Most of the challenges you’re dealing with aren’t your fault, or due to your team’s shortcomings. Over 90% of US online shoppers expect free two- to three-day shipping. This means that warehouses need better time management. Of course, your team’s already working hard! Nevertheless, warehousing teams need to find new ways to drive speed and efficiency in packing and processing. Without breaking the team’s morale (and backs!)
Moreover, these time cost savings cannot come at the expense of accuracy. Packing inaccuracies are already impacting fulfillment rates—23% of orders are returned due to incorrect item delivery, according to a shipping and returns company’s on-ground data. Can you blame your already overworked team? Perhaps not. And yet, a fix is imperative.
Cracking the whip is out of the question. You and your team are already doing your best.
So what’s the alternative?
And can the alternative also solve challenges around space utilization and sustainability?
In this blog, we look at some ways to overcome challenges and transform the warehousing supply chain using digital signage for manufacturing operations. Transform Your Warehousing Supply Chain By Overcoming 5 Key Challenges
Challenge 1: Inconsistent Order Fulfillment Accuracy
Mistakes happen in any warehousing supply chain (and indeed everywhere). Your team is human, after all.
And as you know all too well, pressuring them is only going to create stress, damage confidence and cause still more errors.
Instead, what if you could support hem with helpful instructions as they work? Digital signs can display real-time updates on order status and inventory levels on digital screens to empower workers and managers with relevant information.
Why this helps
- Drives focus: Packing can be a monotonous task. As a consequence, workers’ focus might waver. (They’re human, after all!) Visual cues and alerts help maintain focus by guiding workers to the correct items and locations, reducing picking errors.
- Enables corrective action: In addition, digital signage for manufacturing set-ups can integrate with Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) to display error rates. This means you’ll be able to pinpoint error origins and provide coaching or other corrective actions in real-time.
Challenge 2: Inefficient processes and space utilization
You can solve this with data.
With so many moving parts, it’s truly a challenge to make the best use of every square-inch of your warehouse space and have every shipment managed in the most resource-efficient manner. However, if you had real-time data, you might be able to fix warehouse supply chain problems better and pivot faster.
Why this helps
- Enables data-driven planning: You can’t improve a space and processes when you don’t have thorough visibility. Digital screens can display real-time data on incoming shipments and dock availability. Now you have the information you need to streamline things.
- Simplifies workforce direction: Digital signs can direct workers to optimal storage locations via visual cues, reducing delays in putaway.
- Flags bottlenecks: Digital signage can alert you on congestion and other delays so that you can swoop into action to fix things fast, and ease up bottlenecks.
Challenge 3: Complexity in Managing Multiple Channels
Here’s a common cause of stress for warehouse managers. You’re trying to do everything for everyone. Instead, what if you could prioritize deliveries according to channels? After all, it’s mainly the e-commerce orders that need the 2- to 3-day delivery timeline.
Why this helps
- Channel-specific order management: Digital signage software can provide real-time updates on orders from different channels so that they can be handled differently.
- Efficient prioritization: Workers can be guided to prioritize orders based on channel-specific requirements, like faster shipping for e-commerce orders.
- No more “everything for everyone”: Digital signs visible from workstations can display other channel-specific KPIs, reminding your team about what needs to be done.
Challenge 4: Labor Shortages and High Turnover
You’ll probably be hard-pressed to find someone who dreamed of packing items as part of a warehouse supply chain as a child. In your role as management, its just like any other job. The hands-on team may not, realistically, share your passion and loyalty.
And while that might sound harsh, it highlights a crucial factor: Workers might always be looking for opportunities. This bit is out of your control.
What you can control is moral. Maybe Jim did not dream of packing items as a child, but he enjoys the feeling of being employee of the month, or packer-par-excellence for the week. Another thing within your control is enabling new workers to hit the ground running with ready instructions.
Why these actions help:
- Simplifies training (and makes instructions stick!): You can use strategically placed signs to provide visual instructions and shorten the learning curve for new employees.
- Builds commitment and morale: Motivational messages, performance metrics, and recognition programs can be shown on screens to boost morale and reduce turnover.
- Encourages healthy competition: Countdowns, progress bars, leaderboards—gamify things and watch morale and output catapult.
Pro tip: Make things memorable and fun. Why go with something dry like “Fastest Packer of the Week” when you can recognize your employees for the superheroes they are with: “Flash of the Floor” instead.
Challenge 5: Inefficient Returns Processing (Reverse Logistics)
Returns can be confusing and chaotic for the whole warehouse supply chain. For your team, the confusion comes from questions like: Where do items need to be restocked? What are the other rules of processing? What does it do with a damaged item? Every returned item seems to come with its own set of instructions.
If only you could give workers unique instructions for each type of return. With digital signage, you can!
Why this helps:
- Clear, actionable instructions: Digital screens can display step-by-step instructions for processing returns, ensuring consistency and efficiency.
- Clear directions for stocking: Signage can also show details about return status and restocking locations, reducing delays, confusion and pressure
- Safety and correct handling: Alerts for damaged or hazardous returns can be displayed, ensuring proper handling.
Turn Your Warehousing Supply Chain Woes Into Wins
Your job might look good from your team’s POV but you know the truth: Warehousing managers are under tremendous pressure to meet faster delivery demands and improve accuracy. In this climate, digital signage can be the game-changing tool you need to make real changes on the floor.
From enhancing order fulfillment accuracy to streamlining returns processing and boosting employee morale, digital signage addresses the most pressing challenges in the supply chain—and we’ve shown you just how to wield it in this blog.