The automated solutions being incorporated into many warehouses these days are, in theory, supposed to make those operations run more efficiently. However, one of the things that some warehouses are finding is that these automated solutions sometimes cause downtime and adversely affecting the bottom line. If your company is going to be using automation in your warehouse in the near future, you should take steps to avoid downtime. Here are some of the ways in which you can do it.
Create a detailed map of your warehouse (and update it accordingly!).
The automated solutions that you work into your warehouse are going to be designed to move around inside the warehouse without your help. But they’re going to have a tough time moving around if they don’t know the layout of your warehouse. You should create a detailed map of your warehouse prior to introducing automated solutions and update that map over time to keep it current.
Put automated solutions into place at a slower time of the year to allow for testing.
There are warehouses that make the (huge!) mistake of incorporating automated solutions into their warehouses during the holiday rush and at other busy times of the year. This is, as you might imagine, not a good idea. It’s better to incorporate them during slower times of the year so that you can test them out and make sure downtime doesn’t become an issue. You can adjust them as necessary once you see how they work.
Keep your warehouse neat and organized at all times.
It’s important for companies to keep their warehouses clean at all times to prevent safety problems from popping up. It’s also important for them to do it when they begin relying on automated solutions since a mess could throw these solutions off track and cause unnecessary downtime. Your company should make cleaning up and getting organized even more of a priority than before when you welcome automated solutions into your warehouse.
When used properly, automation can make your warehouse way more efficient than ever before. But you need to be in the right warehouse to take full advantage of the automated solutions that are available. Affiliated Warehouse Companies can ensure your company finds the best warehouse space possible to operate out of. Call us at 732-739-2323 for more information on our many warehouse locations.
