Warehouses should follow a hard and smart work practice to achieve its overall efficiency and to control the cost.  The successful warehouse contributes to steady growth of the business. The warehouse that failed will disrupt the business and can lead to huge loss. If you are eliminating the warehouse waste then it is easy for the business to achieve success.

To make your warehouse a successful one, you should follow the lean principle. Lean manufacturing has become one of the trending and best strategies which focuses on constant improvement, reduces excess inventory, and eliminates the warehouse waste. The lean process is best to identify the non-valuable components and it also helps to control the cost as much as possible. Here are the top warehouse wastes and smart ways to eliminate them.

• Waste which are caused due to overproduction

Overproduction waste is common when you are producing more products than your customers want or faster than you need. This will end up in excess inventory and it will also increase the managing stock’s price. In such a scenario you have to limit your production until the inventory is clean.

Moreover, it is best to adapt a data-based approach to inventory management and to  control warehouse wastes. If you are not ready for just in time inventory strategy, then the data-based approach is also a credible choice . Try a math-based approach to your inventory instead of making random guesses.  Warehouse Management System (WMS) will automatically generate that information to you.

• Over-processing of the waste

If you are doing more work than the requirement then it  can lead to over-processing waste. For instance, painting a part of the hidden part of a product which is of no much use to the customer. Over-processing also increases the labor cost and gives some unwanted  additions to the product.

To avoid this, you should create SOP (Standard Operating Procedures) and it will provide clear guidance to the employee about the process of your warehouse. By getting in touch with the relevant stakeholders, you can develop an SOP .

• Excessive transport waste

Unnecessarily movement of product can shoot up the transport waste. This will lead you to rent unneeded warehouse space. In addition to it, this will add up to the energy costs, operation of the forklift, etc. To avoid transport waste, just limit the amount which is sitting in your buffer storage, and it will reduce double handling. Make sure to organize the storage well.

• Bump in motion waste

Motion waste happens when people are moving more than necessary or unwantedly. Motion waste usually leads to poor layout, controlled space, and improper organization of products or tools. To avoid this, you should follow the 5S (Sort, Set in order, Shine, Standardize, Sustain) working exercise.  Make sure to always share the  valuable insight to your employees about what is working and which section needs improvement.

• Waiting waste

This type of warehouse waste is associated with time,  the most common type of waiting wastes includes waiting while a machine process, products are waiting to move to the next phase,  products waiting for shipping or packaging  etc. This waiting waste drastically slows down the process as well as the growth of a business.

To avoid waiting waste, you should redesign the workflows and warehouse processes.  Make sure to follow a continuous movement on products as well as in the employee’s activity. The employees who are working with the machine will need extensive training on operating, maintaining, and troubleshooting. Make a foul proof plan for your staff so that time is managed properly.