Oct 26, 2023

A key aspect of a warehouse’s daily process and workflow is the putaway system. A putaway system deals with the procedure of a warehouse receiving goods from their respective vendors and putting said goods in their proper space or area. This system helps to keep warehouse operations organized and clean.

However, workers make mistakes. While a misplaced product or delay in order picking here and there may not lead to anything serious, having consistent issues with your putaway system is something that your team should address. Getting to the root of the problem should involve a conversation among the entirety of the workplace in order to discover what exactly the issues may be; for the most part, it’s usually an outdated system.

Signs of a faulty warehouse typically begin to stem from improper or outdated putaway systems. When errors begin to pile up as a result of this, it can lead to long-term repercussions and stemming issues such as lost items, order backlog, or dead stock. While the putaway process may not seem like something important to keep tabs on, ignoring how your warehouse is managing inventory volume and product placement will cause cracks to form in the foundation of your company.

So what exactly should you search for to see if your putaway system is lacking?

Look Out for These 5 Issues When Addressing Your Putaway System

With changes in workplace technology and procedures, many warehouse management processes are evolving in an era of digitization. For putaway systems, that could mean anything from when an item first arrives to when it’s ready to be picked up for shipment and transportation. Tracking these products throughout their shelf life and making sure they’re adequately stored away are all things that need to be considered.

Taking account of things such as your warehouse size, the type of putaway system you use, and other factors, these are 5 common things to keep an eye on when looking to optimize your putaway system:

1. Misplaced or Damaged Items – Items are put in particular places in order for your team to be able to locate them easily. If you are noticing items are becoming difficult to locate or are being found with damage caused to them, that could mean several things are occurring. Putaway teams may be placing items in the wrong inventory areas or leaving items out on the receiving dock for too long. This can also lead to dead stock areas that can cause clutter and take up too much space.

2. Picking Process Problems – Your team needs to be able to pull the right items when it comes time to send out a delivery. If there are issues with your picking process, it could be a result of your putaway system beginning to become outdated. Workers don’t have the time to spend finding the right items for orders. This downtime can cause a decrease in productivity for your business.

3. Inefficient Storage – No matter the size of a warehouse or the type of assets it handles, some products tend to sell better than others. As a result of this, some items may be getting pushed to the side or stored poorly, which can lead to clutter and improper storage in your warehouse. If workers are struggling to navigate their workspace properly, then it may be time to consider how items are being stored.

4. Improper Item Inventory and Count – Two of the most important aspects of putaway systems include tracking where items are being inventoried and having a counting system to verify all items were received. For smaller businesses, this may be done manually. Typically, this can all be better managed with RFID technology of some kind. If your team is miscounting items and failing to properly determine how much stock is left for a certain product, then the end results can be catastrophic. Inaccuracies can lead to consequences such as loss in revenue.

5. Lack of Warehouse Growth – Planning for the future is important, especially with plans for any potential expansion of your warehouse. This may not be possible if space is being used inefficiently and items aren’t being handled properly. Considering an improvement to your putaway system can help manage these processes and help work towards outgrowing your current space.

Level Up Your Putaway System with a Warehouse Management System

Improving your putaway system can all be automated by a warehouse management system (WMS). WMS can streamline every part of a warehouse’s operation, from receiving items to storing them away until it’s time to pick them up for packaging and transportation.

A WMS can help to calculate the best possible route for items the moment they reach your warehouse and where specific items should be allocated. It can also share optimal locations for items to be stored by factoring in things such as product dimensions or weight. Calculating all of this and using real-time data can help to maximize the space of your warehouse to better store things and calculate the most ideal location for every product you handle.

Ultimately, WMS can lead to better inventory transparency and increased productivity and accuracy across the board. While a proper putaway system may not seem important, it is vital to running an efficient warehouse. It’s an obvious statement, but your team needs to know where products are to be stored and how to track inventory. Therefore, optimizing your putaway strategy can lead to positive results and growth for your warehouse.

Improving your putaway system with a warehouse management service is just one of the many available services that Heartland can provide you and your team. With decades of experience and solutions custom fit for every type of business, Heartland is able to help improve and implement better warehouse management ideas and technology. We’re here to help you stay AlwaysConnected within your warehouse team so that you can transform and better streamline your operation. Kickstart the conversation with our team of experts and get solutions rolling in.