Streamlining Warehousing Operations with Optimal Efficiency in Mind
Saving energy is not only good for the environment – it is good for business as well. Several strategically implemented choices to make a warehouse efficient can save quite a dime in the long run. After all, why would you waste money on utility bills when you can invest in further developments for the company? If you are interested in how to approach this overhaul, here’s what you need to do.
Start with lighting
When it comes to energy-efficient overhauls, the best “place” to start for both companies and private properties is, by far, lighting. Up until recently, incandescent light bulbs have heated warehouses to a boiling point over the summer. This grid of incandescent bulbs also used to ramp up the electrical bill to dizzying sums.
Thankfully, there is a universally accepted solution that is both simple and cost-effective – LED lights. They do not pose any sort of health hazard like some other solutions (as CFLs, which contain mercury, for instance). They hardly heat up as 90% of the energy they consume is converted to light and can last up to ten times longer than CFLs.
Additionally, it’s a good idea to consider motion-sensor lighting in corners and corridors of your warehouse that aren’t frequented much. This will save energy in the long run.
Flip from paper to digital
Paperwork is not only dull, but it is detrimental to the environment. Every sizeable company can spend a small forest in papers once a year, so in order to hinder deforestation, turn to digital methods for administration and bookkeeping. Computer giants around the world are not only providing us with excellent laptops and tablets, they are also investing in software development that looks for new ways to take paper out of the equation – digital watermarks, electronic signatures, etc.
There is also paperless tech optimized for adjustable shelving to increase the efficiency of tracking and searching for goods in storage while contributing to the environment. These devices keep track of all the necessary information while raising accuracy and productivity. They can be an amazing tool to design and organize a warehouse.
A schedule is king
In order to render your warehouse efficient in every way (when it comes to both energy and time), the schedule needs to be realistic and well thought out. Go out of your way to teach workers about the warehouse schedule so they can keep up with the rhythm and have operations run as smooth as possible. Schedules should be handed out to all workers and they need to take the margin of error into consideration – both people and machines can be unpredictable. You can also encourage employees to learn how to be more efficient at work by themselves.
You’ll have to pay particularly close attention to your forklift trucks since they’ll cover great distances and build up a lot of mileage over time. Make sure maintenance always checks the trucks at the end of the day for possible malfunctions and problems with performance. With well thought out schedules, redundant journeys will be eliminated.
Doors can be an insidious enemy to energy efficiency
If your business is booming, chances are a lot of people will circulate through the warehouse. This means the door that leads into it will be opening and closing on a regular basis which can lead to a bad entrance condition. If the doors are creaky or prone to jamming, this can really impact efficiency.
Furthermore, consider the fact that you will be losing heat or cool air (depending on the season) if the door is in subpar condition, and this is unacceptable in terms of energy efficiency. There are automatic doors which are exclusively fashioned with warehouse logistics in mind. They will enable fast opening and closing (1000 mm per second) which will preserve the interior temperature. Plus, they are either made of the material that is an effective insulator, or they come with an additional layer of insulation.
Automatic warehouse doors can be controlled either automatically, with motion sensors built in, they can be opened and closed remotely or by pulling the lever. This renders these automatic warehouse doors extremely user-friendly.
As you can see, investing in warehouse efficiency is one of the most reliable ways to bring multi-faceted benefits to the company. You will not only get a chance to save on utility bills and allocate extra resources for further development of the company, you will also get “green credentials” in the industry, which can boost your reputation significantly. It could be just the edge you need against competitors.
