A Comprehensive Guide to Warehouse Putaway Process

Warehouse putaway is the process of moving received goods from the dock to their designated storage locations. It ensures that items are stored efficiently, making retrieval easier and optimizing warehouse operations.

Businesses often face challenges like misplaced items and inefficient storage, which can lead to delays. Therefore, implementing an effective warehouse putaway process helps streamline inventory management and reduce errors.

This article will guide you through the essentials of an optimized warehouse putaway process. From common challenges to best practices, you will gain valuable insights to enhance your warehouse efficiency.

What is Warehouse Putaway and Why is It Important?

Warehouse putaway is the process of moving goods from the receiving area to their proper storage locations within a warehouse. It involves placing items in designated spaces based on size, weight, and demand to ensure efficient storage and retrieval.

Understanding warehouse processes is essential because it directly impacts inventory management, organization, and overall operational efficiency. Here are the key benefits of warehouse putaway for businesses:

• Lowers labor costs by minimizing unnecessary handling.
• Reduces the time spent locating items for order fulfilment.
• Improves inventory accuracy and minimizes the risk of misplaced goods.
• Enhances the use of warehouse space, maximizing storage capacity.
• Increases workflow efficiency by streamlining stock placement.

Warehouse Putaway Methods

Understanding the different methods of warehouse putaway processes can help optimize your operations. Each type of putaway has unique advantages that suit various business needs and inventory management styles. Here are the main methods of warehouse putaway:

Dynamic putaway  

Dynamic putaway is a system in which goods are stored in any available space within the warehouse layout. This method reduces search times and optimizes space usage, especially in high-turnover environments.  

With dynamic putaway, the system chooses the best location based on real-time data like size, weight, or demand. This warehouse putaway process reduces staff travel time, increases efficiency, and helps maintain an organized warehouse despite fluctuating inventory levels.

Direct putaway

Direct putaway immediately moves goods from the receiving area to their designated storage space without interim handling. This method eliminates storage or shipping delays and helps reduce labor costs by minimizing handling steps and ensuring quicker inventory organization.  

By implementing direct putaway, businesses can reduce the chances of goods being misplaced or damaged during transitions. This method is beneficial in fast-paced environments, where speed and accuracy are essential for tasks like warehouse picking and order picking.

Fixed-location putaway

Fixed-location putaway assigns specific storage spaces for each item, ensuring consistent placement. This method simplifies retrieval by making it easy to locate items based on their permanent positions, which helps maintain organization.

While it limits warehouse flexibility, fixed-location putaway is ideal for slow-moving goods or items that need consistent access. It reduces the time needed to search for products in larger warehouses, streamlining warehouse putaway and warehouse packing processes. 

Warehouse Putaway KPIs

To ensure an efficient warehouse, monitoring the right performance metrics is essential. Warehouse putaway KPIs help businesses assess how effectively their warehouse processes are functioning.

Here are some key putaway KPIs that businesses should track:

1. Putaway time: This measures how quickly goods are stored after being received. Moreover, faster putaway times improve warehouse efficiency and reduce delays in making products available for picking.
2. Putaway accuracy: This tracks how accurately items are placed in designated storage locations. High accuracy minimizes retrieval errors and ensures smoother warehouse operations.
3. Storage space utilization: This KPI monitors how well warehouse space is being used. Maximizing space utilization helps prevent overcrowding and reduces the need for additional storage areas.
4. Labor productivity: This measures the efficiency of staff during the putaway process. High labor productivity indicates that resources are used effectively, resulting in quicker operations.
5. Cost per putaway: This KPI tracks the expenses involved in storing goods. Additionally, reducing the cost per putaway reflects a more efficient process, lowering overall operational costs.

Best Practices in Warehouse Putaway Process

Implementing best practices in your warehouse putaway process improves efficiency, reduces errors, and optimizes space usage. Below are essential practices to enhance your warehouse operations.

1. Reduce mobilization time and optimize item placement

Reducing staff mobilization time is critical to boosting warehouse efficiency. Placing frequently used items closer to the receiving area shortens the time required for warehouse picking, resulting in faster order fulfilment.  

This practice improves the workflow and minimizes staff fatigue, helping to reduce errors during the order-picking process. Additionally, efficient item placement directly impacts the speed and accuracy of warehouse processes, making it a vital strategy.

2. Conduct regular audits of storage capacity

Regular audits of your warehouse’s storage capacity helps identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies. Moreover, ensuring optimal space utilization means goods are more accessible to retrieve and less likely to be misplaced.  

Regular reviews allow for better planning, ensuring space is effectively used even during peak seasons. Additionally, it helps businesses foresee future storage needs, improving long-term warehouse planning.

3. Train staff on proper putaway techniques 

Practical training ensures that warehouse staff are knowledgeable in using putaway strategies efficiently. Trained employees can quickly locate storage areas, reducing misplaced goods and boosting productivity.  

Continuous training also helps employees stay updated on new technology or methods, improving their performance. This reduces costly mistakes, speeds up the warehouse putaway process, and ensures long-term operational success.

4. Keep a clean and organized warehouse

A clean and organized warehouse ensures smooth operations and reduces accidents. Furthermore, clear pathways and clutter-free areas enable staff to move efficiently and prevent delays during the putaway process.  

Moreover, keeping the warehouse organized boosts inventory accuracy. Well-organized spaces allow for easier item location, improving retrieval speed and reducing errors. This streamlined system ensures more accurate operations, minimizing delays caused by misplaced goods.

5. Leverage a Warehouse Management System (WMS)

A WMS Singapore assigns optimal storage locations based on real-time data such as product size and demand, reducing manual labor. This method improves accuracy in inventory management and speeds up warehouse operations.  

Additionally, a WMS helps reduce item placement errors and ensures that goods are always stored efficiently. Automating critical tasks frees staff to focus on more value-adding activities, leading to greater overall productivity within the warehouse.

Looking for an effective solution to streamline your warehouse processes? Explore how HashMicro’s Warehouse Management System Singapore can streamline your warehouse operations. Click the banner below for a detailed pricing scheme.

Optimize Your Warehouse Putaway Process with HashMicro

HashMicro’s Warehouse Management System is a robust solution that optimizes the warehouse putaway process. The system uses real-time data to assign optimal storage locations based on item size, demand, and turnover, ensuring accurate placement and faster retrieval.

Moreover, HashMicro offers a free product tour and consultation to help you explore how their WMS can enhance your operations. This allows you to understand how their system can reduce manual labor, improve accuracy, and maximize warehouse efficiency at no initial cost.

Features:

1. Product Dimension Tracking: The warehouse management software monitors product size to ensure efficient use of space during putaway. It optimizes storage layout, preventing clutter and making the warehouse more organized for easier item retrieval.
2. Location Dimension Management: HashMicro’s WMS manages storage space based on dimensions, ensuring each product is placed in its ideal location. This prevents disorganization and helps streamline the warehouse’s overall flow.
3. Putaway Strategy Settings: Businesses can set specific item placement strategies, ensuring logical and efficient storage. This improves operational flow and speeds up product retrieval, enhancing the overall putaway process.
4. Putaway Capacity Checking: The WMS checks available storage space before placing items, preventing overcrowding. Consequently, this ensures that operations run smoothly and storage areas are not overfilled, allowing for efficient retrieval.
5. Warehouse Pallet Racking: HashMicro optimizes pallet racking to maximize vertical space in the designated warehouse, ensuring safe and efficient storage. This setup also allows easier access to products, enhancing organization.
6. In-Depth Reporting: The system provides detailed reports on stock levels and warehouse performance, enabling data-driven decisions. These insights help optimize the putaway process and identify areas for improvement.

Trusted by various global brands such as McDonald’s, Hino, and Forbes, HashMicro has built a reputation for reliability and innovation. Their proven track record ensures credibility, making them a dependable choice for improving your warehouse operations.

Conclusion

A well-organized warehouse putaway process is essential for improving operational efficiency, reducing errors, and optimizing space utilization. Implementing effective putaway strategies can ensure faster retrieval times, minimize misplacement, and maintain a smooth workflow.

HashMicro’s Warehouse Management System is a comprehensive solution to optimize your putaway process. With features like product dimension tracking and putaway strategy settings, it helps automate tasks and streamline your warehouse operations for better efficiency.

Ready to take your warehouse to the next level? Sign up for a free demo today and discover how HashMicro’s WMS can transform your warehouse management, improve accuracy, and enhance productivity.

FAQ About Warehouse Putaway

• What is picking and putaway?

  Picking refers to retrieving items from their storage locations to fulfil an order, while putaway involves moving received goods to their designated storage spots. Together, these processes ensure efficient warehouse stock management and accurate inventory tracking.

• What is warehouse putaway time?

  Warehouse putaway time is the duration for received goods to be placed into their designated storage locations. Reducing this time improves warehouse efficiency by speeding up inventory organization and ensuring quicker product retrieval for future orders.

• What is the difference between putaway and storage?

  Putaway is moving items from the receiving area to their designated locations within the warehouse. It involves strategic placement based on size, demand, and storage capacity to ensure efficient space utilization and easy retrieval.
  On the other hand, storage is where goods remain in their assigned locations until they are needed for order picking or other warehouse operations. Storage emphasizes the long-term management of inventory within designated areas.