3 Signs Your Warehouse Isn’t Keeping Up

When your business is just starting out, it makes sense to keep most of the operations housed on site. You can monitor processes and sort out those kinks that come with just starting out. However, as your company grows, you start to find it difficult to stay on top of everything, especially the details related to logistics and shipping. It helps to have a reliable warehouse manager who works hard to juggle the many facets of warehouse operation and postage, but at a certain point, things become overwhelming.Here are some signs that your on-site warehouse isn’t keeping up.Insufficient PlanningShipping and receiving processes have a lot of moving parts. You’ve got trucks to load, trailers to offload, staging to prepare and storage to plan. Not to mention order and fulfillment logistics. Do you have enough employees to safely and efficiently handle the work? If only one person can drive a forklift, there is little chance the shipping and receiving department is going to keep up.Bumpy or illogical offloading procedures are another hurdle, and nothing makes a truck driver grumpier than being thrown off the schedule. Speedy pallet breakdowns and accurate labeling are crucial to shipping success, but are tough when growth starts to catch up to you.Poor LayoutPerhaps your company’s office building was not originally equipped to receive large trucks. Even after a warehouse has been added, there still may be issues with the layout that complicates accessibility. The trailer dock might be too far from the staging area. Maybe there aren’t enough docks to keep up with the receiving schedule. Poor communication between the carrier and the warehouse can cause huge conflicts, not to mention costly fees because a trailer was detained too long.Outdated TechnologyPoor inventory control is another costly problem. Old software or inefficient processes in the warehouse can lead to mislabeled, misplaced or incorrectly picked merchandise. If the warehouse is still using tracking technology from a decade ago, there is a good chance it isn’t running optimally. Plus, it is probably paying more for shipping than if it had the latest logistics information. An outdated system may be costing you time and money. Constantly updating inventory software is key for success, but it might be out of reach for small and medium-sized businesses.If any of these problems sound familiar and you are ready to consider hiring a third-party logistics partner, give SureShip a call today at 301-273-1651 and let’s get started on the process together.  

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