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.
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
☏ 336.624.6847
Twitter @inventoryjoe1
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