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20 warehouse strategies to help you to reduce warehouse costs, trim your cost per order, increase capacity without expansion, and improve service levels in your warehouse or distribution center
F. Curtis Barry & Company developed these warehouse management ideas to help multichannel
businesses with reducing warehouse costs and developing warehouse cost saving strategies. Our assessments are tailor-made to identify your needs and potential improvements to process, layout and use of space, staff productivity, systems and freight analysis. We have been successful in lowering the cost per order, increasing storage capacity within the center, reducing inbound and outbound freight, improving service levels and turnaround times.
Fulfillment clients include Positive Promotions, Publishers Clearing House, Sea Bear, Hanna Andersson, LifeWay Christian Resources, Cabela’s, Abercrombie & Fitch, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Belk Inc., Sur La Table, Crutchfield, Urban Outfitters, and Colonial Williamsburg Foundation; to name just a few.
Check out some of our great blogs on similar topics:
If you're looking for ideas on reducing inventory costs or call center strategies we have those ideas as well.
Need help implementing our warehouse cost saving ideas or formulating a warehouse strategy?
We can assist you by phone at (804) 740-8743, by e-mail at info@fcbco.com, or through our Request Information Form.
A program to set up internal benchmarks will reduce your cost per order or hold the cost in line as volumes increase. Translate these down to department and inpidual work standards. Contact us if we can help you with an independent internal benchmarking study.
Labor is the largest controllable expense item in your distribution center. Successful practices to improve performance can lower your labor cost.
Labor is your first or second largest expense after outbound freight in the fulfillment center. Review the reasons attrition is so high and work to close the gap. Review your hiring, retention and training practices. How well are you able to staff for the peaks?
The fewer touches of product, the less cost of shipping an order. An effective warehouse cost reduction strategy is to streamline the operation and apply industry best practices in order to reduce the handling and cost of fulfilling an order.
Effective slotting practices can lower your costs for picking, replenishment, and putaway warehouse labor.
Successful organizations take team building seriously. Take your organization to a new level and improve productivity.
How can you use best practices to improve picking productivity?
This is a mantra in fulfillment today. Our operational assessments will help you get more productivity from your layout, space/product storage utilization and staff. By not caring for the basics of fulfillment, you are adding costs to the warehouse operation. Increasing current capacity and utilizing that capacity more effectively are key objectives. We believe that getting as much productivity as possible out of the existing layout, processes and systems will help you reduce warehouse costs.
The old adage of, "You can't improve what you don't measure" is certainly true. An effective measurement and reporting process can improve performance and lower costs.
How can industry best practices help you improve performance and reduce costs of one of the most labor intensive functions in the warehouse?
Controlling inbound and outbound freight can make the difference between a profit or loss for your business. Learn more about freight cost reduction.
Are you “over inspecting” activities to the point of diminishing returns and spending money that does not result in a return on the investment?
Cross docking is an effective practice to reduce handling and costs while improving customer service and shipping costs.
Returns cost more than orders to process. Untimely processing of customer credits, refunds and exchanges can damage customer service. Our assessments look at use of staff, people, space and systems to improve productivity.
Many companies are still using Excel for their staffing software. Excel cannot save you as much money year over year as a good workforce program. Team up with your Contact Center to share a scheduling system. It will pay for itself quickly. If you have one, understand how to use it to its maximum.
There are practical and cost effective reasons to outsource part or all of your business. It may be to deal with a peak, new product categories or when fulfillment is not a company core competency.
ROI analysis could put automation into your planning for cost improvement. The wrong material handling equipment can be creating hidden lost time and inefficient product flow, impacting cost and customer service.
This should include reviewing how bar coding throughout the warehouse, conveyance, material handling and warehouse management systems can improve productivity, increase service levels and reduce costs. See more Warehouse Management Systems Implementation Strategies .
Effective inventory management is the single most important tool to improve customer service and reduce cost of operation. See more Inventory Management Cost Savings Strategies.
Effective replenishment is the basis of successful order fulfillment. Inefficient replenishment will cost huge dollars and negatively impact customer service.
Ready to evaluate your facility in order to implement a warehouse cost saving plan at your company? We have warehouse strategies for your warehouse efficiency & performance issues. Give us a call at (804) 740-8743 or email us at info@fcbco.com.
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