How to Improve Distribution Speed

Improving your distribution speed is important when it comes to increasing the efficiency of your operation as a whole and keeping products stocked on the shelves. Products regularly go through waves of demand, but you need to be ready with the supply when there’s a surge. No matter your industry, check out this guide on how to improve distribution speed so your efficiency skyrockets.

Organize the distribution center

Things go a lot faster when workers know where everything is. Take some time to do a full organizational overhaul to your warehouse or distribution center. More organized distribution centers that have specific sections for specific things tend to be much more efficient than those organized randomly. Designate specific areas for each step in the distribution process. For example, place the palletization station near the secondary packaging spot, and all of this should take place near a loading zone or door for quick work that flows well together.

Invest in automation

Investing in automation is one great way to improve your packaging operation. Automation is one way to vastly improve speeds, especially when it comes to secondary packaging and preparing loads for shipment. Automating the stretch wrapping process cuts down the time necessary for wrapping and allows you to allocate workers to areas that need more attention. Automation is a one-time investment that cuts costs and greatly increases work speeds. This lowers the time it takes to prepare shipments and get them on the road to their destinations.

Invest in your employees

Employees that are happier at work tend to work harder and respond better to incentives. Assess the happiness of employees at different stations to learn places that could benefit from improvement. Employees working the lines every day may also have some good ideas about places where they notice time wasters or ways to complete certain tasks more efficiently. Your business is only as good as the people in it, so don’t underestimate your staff.

Overall, if you employ these methods, your distribution center should be running smoothly and quickly in no time.