Warehouse Management Best Practices

Courses Syllabus

Introduction

This course will enable Supply Chain Professionals to understand how to improve the operations of any warehouse by implementing lean operating processes, by intelligently managing inventory, and by establishing a performance management program that ensures continuous improvement. An effective warehousing strategy can be a powerful competitive weapon.

Best-practice warehouses deliver superior customer satisfaction and return on investment by functioning as a tightly-integrated part of a company’s value chain.  The purpose of this course is to show how to implement all of the essential tools for the effective management of warehouses and stores. This module includes how to evaluate procedures and how to improve methods by eliminating wasteful activities and excess costs.

This course will feature:

• Locating, structuring, and operating the warehouse
• Implementing Lean principles in the warehouse
• Crafting an inventory strategy using Stock Keeping Unit (SKU) segmentation
• Role of the warehouse in the value chain
• Creating a metrics program and establishing an executive KPI dashboard

Objectives

• Develop an understanding of the role of warehouse in the end-to-end supply chain
• Learn best practices for warehouse operating processes
• Develop an inventory strategy in the warehouse
• Leverage information technology to improve visibility
• Develop a performance management program to and drive positive change

Content

Day One

Warehouse Infrastructure Strategies

• Warehouse location strategy
• Options in warehouse layout and design
• Classes of warehouses
• Warehouse automation
• Information technology (IT) in the warehouse
• Industry variations

Day Two

Warehouse Operating Processes and Principles

• Key functional processes from receiving to picking and shipping
• Optimizing the flow of goods across processes
• Advanced processes – break-bulk, cross-docking, mixing, assembly
• Cycle counting, conducting a physical inventory audit
• Implementing Lean principles in the warehouse
• Continuous improvement and managing change

Day Three

Inventory, Analysis, and Product Classification

• The function of inventory
• Inventory accuracy and control
• Handling WIP (Work-In-Progress) inventory
• Three-dimensional inventory classification and segmentation (ABC)
• Using inventory classification to drive efficiency
• Replenishment methods and strategies

Day Four

Leveraging Your Resources and Developing New Capabilities

• Managing and incentivizing your people
• Employee training and evaluation
• The IT environment: your enterprise and the warehouse
• Role of the warehouse in the value chain
• Outsourcing: risks and opportunities
• Supplier collaboration models and strategies

Day Five

Create a World-Class Warehouse with Performance Management and Metrics

• Contemporary trends in warehousing
• Warehouse best practices and benchmarking
• The role of performance management in the warehouse
• What should you measure?
• Establish an executive dashboard using key performance indicators (KPIs)
• Identifying, prioritizing, and implementing improvements.