Picture the Perfect Warehouse (WMS Blog)

Take a minute to imagine the perfect warehouse.  The shelves are immaculate and inventory is organized so that the items you sell the most are closest to the shipping area.  When a customer calls to ask if an item is in stock, you simply have to check in your system to find out if it’s available.  Every shipment is perfect, physical counts only take a few hours and your receipt of goods entries take only minutes a day.  This warehouse could be yours.

As bar-coding technology becomes more affordable and easier to use, more and more small to medium-sized companies are using it to get their warehouses organized.  By implementing barcode technology you can automate warehouse transfers, physical counts, shipping and receiving.  What exactly does that mean for you?  It means that data entry (and the delays and errors that come along with it) is eliminated because every transaction is scanned and sent to your system immediately.  It also means that every shipment is guaranteed accurate and you will never again receive an item that you did not order.  Physical counts happen 75% faster than they did with a manual system and the inventory quantities in your Warehouse Management System are trustworthy.

So how do you get started on the road to the perfect warehouse?  Simply follow these three easy steps:

1. Evaluate your warehouse process with us.  Talk about how inventory is moving through your warehouse and identify any bottlenecks or problem areas.  Include warehouse staff, data entry personnel and management to get a complete picture of your operations.
2. Determine your implementation goals and strategy.  Most Warehouse Management Solution implementations work best when done in a phased approach.  If physical counts are the biggest issue, use the bar-coding handhelds for that process and then expand to other transactions after that one is mastered.  Rank each process in order of importance and set deadlines for when you would like each one fully implemented.
3. Review hardware and software recommendations.  We will provide software recommendations based on your project goals and suggest a handheld that will work well in your warehouse environment.  Once you have approved the solution set, all that’s left to do is implement!

To learn more about how bar-coding could get you closer to having the perfect warehouse, contact us today.