JIT Solutions Group, LLC: January 2016

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Get your Warehouse in order-Housekeeping

So, in the week since I posted “Get your house in order, your Warehouse that is, were you able to put your Warehouse in complete order? I’m sure you have because there’s nothing to it right? All of the broken equipment, dented shelving and the overall basic trash has been removed. All of your bins have been re-labeled or for that fact LABELED. All of your inventory is off of the floor and now has a home. The obsolete inventory has been identified and has been packed up and ready to be sold off right? These, along with 100 or so other tasks I’m sure have been completed. You’ve had a WHOLE week to do this and all you have to do is blink your eyes or twitch your nose and poof, it’s done.

Now that you’ve finished with a little chuck or finished uttering “yeah right” let’s get down to business.

If you’ve been studying over your project list for the past few days or even have a list that goes back several months and are wondering what your should tackle first, let me be the first the tell you that you’re not alone is asking this question & I HAVE NO IDEA EITHER. Since the word “should” is a relative term the item(s) you should work on 1^st should be those that are causing you the most discomfort, PAIN that is.

One of the most common Pains companies have is lack of work/storage space. Have you ever said “I wish we had more room” or “We need more room”! In a lot of cases the extra room that we all wish for is actually there but it’s hidden by all of the trash, excess equipment, inventory and just the complete disorganization that occurs over time in a warehouse environment. If you and I were sitting down to review your project list, without a doubt I would suggest you begin “cleaning house” today.

Make the commitment of repairing or disposing of any equipment that hasn’t worked in a year or more. Chances are that if you haven’t fixed it by now, you won’t and probably don’t need to. Remove the old boxes of “stuff” sitting around collecting dust. If the boxes have dust on them no one has opened the boxes in quite some time so you probably don’t need it. I could go on for a LONG time here but here’s a good rule to go by, whatever you’re tripping over either find it a home in your warehouse or trash it.

I’d like to wrap up by offering you 1 important thing to keep in mind while you and your team are cleaning up and out. Be sure you are completely aware of what’s being disposed of. Do NOT get in a hurry and begin throwing out “everything”. As you’re going thru this housekeeping process, you are likely to find some hidden treasures that everyone has forgotten about.

About Joe Crews (Inventory Joe) & JIT Solutions Group

Since 2006, I’ve been able to educate companies not only within North Carolina but across the Globe on the Best Practices of Warehouse, Inventory, Safety & other Supply Chain Operations. I’m able to accomplish my goal thru virtual and on-site consulting and coaching as well as thru speaking engagements & contributions on several online platforms. It's exciting to share my message and I hope you found this Post informative. Please share with others within your network and be sure to select the “Follow” tab to review my previous Posts and to ensure you don’t miss any future Posts.

If you have any questions or would like more information about our services, please contact/connect with me at:

LinkedIn: Connect with me here on LinkedIn

✉ joecrews@jitsolutionsgroup.com or inventoryjoe@gmail.com

☏ 336.624.6847

Web: www.jitsolutionsgroup.com

Twitter @inventoryjoe1

Monday, January 4, 2016

Get your house in order, Warehouse that is!

I’m sure over the past week or so you’ve seen a lot of stories on TV and the Web about making your 2016 New Years Resolutions and most of the “lists” that I’ve seen pretty much all look alike and include things such as Eat Healthier, Loose Weight, Spending more time with family, Save money, etc but what about your resolutions to improve your business this year, specifically your Warehouse Operations? Think for a moment about the following question. “What improvements and changes could you make in your Warehouse today that could help you operate more efficiently and profitable?”

Before you begin making your list do one thing please, cross out the word resolution and replace it with GOAL, goals are concrete whereas resolutions have a tendency to more of lofty ideas that often get lost during the course of conducting actual business. It’s also very important to understand from the start that you will be committing time and resources to accomplish these goals.

Now the real fun begins, making your Project List. Every company is going to have a list that is specific to their industry and their concerns but there are a few topics that I’m guessing will be on everyone’s list. Here are a few that come to mind:

Housekeeping

Inventory concerns- accuracy, turns, storage, excess & obsolete

Staff Development

Inventory Turns

Spend Reduction

Safety issues

Workflow

Space Utilization

I could go on for some time with a list of issues that I’ve encountered but it’s more important for you to develop your own list. Be sure to seek input not only from your Warehouse personnel but from everyone who interacts with your Warehouse. This should include Sales Team, Delivery personnel, Procurement, Customer Service, IT, Accounting, etc.

Even though it’s important to develop a Project List do NOT create such a list that will overwhelm you and your team. Your list should contain realistic goals along with a realistic timeframe for the completion time for each topic.

Finally, if I may offer one suggestion that has proven to work time and time again. Begin working on your project list by first picking 1 or 2 items that can be completed fairly quickly. The goal here is to have your team achieve a couple of quick victories. After these victories are achieved, your team will begin having the BUY-IN you’re seeking.