A warehouse manager’s list of responsibilities is endless. From inventory control to budget regulation and employee assignments, it’s easy to lose organization in the warehouse.
Yet, unorganized warehouse procedures yield lost profits, inefficient employees and increased downtime.
Warehouse managers, meet CMMS. According to Software Advice, 40% of those surveyed indicate they use a CMMS to improve business processes, and reported that the software fits their needs.
That’s why McLane Company Inc., a nationwide supply chain services leader, uses Maintenance Connection’s powerful CMMS. McLane turned to a CMMS when it realized how un-standardized divisions were across its 20 locations and has been realizing results ever since.
1. Understand controllable costs
An efficient warehouse helps you control budgets and keep unplanned costs down. But if you’re like 30% of all managers, your warehouse may be inefficient. These inefficiencies are due to factors like a lack of technology, unorganized inventory and an ineffective sales process.
With the help of a trusty CMMS, project managers get a glimpse into controllable costs on a granular level. This means higher efficiencies across the team and less unplanned downtime, which in turns, means better managed budgets.
Use your CMMS to pull past costs and estimates to understand how suppliers are charging you, which equipment costs most (due to inefficiencies or outdated features), and how many employees are putting in overtime. Plus, consider that a CMMS assists with tracking inventory costs, automated reorder and bar-coding to improve expected expenses.
2. Standardize functions across all divisions
A proper warehouse standardization plan results in cleaner facilities, better customer service, improved inventory management and savings in labor costs.
But it may seem impossible to standardize warehouse operations when you factor in each location, asset, employee, inventory and more. That’s where a CMMS integration can help.
A CMMS helps project managers standardize procedures across all locations, so divisions are connected and working in harmony. For example, managers can use a CMMS to understand division or location averages, including:
- Repair times
- Inventory fulfillment
- Employee efficiencies
Pulling these averages helps managers weed out underperforming locations, divisions or technicians to ultimately improve performance. Plus, managers can use this information to set benchmarks and compare performance against a standardized set of data.
3. Evaluate the team with key metrics
Managers know the importance of pulling data to reflect on performance. Yet, pulling performance metrics seems like a daunting task when it requires sifting through spreadsheets hoping to make sense of useless numbers.
A CMMS helps maintenance managers easily pull key performance-driving metrics. NewCastle Systems recommends managers evaluate performance with the following KPIs:
- On-time deliveries
- Inventory accuracy
- Order fill rate
- Lead time
- Profitability
- Order frequency
With a CMMS, project managers can pull back a layer, and easily give all employees visibility into performance by division, location or individual technician. Use a CMMS to automate reports.
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