Does your warehouse adhere to slot optimization practice? This term refers to the strategic placement of inventory to minimize loading times. Because time is money, more time on the loading dock means more money spent on overhead expenses and, possibly, surplus fees from the carrier. We’ll go over some best practices for placing inventory in your warehouse for North American industries.
Here’s Why Slot Optimization Matters
Want some eye-opening statistics? Staff spend 55% of their time walking back and forth in the warehouse, and another 15% searching for items. These percentages can be drastically reduced with slot optimization. Strategic slotting comes into play regardless of the carrier or line haul shipper you use.
Put High-Use Inventory Up Close
Instead of organizing inventory by number, keep the items you often ship closer to the loading dock. This minimizes staff travel time on foot. Don’t, however, place these items so close together that it causes bottlenecking among different picking groups during peak hours.
Slot for Better Pick Accuracy
Picking refers to the process of pulling, packing, and palletizing inventory. Don’t just focus on picking speed; also focus on accuracy. Mistakes, such as pulling the wrong item, waste time. Slotting methods, such as not placing similar items together, and stocking items with labels facing out, reduce errors.
Re-Slot in Accordance with Seasonal Shifts
Change slotting seasonally if that’s how your business operates. Re-slot your inventory as certain items become more in demand than others. Use business intelligence software with predictive analytics to predict the items that will increase in demand in the coming weeks.
Optimize Your Warehouse
Slotting optimization helps immensely for all types of shipment, from LTL to dedicated truck transport carriers. Machine Transport has been in the industry long enough to understand why slot optimization is a time and money-saving practice. Contact us today for help with this technology.
Slot Optimization for North American Industries
Serving Manufacturing Industries Throughout North America
Posted on July 22, 2021 | Published by Ignite Local | Related Local Business