I have visited hundreds of service shops over the years and I can tell you something without a doubt…I have never visited a filthy shop that had achieved effective inventory control. In fact, the most disorganized the shop the higher the cost of doing business. Why?
*Cluttered floors impair the movement of people and material
*Material not put away properly is subject to loss and breakage
*Customers tend to refuse dirty material or products that arrive in damaged packages
*Scavenger hunts to find missing material wastes lots of time
Demonstrate to your employees how you feel about your inventory investment. Clean up your warehouse and keep it neat and tidy!
Assign people who have a good knowledge of your products the job of receiving material and putting away stock. Many companies put new employees in receiving. These people may have good intentions and be eager but they don’t know the product, or they might be afraid to ask so they “stash” them some place they can’t identify. After all, out of sight, out of mind. How often have you heard someone say something like "Yeah I saw those RP983’s come in”? “They were right over there”. “I know we have them but I’ve searched everywhere and can’t find them”.
Have the new people pick the orders. It’s a great way for them to learn the products and the techs can check their accuracy.