I usually put together a few observations occurring in that first few minutes that can be a good indication of what to expect when the detailed operations assessment is underway.

These are some actual situations I have encountered recently during the first quick walk around:

1. In a 25 foot clear stacking height warehouse, only the bottom10 feet were utilized for storage.
2. Pick slots were all the same size.
3. Locations were not clearly numbered in a logical schema.
4. Pallets and boxes were found in the aisles.
5. The “dust factor” on product was significant.
6. Employees work pace was slow.
7. Pick slot replenishments were taking place while picking was going on.
8. Product was backed up on the receiving dock and the returns area.
9. There was a lot of trash and debris between racks and behind pallets.
10. Food wrappings and cups were found on the floor.
11. Break rooms or cafeteria areas were a mess.
12. Pack stations were cluttered and disorganized.
13. Pickers were picking one order at a time while walking the entire pick line.
14. Packers were walking to find the right packaging materials for their orders.
15. Warehouse staff were being held up and delayed due to congestion and interference.

Most people point out that warehousing is not “rocket science”. This is true, but if you run an inefficient warehouse operation with some or all of the symptoms above; satisfying your customers and having them return to buy again can be as difficult as landing a man on the moon.

Take a look at your warehouse to see what condition you are in and develop a plan to correct it. Remember that the key requirements to running a good warehouse are a common sense approach, discipline in making sure procedures are followed, structure to make it possible to change, and a positive environment where employees want to succeed.

Bob Betke is vice president of F. Curtis Barry & Company, a multichannel operations and fulfillment consulting firm with expertise in multichannel systems, warehouse, call center, inventory, and benchmarking; Learn more online at: http://www.fcbco.com

Your warehouse layout plays a huge part in the effectiveness of your operation, says Curt Barry, president of operations consultancy F. Curtis Barry & Co., At a session during the NCOF show in Las Vegas in March, Barry detailed some of the steps to reviewing a distribution center layout.

It’s important to understand the utilization of the current warehouse layout, and use what is available, he said. You have to determine how the building dictates process flow.

Oftentimes you can’t see any space in a warehouse, Barry said. This can be a big problem when your goal should be to reduce the number of times you touch product. “How many times to you have to move product around” because of inefficient layout? Barry asked.

You also need to look at effective space and cube utilization and pick and storage design, as well as the number of dock doors, how materials handling equipment operates, and system capabilities and restrictions.

What happens when you don’t have enough warehouse space, and moving or expanding isn’t a near-term option? There are a few things you can do, Barry said.

For one, you could narrow the aisles in the facility to make room for more products. Or you could add a mezzanine if you have room to expand vertically. You might also consider a second work shift so that warehouse staff isn’t running in to each other.

But the main thing is getting management to act on slow-moving merchandise, Barry said, which is typically 80% of the inventory in any warehouse. “Distribution centers are crammed with stuff that doesn’t sell,” he noted.