Companies spend millions of dollars annually to design, build and operate distribution centers (DCs), warehouses and fulfillment operations. These operations will experience changes to their businesses that will impact their customers, peers and financial bottom lines. The challenge is identifying these change indicators early and addressing them before the facility is completely out of control. 

The most common indicators are present in the data analysis and trends being tracked daily, weekly and monthly. Others are identified via product flow observations where bottlenecks are causing work stoppages or waiting, space constraints causing additional product movements and touches, customer complaints and returns. Our front-line associates and team members are another excellent way to identify changes early through periodic interviews and daily feedback. Finally, understanding the facility design and capabilities will aid in identifying future problems before they occur.

Knowing where to look is often a challenge in itself. DCs commonly identify challenges related to labor availability and retention. Poor accuracy and quality may be related to high turnover and inadequate training. Companies also find space constraints within their building, site location and supply chain uncertainty limiting to their operations. 

Download our white paper to uncover some of the common operational challenges companies experience and learn how they can be overcome.