Guidelines for Increasing Warehouse Capacity from QC Software Executive

Sept. 6, 2011 - PRLog -- What do you do when you need more warehouse space?  Expansions and leasing outside space can be expensive, so making better use of your existing building is a more cost-effective solution.    

“I often see clients who maintain too much inventory or improperly store their product,” states Rich Hite, President of QC Software (http://www.qcsoftware.com), a leading provider of warehouse control software. “Another common problem is that managers don’t perform periodic assessments of their facility and make the necessary adjustments. So when new inventory or equipment is added, warehouse capacity and efficiency generally decreases. Since small changes can make a big difference, all areas should be assessed.”  

Guidelines for Increasing Warehouse Capacity:

Reduce the Inventory. Look at the volume of inventory stored in the warehouse. With accurate forecasting and tracking you can determine and maintain proper inventory levels. Eliminating excess or obsolete inventory will reduce storage costs and improve the utilization of warehouse space.    

Effectively Slot the Warehouse.  Perform a slotting analysis of reserve and active areas to determine optimum storage size and location for each item. This will reduce storage space as well as improve throughput. Re-evaluate when business needs change.

Use Appropriate Storage Equipment. Analyze inventory levels, picking frequency and storage capacity for each product to determine storage requirements in reserve and active locations. You can then install the right equipment to optimize storage space.

Go Vertical. When feasible, use empty vertical space for storage to reduce space requirements.  For warehouses with sufficient dimensions, AS/RS equipment can pick up and deliver product up to 100 feet high.

Assess Material Handling Equipment and IT System.  Determine how effectively the equipment and system currently operates and assess for future expansions or changes.

Optimize the Labor Force. Use performance metrics and review work schedules to ensure maximum utilization of the employees and equipment.

Reduce Aisle Widths. Minimizing the aisle size is an effective way to increase capacity, although pallet and truck dimensions will determine aisle width. Consider investing in narrow industrial vehicles to minimize the width.

Assess the Physical Layout. Understand the utilization of the current layout including the flow of product throughout the facility, peak trends, inbound and outbound volumes, loading docks, etc.

QC Software is an industry leader in providing innovative and adaptive software solutions for the material handling industry. Their RFID–enabled warehouse control system provides advanced management capabilities for inventory control, resource scheduling and order management. For over 15 years, these solutions have enabled customers in North America and Europe to streamline their warehouse operations with the lowest total cost of ownership in the industry.
   
For more information, contact Jerry List
Phone: 513.469.1424
Website: http://www.qcsoftware.com
Email:  info@qcsoftware.com

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QC Software is a leader in innovative software solutions for order fulfillment and distribution centers. These solutions are leading the way in profitability, efficiency, and customer satisfaction..