To the average person a warehouse is just a big building with stuff in it—there’s not much thought of warehouse management or logistics. To a business owner or manager, however, the warehouse is the backbone of the business. The majority of businesses in the world are either making something or selling something, and in either case there is a need to store products or raw materials, and that storage often takes place in a warehouse. Management of the warehouse can be the difference between success and failure for a company.
What is Warehouse Management?
Warehouse management is a unique blend of accounting and building management. Businesses that use warehouses are constantly moving things in and out of them. The management of incoming inventory and material and the outgoing products is the backbone of warehouse management. Warehouse management is also about the management of the material as it sits in the warehouse, keeping it safe, organized, catalogued, and stored under the proper temperature and conditions, which requires care and staffing of the warehouse itself. Warehouse management can be extended to include ordering more supplies and arranging shipping for products, too.
Why Do You Need a Warehouse Management System?
If all of the inventory for your business is kept in a locker in the back room of your store, you can probably need to manage it by walking through with a pen and paper every now and then. If, however, you have seven warehouses across the city with inventory going out for shipment six days a week and materials coming in by the truckload every few hours, it may be time to modernize your warehouse management system.
Using warehouse management computer software can help you schedule the use of loading docks, plan and group shipments, track your inventory and streamline and coordinate your ordering so that you are never too overloaded or too short of inventory in your warehouse. A system and/or software can also help manage staffing and keep track of maintenance schedules and such for the actual facility. A good warehouse management system can make a business more efficient and save considerable amounts of time and money.
The above answers the question – What is warehouse management? And now you know why you need it.
What is warehouse management worth to you? Chances are, improving your warehouse management can improve your business overall, so you should to look at your options today. For more information contact us.
