Receiving Dock Processes
Best practices for dock processes to improve productivity
Benchmarking studies, such as those published by WERC, allow us to compare and improve our processes. Here are a few best practices in receiving:
- Dock appointments – this allows labor and dock utilization to be optimized
- Use of Advanced Shipping Notices
- A commitment to unload all loads within a set amount of time to prevent traffic jams
- Receipts acknowledged and posted as received in real time
- Product labeled, scanned against the ASN, and assigned to the proper put-away location
- Assigning tasks to individuals or very small teams for accountability
- Gathering data on dock to stock time, receiving errors, and dock utilization can ensure continuous improvement.
Partnering with a 3PL
Paying money to save money? It may not make sense that paying a 3PL provider can save money. However, the tasks which are outsourced to a 3PL may not always be done in the most cost-saving way in-house. 3PL providers are efficient at tasks involved in the supply chain – warehouse storage, fulfillment, inventory management, transportation, and shipping. These are a 3PL’s core competencies but these tasks are not yours. They’ve invested in the equipment, technology, education, and staff to efficiently handle these tasks. Most are part of a network of providers which can be beneficial through referrals, giving companies the ability to strategically place their products closer to their customers.
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