Cut warehouse waste to cut costs – 5 ways an advanced WMS can help
How to cut warehouse waste to cut costs.
Your profit margins aren’t the only thing that are negatively impacted if you can’t cut warehouse waste. It slows everything down, frustrating your teams, and throttling your business’ growth.
And the worst part about the whole thing? Most warehouse waste hides under the radar and goes completely unnoticed.
There are some obvious ways to cut warehouse waste – things that are easily noticed by the naked eye. Like discarded packaging and excess inventory. But waste also hides itself inside unoptimised processes that cause inefficiencies. It hides behind unnecessary movement, putting and picking issues that create rework, and it obscures underutilised resources that could save you money if you used them to their full potential.
However… when you’ve got complete visibility over every single moving part of your warehouse, you can start to eliminate waste at its source. And that kind of visibility, funnily enough, is exactly what Dispatcher WMS offers you.
Seeing waste for what it really is
Warehouse waste isn’t just that pile of empty boxes carelessly slung in the corner at the end of the day. It’s mis-picks that require rework, and it’s pickers walking unnecessary miles. Waste is overstocked inventory that’s gathering dust or going out-of-date before you can ship it. And it’s energy-hungry equipment left running when it’s not needed. These things add up fast, but they don’t always scream “waste” when they’re happening.
And that’s why data matters.
Dispatcher WMS doesn’t simply track operations (in real time), it also helps you see where time, money, and resources are being drained – so that you can put a stop to it.
The Biggest Warehouse Waste Offenders (and how to eliminate them)
- Wasted Travel Time
If your pickers are zig-zagging across the warehouse instead of following an optimised route, then you’re burning time and money. Alternatively, Dispatcher WMS could dynamically assign pick paths that are based on real-time demand, order priorities, and stock location. And in one fell swoop, this could cut out wasted movement and boost your productivity without burning out your team.
- Overstocking and Understocking
Carrying excess stock that doesn’t sell is a waste of space (and money). But at the opposite end of the spectrum, stockouts mean lost sales. Dispatcher WMS helps you to make sure that your inventory levels align with demand. And this, in turn, reduces your carrying costs, and helps you to avoid last-minute, expensive replenishments.
- Inefficient Packing and Shipping
Packaging waste isn’t just bad for your bottom line, it’s bad for the environment too. Dispatcher WMS optimises cartonisation, making sure that your orders are packed using the right-sized materials. This minimises void fill, and it reduces unnecessary weight, which helps cut down your shipping costs.
- Energy Waste
Warehouses are energy-hungry, but they don’t always need to be. Leaving conveyor belts running, keeping lights on in unused zones, or inefficient cooling systems all add up. And advanced WMS can integrate with smart warehouse tech that reduces energy consumption where possible, cutting costs and boosting sustainability.
- Rework and Returns
Mistakes in picking, packing, or labelling cause delays, and they cost money to fix. Dispatcher WMS enforces accuracy at every stage, reducing mis-picks, improving scanning compliance, and it makes sure that shipments go out correctly, first time. This, in turn means fewer returns, less rework, and happier customers.
Turning Insights into Action
Data on its own isn’t enough. You’ve got to cut waste to cut costs. And the real power of Dispatcher WMS is that it transforms insights into action. Every scan, every movement, and every order feeds into a system that adapts to the information it has, and makes your operations leaner, faster, and ever more efficient. Which means that instead of reacting to problems, you can get ahead of them, fixing inefficiencies before they start to eat into your margins.
The Future is Lean, and It’s Data-Driven
Ignoring warehouse waste is hazardous to your profit margins. Costs are rising, competition is fierce, and your customers expect more and better and faster. Warehouses that aren’t actively reducing inefficiencies are already falling behind. But the ones that have harnessed real-time data and optimisation tools are cutting waste and unlocking new levels of efficiency, scalability, and profitability.
The big questions are: What waste is your warehouse hiding? And are you ready to cut warehouse waste to cut costs?
If you’re ready to take back control, let’s talk. info@socius24.com
