters in particular can benefit from reduced freight costs as plastics are much lighter than wood and can save as much as £40 per equivalent load bearing pallet. At Exporta we believe packaging


solutions should help prevent wasted space in vehicles on return journeys. One way this can be done is through


nestable pallets and collapsible units that allow companies to stack up to 60 pallets to one stack rather than 52. Exporta’s SP1210 range allows shipping


costs to be reduced by up to 15%. Collapsible crates take up less space on return journeys, enhancing the ability for carriers to take more products on board and reducing courier costs. To reduce losses from theft, using rivet-


type seals for containers makes them ‘tamper evident’ and enables the receiver to see immediately if the shipment is intact and if hazardous materials conform with best practice. To maximise space and improve


handling solutions businesses must be willing to innovate and utilise different strategies suited to their industry. Combining this approach with advanced


packaging solutions enables customers to reuse packaging materials, extend the life of shipped goods and increase the effectiveness of storage facilities.


Exporta Global T: 0800 294 4394 www.exportaglobal.co.uk


WMS STREAMLINES STOCKTAKING AND IMPROVES PRODUCTIVITY


Onward Holdings has made a further investment in its Castleford warehouse by installing OpenWMS, a software package designed to deliver a wide range of benefits to help its business tenants boost efficiency and increase the profitability of their logistics operations. Adopting the specialist WMS at the West Yorkshire site streamlines


stock taking and shipping processes, improves productivity by freeing up staff to concentrate on other duties and maximises space utilisation. It follows significant investments by the company in renewable energy at Castleford and some of its other sites which will lower electricity bills. OpenWMS is a highly accurate, configurable warehouse management


system for both third party logistics (3PL) providers and for owner- operated use. It creates a complete supply chain management solution suitable for a wide range of products including food and drink, packaging, electronics, IT equipment, homewares and office supplies. Investing in the new system is further proof of the commitment by


Onward Holdings to provide 21st century solutions for businesses seeking warehouse space that will control their costs. OpenWMS will help optimise vehicle loads and routes, enhance picking/dispatch accuracy and timeliness


S MARCH/APRIL 2017 | MATERIALS HANDLING & LOGISTICS 6


as well as improve job costing and yield control. In addition to the WMS and new solar panels the Willowbridge Lane site has the advantage of being close to the motorway networks for fast delivery to all parts of the UK, the railway freight network, Humber ports and regional airports. The facility is in a superb location and can be utilised for a wide variety of uses. It is an ideal warehouse base for those needing to quickly move and/or


store goods in the north of England. The site has huge advantages for those using containers including two dock levellers for loading and unloading and box vans. “We are mindful that businesses operating a distribution or storage


facility are under pressure to keep costs under control,” says director John Storey. “We are striving to help at Castleford by adopting new energy and warehouse management systems that can boost the bottom line of our tenants by delivering efficiency benefits.”


Advanced T: 0845 160 6162 www.oneadvanced.com


/ MATERIALSHANDLINGLOGISTICS


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