3 tips to improve your warehouse environment

There are many different ways to improve a warehouse, increase productivity, and boost health and safety issues, as well as keep an eye on stock levels. With new technology coming out every day, it is a good idea to keep all your employees up to date with any changes that may affect your industry and any which you feel your business would benefit from.

However, here are a few simple changes that could massively improve your warehouse environment and not only for your employees but for any visitors who happen to visit your site, too.

Put zones in place

Color zoning in warehouses is a very good idea. It can help your warehouse run smoothly, increase production rates and keep areas clean and tidy.

Make sure that all zoned areas are marked clearly on shelving and the floor, and that there are signs placed at regular intervals so that employees can see at a glance which zone they are in and where they need to go. This can make products easier to find and therefore cut down on the amount of time wasted in searching. It can also help with product placement within the warehouse, especially when used in conjunction with a barcode system.

Zoning can also be a bonus when marking areas where pedestrians can walk and where they should definitely not due to machinery such as forklifts and loaders being used. This will improve your health and safety issues and make your employees aware that you have their well-being close to heart.

Deal with your recycling

Having a special area within your warehouse or just outside to house your business’ recycling can also be an added bonus. Piles of cardboard and other waste can seem enticing to pests, so it is a good idea for health and hygiene reasons to deal with it promptly rather than letting it build up. Also, having a mound of recycling or overflowing recycling bins does not look pleasing to anyone visiting your site.

Having an on-site compactor or recycling baler can cut down on the volume you have for recycling, so your recycling receptacles will be able to hold a lot more. It will also cut down on the threat of pests as there will be nowhere for them to nest or hide under or in.

Surprisingly enough, there are many different machines available to deal with different types of recycling waste with many variations in size depending on what you require them for as well as the quantities you are looking at recycling. Although buying new may seem expensive, there are businesses such as recyclingbalers.com that offer these items on the second-hand market for a fraction of the price.

Train staff to use all equipment properly

Keep your warehouse and your employees safe by providing full training on all your equipment to all your employees. Make them aware of the consequences of not following instructions and cutting corners.

If you are zoning your warehouse, make sure that your warehouse employees are aware of what the zones are for, and if your warehouse is particularly large, you may find it beneficial to have certain employees for certain zones. If this is the case, nominate one employee from each zone as the go-to person for items from that particular zone. This will keep all the other employees for that zone doing what they should be doing while only one is running errands for employees either from other zones to complete orders or from the shop floor to help with production.