The Most Valuable Asset in the Warehouse

On your last warehouse audit did you make a list of all your warehouse assets? Did you rank those assets from most important to things you could operate with out? Did you create a back up plan if you suddenly found yourself with out an asset?

Some important assets are easily and quickly replaced. Depending on your geographic location even large assets, such as pallet jacks or fork lifts, can be replaced in the same day.

We spend time and money on preventive maintenance on our important assets. An example could be
the daily cleaning process of your automated tape machines, or the quarterly scheduled maintenance of your fork lifts. Of course we want to protect these assets because they are valuable and it would be difficult to operate with out them. But what about our most valuable warehouse asset?

I'm talking about our warehouse clerks. How much time, money, and effort do we as professional warehouse managers invest in our clerks? The clerk is indisputably the most valuable asset in the warehouse. We rely on our clerks to carry the work load, to be our eyes on the warehouse floor, and to give us feedback on our current processes. They are our foot soldiers, yet with the hustle and bustle of the day to day operation we some times over look and neglect this asset.

Take a moment and reflect. Ask yourself, when is the last time I shared an article about new information in the supply chain world with my clerks?  When is the last time I took ten minutes and spent it on the front lines shadowing and talking with my clerks? More importantly, when was the last time I reviewed or asked for feedback about our  current processes from my clerks?

Being a professional warehouse manager is not just about getting a particular product from point A to point B in a timely and safe manner, it also consists of educating those who are involved in the supply chain.

If knowledge is power then sharing industry related information with your clerks will empower them resulting in a stronger more efficient warehouse team.

The below link is an example of an industry related topic to get the ball rolling. Have fun with sharing some information with your clerks. You may be pleasantly surprised at the feed back you receive.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevebanker/2015/08/12/the-next-revolution-is-supply-chain-management/

Like what you read? Find my past blog post here:
http://thepallet-jack.blogspot.com/
Feedback is always welcomed!

My name is Matt Austin. I am a Professional Warehouse Manager. I greatly enjoy all areas of warehouse process improvement, and sharing ideas. Please feel free to contact me with any warehouse situations you may be experiencing for some outside perspective. Thank you for reading!