Are your picking and dispatch processes working for your business?

Production and warehousing organisations know the challenges that come with fulfilling the order process – pulling an item from inventory, packaging it, and dispatching it to a customer. While the picking and dispatch processes should be straightforward, the challenges arise when dealing with inventory in large quantities and ineffective practices.

The goal is obviously to complete the orders as quickly, efficiently and as accurately as possible. So are your systems working effectively to achieve this?

What a good system should do

The most important element of efficient picking and dispatch is knowing exactly where items are at any time. If your organisation is still processing warehouse data manually, accessing this information is time consuming and fraught with errors. Removing the manual aspect and implementing a warehouse management system can fundamentally improve the process: the system will allow you to locate multiple items, pick them in the most efficient manner and dispatch them quickly without backtracking at any point.

A warehouse management system can also improve accuracy at dispatch. If you find that you are often sending out the wrong items or items are missing from the order, you will no doubt know that it is an easy way to lose money. A good warehouse management system will integrate sales order checking during dispatch, checking each item against the sales order and ensuring that what is being dispatched is exactly what was ordered. All of this is completed automatically and can significantly improve the time and accuracy of the dispatch process.

Is your organisation losing money?

The bottom line is simple – inefficient processes result in slower processing and fewer orders being fulfilled. The goal is to maximise the potential output by removing these inefficiencies, so look for the bottlenecks in your organisation and assess the best way to address them.

TransLution™ Software utilises barcode scanners to track inventory and improve sales order checking and dispatch. If you would like to know more about how TransLution™ Software can improve your picking and dispatch processes, please contact us.