Order fulfillment is a complex process with multiple moving parts. It encompasses dozens of systems and difficulties, and given today’s incredibly competitive and tech-segregated atmosphere – where speed and efficiency are the only high-water marks companies strive to constantly reach – it is even more important to have optimized order fulfillment solutions at your disposal.
Companies are now having to operate in a highly competitive market, one where start-ups are rapidly swallowing up clients with their lean systems and highly intuitive mechanisms. Implementation of rapid delivery solutions and an efficient order fulfillment process makes up a major piece of this puzzle.
What is order fulfillment in a warehouse?
Order fulfillment process is by far one of the most important steps in managing a supply chain — it is, after all, the client’s orders that bring a supply chain to life and puts everything into motion. Fulfilling your client’s wishes efficiently and effectively is the most important part of your business. Your customer doesn’t care how you grant their demands, what they care is that they are granted within the specs of the contract.
Order fulfillment is the steps between taking a new order and sending the goods to a customer. The entire process is multi-stage and involves everything from processing the orders, receiving the goods from the manufacturer, warehousing, packing, and shipping.
How to improve your order fulfillment method?
Employ modern software
SRSI’s SwiftCurrent is the glue that holds your operations together. It is the most up-to-date managing algorithm and platform that allows synchronization and optimization. Integratable as a Warehouse Management System, Warehouse Control System, or Warehouse Execution System, SwiftCurrent will set you apart from your competitors. A good supply chain software/algorithm provides seamless connection and integration of your warehouse’s material and automation systems. It prioritizes workflows and storage. SwiftCurrent benefits your warehouse by giving it shorter cycle times, on-time delivery, real-time order status, reduction in system congestion, and better allocation of your workforce.
Modern hardware technology
Refurbishing your current operation to include modern conveyor solutions and picking responses is paramount to being more efficient. Today’s racks, carousels, vertical storage systems, and automated guided vehicles are taking warehouses by storm. They are rebuilding the industry and, in essence, making it more robust, more efficient, and more automated. They are safer and incredibly cost-efficient in the long run. That is why SRSI provides all the above and more to suit your business.
Train your pickers
Train your pickersLong gone are the days of multi-storage and classification. With today’s options and solutions, your employees have less work to do. They must be trained on how to best operate the warehouse order fulfillment software and how to do more with less. We are now on the threshold of a world where the warehouse is utilizing their employees for specialized and meaningful tasks rather than straining, tedious tasks with greater room for human error.
Store goods properly
Store goods not only according to their size but to their turnaround rate — their storage cycle. It is important in order fulfillment to adhere to ABC tactics. What is ABC? It is a storage structure methodology where items are stowed in individual locations and classified according to how often they need to be moved to another location or shipped out.
A stands for products that are required most frequently. B is for goods that are least frequently moved. C for dust items, or products/parcels that have a bad habit of overstaying their welcome. 80% of your material flow or velocity will most likely fall under the A category, which likely includes around 20% of product on hand. The remaining 20% of product flow, and 80% of product, is usually split between the B and C product categories. This 80/20 rule can be confusing, but is crucial when it comes to strategizing storage methods.
Have access to different picking methods
It’s important to have a flexible warehouse. One that allows your workforce to be more dynamic. Like a good investment portfolio, it’s all about diversification – not putting all your eggs in one basket. Your warehouse should have access to various picking methods, allowing you greater control over goods.
Diversification and technology
Diversification and technologyToday’s world demands flexibility: a workforce and platform that can rapidly adapt to a situation. That is why it is key to organize your warehouse in a way that allows you to reconfigure its specs’ at a moment’s notice. A warehouse that can achieve fast order fulfillment and mold itself to the demands of the client, not the other way around.
SRSI’s data-driven approach allows industry experts, real people who speak operations, to determine the best possible solutions to optimize your order fulfillment. Ready to take the next step with SRSI? Contact us today: [email protected]
