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Preparing the DC for Peak Season

Posted by Corey Anderson on December 1, 2014

No matter how much you prepare, peak season is always difficult. Boxlogix Automation is here to help customers with Distribution Center upgrades. No matter if its an equipment, technology or process upgrade Boxlogix Automation can help.

Here are steps to take now to smooth out the rough days of December:

  • Get out from behind your desk. Manhattan Associates’ research finds many managers and supervisors spend 60 percent or more of their time behind their desks. Landau suggests investing in a mobile labor management system that lets you track production from a tablet. “This lets me go out on the floor to my poor performers and either coach them up or coach them out,” he says.
  • Plan for your staffing needs. How many shifts do you plan to run during peak season? How many temps will you hire, and what sort of tasks will you allow them to handle? It’s best to answer staffing questions early. If you aim to keep your workers happy, you should also think about some sort of incentive plan that pays bonuses for workers who thrive during a difficult time.
  • Make your Inventory Omni-Channel. For a handful of huge retailers, it makes perfect sense to divide inventory into one stream for store replenishment and another for e-commerce fulfillment. Everyone else would be wise to tear down the walls separating types of inventory.

No matter how much you prepare, peak season is always difficult. “It’s a high-stress time in the warehouse,” Landau says. But DCs face an added incentive to avoid the mistakes of 2013. Consumers are using social media to shame companies that don’t execute.

“If you do make a mistake and have a bad shipment,” Landau says, “it’s going to be all over Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.”

For the full story see Preparing the DC for Peak Season

If you are interested in Preparing your DC for the Peak Season and the Future please contact us at 1-877-500-3241 or by email at Customer Support

About the Distribution Group For more than 40 years, Distribution Group publications have helped distribution center and warehouse managers increase productivity, cut costs, and meet increasing customer demands. Distribution Group publishes Distribution Center Management newsletter, books and reports, and a free e-newsletter. Website: http://www.DistributionGroup.com

Topics: Warehousing, Distribution Centers, E-Commerce