Effective Warehouse Operations and Management

Inventories can reach many millions of dollars. You need a good warehouse to store, keep and protect all those millions of dollars. In this course, we will discuss the best and the latest methods to store and protect high value inventories. We will also discuss the best characteristics of a modern warehouse. Knowing what you have and how much you have are the keys to proper warehousing management. We will explore the various methods to achieve record accuracy and successful cycle counting. A scientific method of auditing the warehouse will be applied.

This course uses a mixture of interactive learning tools such as videos, questionnaires, case studies, team exercises, individual exercises and group discussions.

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Explain the challenges, objectives and functions of warehousing
• Perform ABC inventory classification and cycle counting and calculate record accuracy and discrepancies
• Identify the different types of storage and material handling systems
• Improve supervisory skills and deal more effectively with warehouse staff issues
• Develop better skills for housekeeping and safety within the warehouse
• Measure warehouse productivity using the right KPIs and conduct a scientific audit of the warehouse

Those involved in warehousing (cert) activities, both at the operational and supervisory levels. The course is also appropriate for anyone interested to know more about the interaction between warehousing and other materials management functions (purchasing, inventory control and distribution).

• Warehouse operations
• Customer service
• Record accuracy
• Staff relations
• Safety management
• Warehouse auditing

Course Outline

• Introduction to warehousing management
•          Objectives of warehousing
•          The modern warehouse
•          The warehousing cycle
•          Problems and challenges in warehousing
•          Warehousing and inventory costs
•          Customer service in warehousing
• Inventory classification and record accuracy
•          Types of inventory
•          The ABC classification
•          Uses of the ABC classification
•          Inventory record accuracy
•          Reasons for poor accuracy
•          Periodic and cycle counting
•          Systems and methodology of counting
•          Knowing what is inside the warehouse
•          Knowing how much is inside the warehouse
• Storage and material handling systems
•          Layout of the warehouse
•          Size and shape of the warehouse
•          Storage utilization and organization
•          Types of storage systems
•          Fixed versus random location
•          Material handling equipment
•          Material handling equipment checklist
•          Improving the receiving/issuing material operations
• Dealing with staff related warehousing issues
•          Key roles of the warehouse manager
•          Staff management issues
•          Corrective guidance techniques
•          Qualities of a good warehouse employee
•          Motivation of warehouse employees
• Safety in the warehouse
•          Good housekeeping inside the warehouse
•          Identifying safety hazards
•          Unsafe acts and conditions
•          Causes of damage
•          Planning for safety
• Productivity and audit of a warehouse
•          Definition of productivity
•          Causes of lost time
•          Warehousing key performance indicators
•          Objectives of the warehouse audit
•          Components of the audit
•          Steps to follow before, during and after the audit