The old saying goes that “ticks equals bucks” or time is money. Thus, managing time is an essential part of any business regardless of the industry. In the material handling industry, time management is an important skill because it correlates directly to efficiency, productivity, and profitability. In the warehouse this is especially true. Are you looking for ways to improve time management in your warehouse? There are several approaches you can take to achieve this aim. Streamlining business processes, integrating supply chain management software, implementing incentive pay, promoting continuous improvement, understanding the advantages to outsourcing your logistics services, and introducing third-party fulfillment are great strategies to employ. Utilizing one or more of these practices will surely yield dividends in the area of time management. Here is how you can get started today!

Streamline Business Processes – According to Multi-Channel Merchant, many businesses find themselves layering new functions over longer term existing ones. As a result, this often confuses and undermines product flow. This is often chalked up to disorganized freight, unsorted inventory, or poor placement of equipment. These same business processes designed to handle these matters swiftly actually take more time to carry out. A great way to manage time better is to review these processes and take a fresh look at all the phases that involve in product flow and order fulfillment. If you find that multiple stages can be amalgamated, this lowers operating times.

Integrate Supply Chain Management Software – Sometimes your warehouse may need a digital touch. Integrating supply chain management software such as SAP can help derive areas of the operation that are becoming bottlenecks in your day-to-day initiatives. Using real time data and performance metrics, these interfaces can take a bird-eye view of your warehouse and determine the areas where you can save both time and money.

Implement Incentive Pay– Fostering productivity can often be driven by giving your employees a reward for doing so. By offering incentives for reaching and eclipsing turnaround, shipping, and receiving levels you will see time management skills rush to the forefront. This is because personnel is incentivized to get tasks done quicker and they find and create ways to do just that with a bit of added encouragement.

Promote Continuous Improvement – Championing a work-smarter not harder philosophy is another great way to bolster time management. Emerging philosophies such as LEAN, Six Sigma, and Agile methodologies garner such a perspective where employees standardize initiatives that cause them to work at peak levels. The more routine and simplified any operation becomes, the faster it usually can be completed. Promoting continuous improvement coincides with this principle.

Introduce Third-Party Fulfillment – Today’s business world has become digitized. With the introduction of drop-shipping and electronic warehousing, enterprises store their inventory virtually without ever having to acquire additional space or resources to store their goods. Moreover, third-party fulfillers such as AliBaba or Amazon offer to facilitate multiple aspects of logistics to take the pressure of many retailers. Incorporating this into your business can allow you to focus your time on other aspects of the operation and free up more time for other warehouse initiatives. All this by allowing new raw materials to be handled by third-party actors.