How to improve your warehouse’s internal logistics

An efficient warehouse starts with a well-organised flow of goods. Yet many companies lose time every day due to unnecessary walking, awkward storage locations and inefficient internal transport. Goods are moved several times, staff have to wait and materials are not always in the right place.

By organising your internal logistics more efficiently, you can minimise these problems. This does not always require major investment in automation. Improvements can also be achieved through better warehouse layout, clear work processes and suitable transport equipment.

Map out the flow of goods

Before you can improve your internal logistics, you need to understand how goods move through the warehouse. To do this, look at the entire process, from goods receipt and storage to order picking and dispatch.

Identify the routes staff take on a daily basis and where delays occur. For example, are products first stored temporarily before being moved to their final location? Or do staff regularly have to walk back to fetch missing items?

By gaining insight into these movements, you can identify where unnecessary actions are taking place. You can then determine which changes will save the most time.

Ensure a logical warehouse layout

The layout of a warehouse has a direct impact on the speed at which staff can work. When frequently used products are located far from the order-picking stations, this results in unnecessarily long walking distances.

You should therefore place fast-moving items in easily accessible locations. Less frequently used products can be stored further away from the main work areas.

You should also take into account the dimensions and weight of goods. Heavy products must be safely accessible, whilst fragile materials require adequate protection.

A clear separation between goods receipt, storage, order picking and dispatch prevents different tasks from interfering with one another. Also, ensure that transport routes remain wide enough for the equipment used.

Choose transport methods that suit your goods

Not every product can be transported in the same way. Boxes, pallets, long items and large panels all require different transport solutions. If staff keep using the same trolley, this can lead to extra handling or damage.

In warehouses where sheet material, glass or panels are handled, a sheet trolley can be a great solution. It allows large, flat materials to be moved without staff having to carry them over long distances.

This is particularly useful in the warehouses of building materials wholesalers, manufacturing companies and technical suppliers. A suitable sheet metal trolley supports the materials during transport and makes it easier to move goods between storage locations and workstations.

When making your choice, pay attention to the load capacity, the dimensions and the type of wheels. A transport vehicle must be suitable for both the load and the surface on which it is used.

Reduce unnecessary transport movements

Every extra movement takes time. When goods are reloaded several times or staff transport small quantities individually, the total processing time increases.

You should therefore try to combine transport movements as much as possible. For example, group together several products that need to go to the same department or workstation. This prevents staff from having to travel the same route over and over again.

A hand truck can help with this. With a hand trolley, staff can move several boxes, crates or items of equipment at once. This is particularly useful for restocking, internal transport between departments and collecting larger quantities of goods.

It is important to distribute the load evenly and to adhere to the maximum load capacity. This ensures that transport remains manageable and safe.

Make order picking more efficient

Order picking is a labour-intensive process in many warehouses. Staff often have to walk long distances to gather all the items for an order.

A logical storage layout helps to minimise these distances. In addition, you can use fixed picking routes, whereby staff collect products in a predetermined order.

Combining multiple orders can also be beneficial. With batch picking, an employee collects items for different orders during a single round. The products are then sorted by order.

Which method works best depends on the product range, the number of orders and the available space. The most important thing is that staff have to make as few unnecessary movements as possible.

Use warehouse data to identify bottlenecks

An efficient warehouse layout is not enough if you lack insight into day-to-day performance. By collecting data, you can identify which processes are running smoothly and where improvements are needed.

A Warehouse Management System (WMS) can help with this. Among other things, this software allows you to manage stock locations, control order-picking processes and record goods movements.

Interesting key performance indicators include, for example:

• The average time taken to pick an order.

• The number of order lines processed per employee per hour.

• The number of internal transport movements.

• The percentage of orders picked without errors.

• The time between goods receipt and storage.

By analysing this data regularly, you can implement more targeted improvements. For example, you can see whether a modified picking route actually saves time.

Don’t forget about ergonomics and safety

Higher productivity must not come at the expense of safety. Staff who lift heavy goods or use awkward handling equipment on a daily basis are at greater risk of physical strain.

You should therefore ensure that suitable equipment is available and that staff know how to use it. Check the condition of wheels, brakes and loading areas regularly.

The layout of the warehouse also plays a role. Keep walkways clear, avoid obstacles and ensure there is sufficient space to manoeuvre safely.

By incorporating ergonomics into your work processes, you can minimise unnecessary physical strain. What’s more, staff can carry out their work more comfortably.

Keep improving your internal logistics

A warehouse is constantly changing. New products, fluctuating order volumes and changing customer demands place ever-changing demands on logistics processes.

That is why it is wise to regularly reassess internal goods flows. Involve staff in this process. They often know exactly where delays occur and what resources are lacking.

Start with improvements that are relatively easy to implement. These might include adjusting storage locations, combining transport movements or replacing unsuitable trolleys.

By systematically implementing small improvements, you can create a warehouse where goods are processed more quickly and efficiently.

A more efficient warehouse starts with making the right choices

Improving internal logistics does not necessarily mean investing in extensive automation. There are often opportunities to be found within existing processes.

By gaining a clear overview of goods flows, optimising the warehouse layout and using appropriate transport equipment, you can reduce unnecessary handling.

The result is a better-organised warehouse where staff work more efficiently, goods are processed more quickly and available space is utilised more effectively.