Remember that metaphor of bullets and toilet papers. If your warehouses cannot manage to give each item its due importance and consideration, you are at the risk of losing the show frequently and intermittently.
Some of the consequences of a bad layout could be –
~ Reduced productivity
~ Loss of inventory or excess inventory due to wrong tracking
~ Higher time to fulfill orders
~ Hassles in material traffic inside the warehouse
~ Loss of sales or delay in feeding the manufacturing
~ Loss due to unavailability of material on right time despite it being available
~ Missed re-order levels for critical components
~ System vs physical inventory mismatch
A proper warehouse layout must include and emphasize on the following sections within the warehouse –
~ Receiving
~ Shipping
~ Assembly and special handling areas
~ Quality inspection
~ Reverse storage
~ Forward picking
~ Cross docking
Also the quality & type of storage and movement equipment is very critical for the effective use of the premium space of the warehouse. Utilizing the height for storage and not clubbed with effective handling tools with desired reach can be a nightmare for the warehouse team.
Similarly the receiving area and the storage area if is far off from each other and equally critical is the distance from storage to dispatch – it would mean a huge loss in unwarranted movement of cargo within the warehouse costing time, money and resources.
If the storage is not adequate w.r.t. the no of SKU and their optimum inventory level – it can jeopardize even the best layout planning’s in the world.
A good layout decides the optimum use of all resources from infrastructure to people.
The most common error people make is not to spend on a quality warehouse one-time and then keep suffering due to significant but indirect losses in productivity, sales and efficiency of all areas. So remember – 𝑾𝒆 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒔𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒌 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒍𝒔𝒐 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒂 𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑. 𝑯𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒆 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒔𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒔 𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒃𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒂 𝒔𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒄𝒓𝒂𝒇𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒐𝒘 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒍𝒕 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒑𝒔𝒆.
For all these and a holistic support on your warehouse management issues do connect with us at Synergeze Consultants Private Limited – your execution partner in supply chain management with expertise in warehouse consulting.
There was this warehouse being constructed a huge one but almost 100m away from the main road and the only connectivity being a 10ft narrow way. After construction the warehouse was in demand for big cargo storage, however got rejected everytime by the clients due to inaccessibility for bigger vehicles. And the size of the warehouse simply was not suitable for smaller clients to use it to the maximum. Even if the warehouse is divided into sections to accommodate multiple clients the traffic of vehicles for all these clients put together was far more than what the infrastructure could have supported.
So an efficient warehouse planning starts from the building layout planning and space selection. Some important points to note could be –
~ The site finalized for the warehouse should be accessible for the type of vehicles it is to cater to.
~ There must be a space for future expansion
~ Handling traffic of incoming and outgoing vehicles efficiently is the key for good productivity.
~ Parking in the warehouse should be adequate.
~ The unloading and loading bays should be planned according to the current and future plans of the commodity to be handled.
~ The no of openings of the warehouse must ensure no crisscross movement of the material and preferably the incoming and outgoing material gates should not be the same.
~ As far as possible reduce the Km per MT movement of goods within the warehouse.
For all these pointers and many more if you are looking to construct a new warehouse or revamp an existing one do get in touch with us – We provide you end to end warehouse management consulting under our brand Synergeze Consultants Private Limited .
Warehouse – the word itself is enough to ring pictures in our mind of large no of cartons, pallets, containers, racks arranged in a building long and tall enough to house a playground.
However depending on our experiences we may visualize a nicely arranged warehouse or a shabby looking one. Does the story ends here by the mere look or it impacts the organizations in a bigger way.
This week I am writing about importance of warehouses and some tips on improving the warehouse management, which is one of the forte of consulting services we provide under our banner Synergeze Consultants Private Limited
If I have to summarize warehousing in simple terms it would be like – 𝑰𝒏 𝒕𝒐𝒅𝒂𝒚’𝒔 𝒆𝒓𝒂 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒏 𝒃𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒗𝒊𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒆𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒔. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒕 𝒂 𝒘𝒂𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒃𝒐𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒐𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒑𝒂𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒖𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒌𝒆𝒑𝒕 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆, 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆. 𝑭𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒅𝒊𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒚 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒕 𝒅𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕.
That’s the impact of warehouse and its management – from a small washer to a big assembly everything can be a show-stopper. Consider warehouse of amazon – out of the millions of products you may order anything and they commit to you the time of delivery. If they can’t find that in the warehouse efficiently, they would not have been where they are today.
So efficient warehouse management mainly depends on following
~ It actually starts from planning of the building itself – we shall talk about it
~ Layout inside the warehouse
~ Sections planned within the warehouse
~ Processes governing the warehouse
~ People managing the warehouse
~ Control mechanisms implemented
~ Compliance
~ and finally – the intent and purpose for having the warehouse.
At Synergeze Consultants Private Limited we provide end to end consulting on the warehouse management and till date have supported many clients in either creation of new and state of the art warehouses or revamping their existing warehouses to the modern ones.
Do connect with us if you have a need to revamp and existing warehouse or improve the current warehouse on any of the parameters of delivery.
We talked about following colors in previous posts.
Red, White, Yellow, Orange, Purple, Green, Blue & Brown.
Let’s look at some more colors in the closing post of this series and do let me know if it helped you somewhere.
𝑷𝒊𝒏𝒌 – Often considered the most feminine color, pink shades are nonetheless versatile. Being a lighter shade of red, brands which employ pink can retain a sense of energy and cheer blended with a perception of soothing calm. This is a feeling sometimes associated with sex and sexuality. It also shines a nurturing light that soothes and reminds us of the feminine principle.
𝑮𝒓𝒆𝒚 – Unlike many of the other colors, gray is one of the most neutral shades available. Brands often choose it for its timeless, practical, and unbiased feeling. It’s ideally used as a secondary color to provide a calmer and more neutral background to bold colors, though some companies (like Apple) use it with resounding success.
𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝑩𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌 – Considered the absence of colors, black can still be a powerful color to include in branding. Black is traditionally seen as a symbol of professionalism and seriousness. However, it can also be used to elicit feelings of elegance, substance, and power. Brands which pick black are looking to make a powerful statement and convey a sense of authority and respectability. Remember GC portrayed in black.
So finally remember that Colors are an important aspect of your brand’s identity. When you create a logo, you should take some time to consider what each color says about your company. Understanding the right blend of colors can help you better communicate your message.
Think about the emotions you are trying to elicit, and how you want your consumers to respond to your brand. By choosing the right color combination, you can help your brand leave a lasting impact that shapes a more powerful connection with your audience.
Reach out to #gccoach for any and every branding support you are looking for and do let me know if this series helped you somewhere.
Having talked about Red, White, Yellow, Orange & Purple it’s time today to look at some more colors.
𝑮𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒏 – Green is one of the more restful colors, as it doesn’t force the eye to make any adjustments. The color suggests a sense of balance and calm as well as a connection to nature. Brands which are looking to portray an opportunity for fresh starts and security can consider green as a way to relax the mind. It doesn’t pack the energetic punch of the warm colors, so companies pursuing a bold statement may not prefer it.
𝑩𝒍𝒖𝒆 – Like the calm seas, blue inspires a sense of calm and spiritual awareness along with feelings of trust. Blue is a great choice for healthcare and medical brands which are attempting to inspire a sense of calm and healing. On the other hand, deeper blues offer corporate brands a sense of confidence and professionalism. However, overusing blue can make a brand appear cold and detached.
𝑩𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒏 – The deep hues of brown inspire a sense of seriousness without black’s stronger overtones. It remains softer and its connection to natural tones makes it a more grounded choice. Brands looking to portray a sense of quiet supportiveness and reliability could do well with brown. Its connection to nature also offers a sense of rugged, yet warm feelings.
We will look at some more colors in the closing post of this series tomorrow. Till then any support you need to color your brand or create a one liner do reach out to me and let’s work together to give the world a new brand to watch out for.
We talked about Red & White yesterday. Let’s look at some more colors today
𝒀𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘 – This warm color is the shining example of friendliness and cheer. Brands which are seeking to draw in consumers with a comforting, warm embrace and youthful energy should look towards Yellow. Additionally, the color can radiate a playful and affordable identity.
𝑶𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 – Orange is yellow’s more playful and energetic cousin. It mixes a more invigorating and active emotion associated with red while employing yellow’s mellower tones. Orange is great for brands looking to elicit feelings of vitality and happiness, such as travel companies. Its aggressiveness tempered by friendliness presents a great color for calls to action.
𝑷𝒖𝒓𝒑𝒍𝒆 – For brands trying to exude an air of sophistication and royalty, purple is a top choice. It’s also a great choice for those attempting to display their creativity and soothing identity. Purple is a top choice by brands like cosmetics and high-end retail companies. Those looking for a broader, down-to-earth appeal should avoid deep purples.
Will continue writing about more colors. Till then please let me know which color have you been able to associate yourselves with till now or you are still waiting for your color to appear here.
Do connect with me if you need a branding support and let’s spread colors to your brand in a way that the brand spreads itself across the globe…
When we create a logo the biggest decisions is selecting the brand’s colors. Picking the right color helps establish the identity better & adds character to the design.
Color choices also give the logo a depth by forging a visual connection to the company’s values and personality. Right combination can visually communicate the feeling the company is projecting to consumers.
More than just aesthetic appeal, colors help your brand connect with consumers on a deeper psychological level. When you choose your logo and brand’s color palette, you’re also selecting the emotions and associations you’re seeking to evoke.
This psychology of colors is an important consideration when we build a brand identity. The right one can convey deep meaning about values and elicit specific behaviors. By extension, the wrong choices can be harmful to the brand image.
Science has shown repeatedly that our brains react in diverse ways to specific colors. By understanding how each color affects the mind and the emotions it stirs up, we can create a more effective brand.
However, remember that this is a complex topic that requires careful thought.
Let’s learn how each of these colors affect emotions and psychology in some of the posts…
𝑹𝒆𝒅 – One of the primary colors, and a universal symbol of passion, anger, and excitement, red is a popular color in branding. If you’re looking for a loud, playful, and young brand image, red is an ideal option. If you prefer a more understated, conservative approach, red shouldn’t be on your color radar.
𝑾𝒉𝒊𝒕𝒆 – White tends to be ignored or relegated to the background, but this neutral color is important. It can work as a secondary color to provide contrast, and can deliver a clean, simple background for a logo. White is a reflective color that represents purity, sophistication and efficiency. Brands trying to convey a level of exclusivity and luxury can use white to resounding success.
Will talk about more on this… till then if you need to connect with me for your branding needs please reach out to me through DM – I am a branding coach with a tagline “I create trust and deliver desires”
I have written about branding some time back. Today i wanted to touch upon the importance of one liners in branding…
Remember all the famous brands and their one liners. There have been examples when the one liners have contributed to the brand more than the logo when it comes to recall value with customers and general public at large.
You must be thinking it takes a lot more creativity to craft a one liner for your business. However its actually not that tough…
It’s super easy. Here’s what you need to do to create a winning one liner:
1. Start off by stating the problem or pain point that most of your clients face.
2. Talk about your solution to the problem. How you help people fix this problem.
3. Finally, talk about the success. Clearly explain how your customer will feel after you solve their problem.
However even before you start the above steps there is one more which is at ground zero, and that is start living your brand and treating it as a successful one.
Read the list above again – the first couple of one liners I wrote are – that of my company Synergeze Consultants Private Limited and then of-course of my brand. Without this any branding exercise you undertake will not give you any results whatsoever.
In case you need any support in branding please connect with me – I am a branding coach and would be happy to create a one-liner along with you for you which you shall cherish for the years to come when you see it in public growing as you grow.
Having discussed and understood on what it takes to implement the principles of Lean and how to go about it, let’s also take a look at how and where all do we get benefitted with this.
The growing popularity of the Lean principles comes from the fact that they actually focus on improving every aspect of a work process and involve all levels of a company’s hierarchy.
There are a few major advantages that managers can benefit from.
~ 𝑭𝒐𝒄𝒖𝒔 – By applying the Lean methodology, you will be able to reduce waste activities. Therefore, your workforce will be focused on activities that bring value.
~ 𝑰𝒎𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒚 & 𝒆𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒚 – When employees are focused on delivering value, they will be more productive and efficient because they won’t be distracted by unclear tasks.
~ 𝑺𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔 (𝒑𝒖𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒚𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒎) – By establishing a pull system, you will able to deliver work only if there is actual demand. This leads to the next one.
~ 𝑶𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒊𝒛𝒆𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒄𝒆𝒔 – When your production is based on actual demand, you will be able to use only as many resources as needed.
As a result, your company (team) will be much more flexible and able to respond to consumers’ requirements much faster. In the end, Lean management principles will let you create a stable production system (Lean system) with a higher chance of improving overall performance.
𝑰𝒏 𝑺𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒚
Lean management is more like a guide for building a stable organization that evolves constantly and helps to identify actual problems and remove them.
The main purpose of Lean management is creating value to the customer by optimizing resources. Lean management principles aims to create a stable workflow based on actual customer’s demand. Continuous improvement is a major part of Lean management, ensuring that every employee is involved in the process of improving.
𝑪𝑻𝑨 – For all your needs towards efficient process development and alignment of your resources for ensuring deliverables through those processes, Synergeze Consultants Private Limited is your one-stop-shop and our experts do ensure that we are lean enough and keep going through continuous improvements to ensure that our customers are delighted always.
Do reach out if you really want to fly high with your business…
Having discussed the first 2 steps in yesterday’s post let’s look at the remaining steps today…
3. 𝑪𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒘
After mastering our value stream, we need to make sure that each team’s workflow remains smooth. Keep in mind that it may take a while.
Developing a product/service will often include cross-functional teamwork. Bottlenecks and interruptions may appear at any time. However, by breaking up work into smaller batches and visualizing the workflow, we can easily detect and remove process roadblocks.
4. 𝑪𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒂 𝑷𝒖𝒍𝒍 𝑺𝒚𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒎
Having a stable workflow guarantees that your teams can deliver work tasks much faster with less effort. However, in order to secure a stable workflow, make sure to create a pull system when it comes to the Lean methodology.
In such a system, the work is pulled only if there is a demand for it. This lets you optimize resources’ capacity and deliver products / services only if there is an actual need.
Let’s take a restaurant, for example. You go there and order a pizza. The baker pulls your order and starts making your pizza. He doesn’t prepare tons of dishes in advance because there isn’t actual demand, and these tons of dishes can turn into a waste of resources.
5. 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝑰𝒎𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕
After going through all previous steps, we already built our Lean management system. However, let’s not forget to pay attention to this last step, probably the most important one.
Remember, our system is not isolated and static. Problems may occur at any of the previous steps. This is why we need to make sure that employees on every level are involved in continuously improving the process.
There are different techniques to encourage continuous improvement. And the best one being, every team having a daily stand up meeting to discuss what has been done, what needs to be done, and possible obstacles.
We shall continue this discussion…. However if you wish to know more and you are in real need of a Process Expert dealing in Lean Management please reach out to Synergeze Consultants Private Limited or DM me and we shall be glad to hold your hand and walk together.
Remember that metaphor of bullets and toilet papers. If your warehouses cannot manage to give each item its due importance and consideration, you are at the risk of losing the show frequently and intermittently.
Some of the consequences of a bad layout could be –
~ Reduced productivity
~ Loss of inventory or excess inventory due to wrong tracking
~ Higher time to fulfill orders
~ Hassles in material traffic inside the warehouse
~ Loss of sales or delay in feeding the manufacturing
~ Loss due to unavailability of material on right time despite it being available
~ Missed re-order levels for critical components
~ System vs physical inventory mismatch
A proper warehouse layout must include and emphasize on the following sections within the warehouse –
~ Receiving
~ Shipping
~ Assembly and special handling areas
~ Quality inspection
~ Reverse storage
~ Forward picking
~ Cross docking
Also the quality & type of storage and movement equipment is very critical for the effective use of the premium space of the warehouse. Utilizing the height for storage and not clubbed with effective handling tools with desired reach can be a nightmare for the warehouse team.
Similarly the receiving area and the storage area if is far off from each other and equally critical is the distance from storage to dispatch – it would mean a huge loss in unwarranted movement of cargo within the warehouse costing time, money and resources.
If the storage is not adequate w.r.t. the no of SKU and their optimum inventory level – it can jeopardize even the best layout planning’s in the world.
A good layout decides the optimum use of all resources from infrastructure to people.
The most common error people make is not to spend on a quality warehouse one-time and then keep suffering due to significant but indirect losses in productivity, sales and efficiency of all areas. So remember – 𝑾𝒆 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒔𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒌 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒍𝒔𝒐 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒂 𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑. 𝑯𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒆 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒔𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒔 𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒃𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒂 𝒔𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒄𝒓𝒂𝒇𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒐𝒘 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒍𝒕 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒑𝒔𝒆.
For all these and a holistic support on your warehouse management issues do connect with us at Synergeze Consultants Private Limited – your execution partner in supply chain management with expertise in warehouse consulting.