The holidays are here.
If you’re a warehouse manager, those few words are likely enough to send you into overdrive. It’s the time of year when your warehouse and crew must be prepared for the chaos that seasonal peaks can induce.
Do you have sufficient stock on hand? Are your loading docks prepped? If you don’t use loading docks, are your yard ramps ready to go? How are you going to remain efficient with so many trucks coming and going?
But enough with the questions. It’s time for some answers. Here’s how you can ensure that your warehouse is ready to go once the holiday rush begins.
Always Think About Efficiency
Is you warehouse running as efficiently as possible? When it comes time to take on the holiday rush, you want everyone and everything to be running smoothly and on all cylinders. One weak spot in the chain is enough to throw the entire operation off course.
Warehouse efficiency begins at the loading dock. You want to make sure that your equipment is up to date and ready to take on the additional stress of added loads.
Check on Your Warehouse Management System
Now is not the time to implement a new warehouse management system. The last thing that you want to be doing during the holiday rush is learning how to use a new system. You especially don’t want to have to waste precious time training your team.
Having said that, you do want to ensure that your current system isn’t outdated. You also want to make sure that everything is running properly. If your workers have been experiencing glitches or other sorts of trouble, make sure that you remedy them before you are too busy to do so.
Review Your Best Practices
Not only should you be going over your best practices, but you should be reviewing them with your team, as well.
In order to remain efficient, it is important for everyone to be on the same page. That way, when the going gets tough, every person in your operation is aware of what they have to do and when.
Lastly, Remember to Stay Safe
Once you have ensured that your warehouse is optimized, your workers are prepared and your procedures are set, you want make sure that everyone is in for a safe holiday season.
From checking your shelves to going over forklift safety, you should be making sure that your warehouse is a safe place for your employees. No one wants an accident to occur, least of all during the holidays.
What tips do you have for running a warehouse during the holidays? Let us know by joining the conversation below.
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