Every warehouse is unique – and its uniqueness depends on a range of factors.
These range from the inventory stored to the leadership style, from the staff clocking in and out each day to the technological solutions deployed alongside them.
Yet despite this heterogeneity, most warehouses suffer from the same handful of problems. Sure, some challenges are specific to industries or arise under particular circumstances. But on the whole, all warehouses are trying to put out the same fires.
That's because all warehouses are fundamentally trying to achieve the same things. Staff, physical space and technology are all being leveraged to get goods from A to B accurately and efficiently.
The good news is that all these challenges can be sorted out. Resolving them can take hard thinking and long-term planning. But with the right systems in place, a warehouse can deal with pretty much anything.
In this article, we look at five common inventory management challenges – and how you can make them a thing of the past.
First up, the evergreen problem of inventory accuracy.
Problem #1: inventory inaccuracies
Inventory is the lifeblood of a warehouse. So, if there are discrepancies between what the screen is saying and what's on the shelves, you're going to come a cropper.
It's not just that your warehouse becomes less productive as you put out logistical fires. It's also that you keep the customer waiting – and in the age of next-day delivery, this isn't a luxury you can afford.
This is especially apparent in warehouses that rely on manual data entry, manual labelling and manual counting. All too often, they waste time (and money) locating lost items and accounting for failed deliveries.
Solution
Technology isn't always the answer. But in the case of inventory inaccuracies, it can undoubtedly make a positive difference.
Exchanging manual data entry with barcode scanners or RFID technology means stock can be tracked, traced and recorded immediately. What's more, there's no chance an item's identifying code or status will be mistaken.
Combined with an enterprise resource planning or warehouse management system (WMS), this gives you real-time, up-to-the-minute stock visibility.
Technology isn't the be-all and end-all, however. There are also steps management can take to instil more accurate procedures in staff.
First, warehouse staff should never assume that packing slips are correct. Instead, every delivery should be counted and scanned against the purchase order before it's unloaded onto the shelves.
Secondly, staff should be encouraged to put stock away immediately. This helps avoid the misplacement of stock left sitting unrecorded on the warehouse floor.
Finally, you can replace long, arduous annual physical audits with more regular cycle counting. This means you have accuracy all year round and weave cycle counting into your workflows rather than relying on one big day of disruption.
Problem #2: inefficient use of space
