The end of every year can be particularly busy if you work in the manufacturing or distribution industry. Even though the holiday season is incredibly hectic, it’s extremely important to prepare your warehouse for 2021.
A good start to the year can set the tone for how the rest of the year goes. So, to start as you mean to go on, ensure that your warehouse’s processes, technology, and equipment are in peak shape before the new year.
No doubt 2021 will bring its share of obstacles, especially in the early months, while we’re all adjusting to the tier system.
Which is why we’re sharing 6 tips to help you prepare your warehouse for 2021. So you can handle even the slightest of inconveniences and make sure your business stays ahead of the game.
1. Layout Review
Reviewing your warehouse layout is the cornerstone for ensuring your warehouse operates at the highest level of productivity.
This is a good time to examine the flow of materials and goods through the warehouse, your inventory, and your shipping.
The aim is to better understand the efficiency of your warehouse and look for areas that are potentially slowing down productivity, so you can adapt or remove them.
Another thing to consider is social distancing and how you are going to implement safety measures so your team can work together at a safe distance.
If you prepare your warehouse for 2021, it will help to ensure that when you come back to work after the Christmas break, you are prepared to handle any increase in business at the beginning of the year.
2. Conduct Inventory
We all know that doing inventory is a tedious and time-consuming task that no one enjoys doing. But, knowing the exact amount of stock and assets you have on the premises is crucial to the productivity of your warehouse, especially after the holiday rush.
Before the start of the new year, go through your entire warehouse and carry out a full inventory. This will give yourself and your team a solid starting point for the beginning of the year and an accurate look at what is in stock.
Inventory will also give you the chance to organise your products properly and make sure everything is where it needs to be.
3. Cleaning Plan
At the end of a busy year, your workspace can often become cluttered and dirty. Especially during the run-up to Christmas, it’s likely you’ll have very little time to do a thorough clean.
Which is why, if you have any downtime over the holidays, it’s worth putting together a plan to prepare your warehouse for 2021 as it will help keep your warehouse clean year-round.
Daily cleaning is going to be a must while the threat of COVID-19 still looms. So why not spread the cleaning responsibilities to your entire crew to ensure no one person feels overwhelmed.
And make sure you have appropriate cleaning products to hand throughout your building, to make it easy for your workforce to clean down equipment and work station. Shadowboards are a great way to keep cleaning products organised and easy to access.
It’s also a good idea to add days in your cleaning plan where you give the warehouse and staff breakout areas a thorough deep clean.
4. Equipment Maintenance
It’s easy to take your equipment for granted when everything is running smoothly. But it’s important you proactively carry out routine maintenance on your systems and equipment and not run the risking of something failing you. A breakdown can slow or even halt production causing costly downtime you don’t need at the beginning of a new year.
Here is a list of items you can start your thorough maintenance checks to prepare your warehouse for 2021:
- Conveyors
- Forklifts
- Software Systems
- Scanners
- Generators
- Company Vehicles
5. Review Safety Measures
It’s likely that you’ve already adapted your workplace to adhere to the new COVID-19 recommendations with simple interventions like adhesive tape and temporary barriers.
So, now would be a good time to improve safety even further. Why not take the time to check your loading docks have sufficient impact protection, re-evaluate how you separate traffic from pedestrians or your waste management systems. Make a list of everything that needs addressing then follow it up with a plan of action.
6. Staff training plan
A great way to get your team motivated at the start of a new year is to refresh their training. This is a good time to review their current training to see if there are any areas that need revisiting or if there are ways they upskill.
Make sure any machine operators or first aiders have the appropriate certifications, and training is planned for any new machinery or procedures.
With 2020 nearly at an end, it’s time to prepare your warehouse for 2021 and set you and your team up for success.