Productivity Increases Supply Chain Responsiveness

While faced with challenges in managing productivity as peak season approaches, supply chain leaders must realize that using an integrated WMS will increase supply chain responsiveness. Supply chain responsiveness is defined by supply chains’ ability to secure processes and maintain flexible operations. If an order changes during mid-cycle, the final shipped products should still go out on time and meet the new demands. Increased WMS productivity contributes to supply chain responsiveness. By eliminating latency and boosting performance, supply chain leaders can reap the most from their investments, including integrated, well thought out WMS functions and capabilities. Improvements in productivity will further lead to these results:

• Reduced employee turnover rates.
• Increase collaboration throughout your supply chain network.
• Reduced risk of missed pickups and deliveries.
• Fewer customer returns resulting from mis-picked orders.
• Greater flexibility to handle changing requirements and needs of omnichannel and e-commerce.

How to Increase Productivity Without Steep Investments

With peak season around the corner, supply chain leaders need solutions that can be implemented today. Unfortunately, the timeline for WMS implementation is too great to implement and maximize a system’s value before Thanksgiving. Supply chains that have not already taken steps to invest in a new system will need to work with what they have, and part of the solution lies in maximizing the system efficiency of today, including optimized WMS productivity. Of course, it helps to have a few best practices that augment WMS productivity without increasing investment costs. As explained by Parcel Magazine, supply chain leaders should follow these tips to increase productivity:

• Adjust system settings to optimize performance. System configuration plays a vital role in ensuring systems function correctly.
• Properly train all laborers, including temporary workers, on system use and application. Even while temporary workers may not need advanced training on your systems, they still need to know how to use their specific functions, and depending on the need of your facility, they should be able to maintain self- sufficiency.
• Create and follow standardized processes for all peak season needs. Standardized processes eliminate uncertainty and keep everyone on the same page.
• Reslot the warehouse. Deciding to reslot the warehouse now is a different animal. Supply chain leaders that choose to reslot should focus on fast-moving products and those that will be in more demand as the season progresses.
• Revisit travel time of pickers, including optimization of walking routes. Merely optimizing the travel time for pickers and within the staging area will reduce costs and improve fulfillment.
• Integrate labor management with your WMS or other systems of record. Integration between systems is the most crucial factor in improving WMS productivity through better labor management.