3 Efficient Ways to Reduce Warehouse Costs
In all businesses, cost control is a priority. Warehouse management is often an area where cost efficiencies can be made. In this blog post, Handling Concepts highlights three ways to optimise warehouse space and operations in order to keep costs under control. By implementing these strategies, you can keep your operation running smoothly and save money in the process.
1. Invest in Human-Robot Collaboration
Employees play an important role in your warehouse operations. They are needed to receive and distribute goods to keep stores stocked, as well as ensuring that they are delivered to the right place for use. Employees in warehousing are also engaged in palletising, loading, and unloading deliveries. There are significant issues around employing people in low skilled, unappealing roles and these tasks can be very labour intensive. Today, there is a worrying shortage of people available to recruit for these types of low skilled activities and employment in the UK is expensive. The cumbersome and repetitive nature of the work can often lead to poor staff retention, injury, and unexpected sickness, which is costly.
Collaborative Robots or “Cobots”, are robots designed to work alongside human employees. These machines can automate repetitive tasks, such as Pick and Place activities that are typical in most warehousing scenarios. By using a Cobot to move items from one place to another, automating an otherwise repetitive process will enable you to reduce the number of employees required in your warehouse. They are cheaper than employing a human in a low skilled role and can free up a limited labour resource to engage in more skilled tasks. A Cobot does not get injured and can work repetitively and precisely without tiring. Today’s generation of Collaborative Robots are simple and affordable and will save you money.
As your West Midlands and UK distributor, you can rely on Handling Concept’s 25 years of materials handling problem solving to help you find the right Cobot solution for your business. Contact us today.
2. Increase Space Optimisation and Productivity with Efficient Material Handling Solutions
Processes that are productive and efficient are key to optimising warehouse space and operations and can lead to controlling and reducing costs. Investing in materials handling equipment can help you to optimise the space available, speed up your operation and or make it more precise. Purchasing capital equipment can carry a significant price tag but, in the long run, your investment will utilise the space you have available and offer a safer, more accurate and precise operation that will reduce the risk of injury to workers and damage to goods. It may not necessarily make the activity quicker, but it will be more productive in the long run.
There are a range of material handling approaches and machinery to help you. These may be floor mounted and overhead solutions to optimise your space and environment and include Industrial Manipulators, Jib Cranes, and Vacuum Lifters and Lift Assisters. Each has its place depending on your application and your environment. By consulting with a material handling equipment supplier like Handling Concepts, you can establish the right solution for your requirements.
To find out more about the product range available to you, download the Handling Concepts brochure below.
3. Implement a Preventative Maintenance Plan
If a piece of your materials handling machinery breaks down unexpectedly, you will suffer the cost of expedited repair, disruption, and reduction in production that could result in reduced sales income. This can be largely avoided by ensuring that you have a preventative maintenance programme in place to keep your equipment in good condition.
A preventative maintenance plan involves regularly checking your equipment and by keeping an accurate record of each inspection you can monitor the condition of the machine to ensure that it is working safely and effectively by identifying any areas of wear and tear that are likely to become an issue.
Routine daily and weekly checks of your equipment can be performed by your in-house operators or maintenance staff. It is recommended that thorough examinations and remedial work should be conducted by an independent material handling machinery supplier like Handling Concepts who will remove the burden of servicing and maintaining your equipment, enabling you to focus on your production activities safe in the knowledge that it will not let you down.
Parts fatigue, and wear and tear are common reasons for equipment failure, which can lead to an increase in cost of repair and downtime. By implementing a preventative maintenance plan, you will help reduce the risk of untimely breakdowns and control your costs.
How Will Your Business Benefit?
You can control and reduce the cost of warehouse operations by:
- Introducing Cobots to increase your unskilled labour force cheaply and sustainably
- Invest in materials handling equipment to optimise space and increase productivity safely and efficiently
- Invest in a preventative maintenance programme
If you would like more information about how your business could benefit from one of these solutions, contact Handling Concepts today. You will benefit from pragmatic advice and innovative solutions from a team that is passionate about helping you achieve your production goals.
