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Ways to Reduce Warehouse Costs

Radio shuttle installation Dumfries and Galloway by Thistle Solutions, Scotland.

Blame Tim Wood – He is the Reason You Are Losing Money

If you are looking for the reason why your operations just aren’t performing at the level you are after – you need to get rid of TIM WOOD.

Every organisation has a TIM WOOD but before you go calling HR to find out who this lay about is and fire his lazy backside, TIM WOOD is not an employee.

TIM WOOD is actually an acronym for the 7 categories of waste that exist in every organisation, namely:

  • Transportation
  • Inventory
  • Motion
  • Waiting
  • Over processing
  • Over production
  • Defects

Getting rid of TIM WOOD isn’t an easy job but it is a key principle of our Max the Cube approach and one which we focus on in every project.

For example, we were able to help a major Scottish food company reduce their external storage requirements by 100% by installing a high-density storage solution, therefore greatly reducing their transportation costs.

With regards to improving the flow of inventory, we helped a clothing manufacturer overcome the challenges they were facing when it came to picking times, especially at peak periods, by installing a Carton Live system – this greatly increased picking speeds as well as maximised utilisation of space. The same can be done for larger items through a pallet live system which would also improve FLT travelling times.

Push Back Racking in loading bays is a great example of a solution that succeeds in making loading times more effective and efficient. We installed such a racking system in the warehouse of a Glasgow automotive supplier which enabled their loading process to greatly improve.

Semi-automated systems can also improve the efficiency of your warehouse. An example of this can be seen on a project we completed in a major Scottish drinks company – by installing a semi-automated system, we were able to reduce vehicle loading times by 49% as well as enable a 100% increase in loads per day/man.

When looking to reduce inventory costs, we have completed a project in a textile company in which we installed a Push Back Racking system – this not only increased capacity by 36% but reduced the floor space used by 50% meaning less costs were being tied up in inventory.

So, if you are looking to improve productivity and reduce costs but can’t find TIM WOOD in your organisation, give us a call on 01236 453888 or download our guide to the 7 Hidden Costs in your Warehouse