If your business is struggling now with low productivity as a result of complicated systems and processes, you should consider small business distribution software. The main benefit of using software optimized for small and mid-sized businesses is that many of the workflows and processes are specifically adapted to smaller teams in which people wear many hats. Small business distribution software typically offers many shortcuts and labor saving features that are specifically designed to make your team and warehouse operations more productive.
Start by Understanding Where Productivity is Lost
Before you attempt to change anything about your warehouse operation (including adding or updating your small business distribution software), you need to understand where you might currently be losing productivity.
In Steve Banker’s Logistics Viewpoints article, “Improving Productivity in the Warehouse,” he offers 5 hotpoints that might be slowing your warehouse operations down:
- Warehouse design: layout, working conditions, technology
- Defects: product, packaging, and material handling design
- Planning/scheduling: labor, slotting, waving, inbound/outbound
- Management: supervision, training, coaching
- Employees: performance, absenteeism, training
Weaknesses in any of these areas will negatively affect your warehouse operations, regardless of what small business distribution software you use. Having poorly trained employees, weak planning and scheduling strategies, an ineffective warehouse layout, and more can negate the positive effect of your small business distribution software.
But that’s great news, because most of these pitfalls are easy to fix, and are inexpensive enough to allow you to concentrate your financial resources on current technology: buy the best and most current small business distribution software that you can afford.
Know How to Improve Your Warehouse Productivity
It’s interesting to examine the results of the former “Logistics Management’s 6th Annual Warehouse and Distribution Center (DC) Operations Survey”:
To lower operating costs, over 75 percent of respondents planned to improve warehousing processes, 60 percent targeted inventory control, while nearly half planned to changed racks as well as their layouts.
What are your small business’ improvement plans?
Norm Saenz, senior vice president and principal of TranSystems, a supply-chain consulting firm and research partner for this survey, “cautions against being too conservative with investment inside your four walls.” Your warehousing practices and inventory control strategies are your biggest assets, second only to your ability to optimize your product line and leveraging modern inventory management software specially designed for small businesses to help you buy smart and price as aggressively as possible.
If you want to keep your inventory visible and on the move, you need the right technology to automate inventory functions and processes. That’s where we come in. We can help your growing wholesale distribution business improve productivity using the right distribution software for small business. Contact us today to request a demo.