Are you struggling with warehouse efficiency and feeling like it’s holding back your business growth? Don’t worry, you’ve come to the right place! In this article, we’ll provide you with valuable insights on how to optimize your operations and overcome the stumbling blocks that are hindering your warehouse efficiency. Whether it’s the imbalanced stock, warehouse layout, employee training or even tech and equipment, we’ve covered it all! Get ready to unleash the proven strategies to propel your business forward! 

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Messy Warehouse Layout
3. Imbalanced stock
4. Not looking after equipment
5. Not using tech right
6. Deficiency in employee training 
7. Conclusion

Introduction

In the world of B2B supply chains, time is like gold in your pocket. Surprisingly, only about 22% of businesses have really dialed in their supply chain game. Imagine the potential waiting to be unlocked! It’s like having a treasure trove of opportunities just waiting for the taking. 

And every second wasted due to inefficiencies costs you financially and gives your competitors an edge. Let’s see the common pitfalls in the warehouse and how to avoid them.

1. Messy Warehouse Layout

A confusing layout can slow things down for a manufacturing industry. Instead, focus on optimizing your warehouse layout. In the realm of manufacturing, an inefficient layout can significantly impede productivity. Therefore, it’s crucial to optimize your warehouse layout for seamless operations.

• Aisles: Much like well-maintained paths in a park, ensure your aisles are narrow enough. When designing warehouse aisles, it’s important to strike a balance between width and efficiency. Narrow aisles can help facilitate efficient movement and access to different sections of the warehouse. 
• Product Placement: Prioritize proximity to the exit for high-demand products. Placing frequently requested items near the exit streamlines the retrieval process, enhancing efficiency.
• Signage: Think of signage as the street signs within your warehouse. Clear, visible labels and signs help workers locate items swiftly, reducing search times and increasing productivity.
• Adaptability: Embrace a culture of adaptability. Regularly assess and, if needed, reconfigure your layout based on evolving demands. This flexibility ensures that your warehouse remains optimized for current production needs.

By paying attention to these key factors, you can significantly enhance the efficiency and productivity of your manufacturing warehouse.

1. Imbalanced Stock OR Uneven inventory

• Good Systems: Establish a robust tracking system to monitor inventory levels within the warehouse. Utilize advanced software solutions tailored to the manufacturing industry, ensuring accurate and real-time stock visibility.
• Rotate Stock: Prioritize a “first in, first out” (FIFO) approach. Ensure older materials or products are positioned at the front while newer items are placed at the back. This rotation helps to keep inventory fresh and minimizes the risk of obsolete goods.
• Regular Checks: Conduct routine inspections to validate physical inventory against digital records. This practice helps identify discrepancies early, allowing for prompt corrective action and preventing potential production delays.

1. Lagging on equipment care

• Update Equipment: Periodically evaluate the condition of your machinery. In some cases, retiring older machines in favor of newer, more efficient models is a strategic move to enhance productivity.
• Fix Problems Fast: Promptly address any malfunctions or breakdowns. Swift repairs prevent disruptions to the production process and curtail potential complications.
• Regular Checks: Implement routine maintenance checks akin to health check-ups for machines. This proactive approach helps identify and address potential issues before they escalate.

1. Not Using Tech Right

Tech can help, but only if used properly. Only 63% of businesses have tech solutions in place. 

• Pick Wisely: Get tech tools that fit your needs.
• Train Everyone: Make sure everyone knows how to use new tools.
• Have a Plan B: If tech breaks down, know what to do next. For example, if a warehouse relies on automated conveyor systems for transporting goods, a backup plan could involve having manual conveyor systems available in case of a breakdown.

1. Deficit in staff training

The people who work in your warehouse are on the front lines. They know the ins and outs of daily operations and can provide invaluable insights:

• Training: Ensure everyone is well-trained and up-to-date with the latest best practices and technology.
• Feedback Loop: Create a system where employees can easily share their observations and suggestions. They might spot potential problems or have ideas for improvements that have yet to cross your mind.
• Reward System: Recognise and reward employees for their ideas and efforts to improve warehouse efficiency. A motivated team can make a significant difference in achieving operational excellence.
• Open Communication: Foster an environment where communication flows freely. When everyone is on the same page, avoiding and addressing common pitfalls becomes a collective effort.

Conclusion

Warehouse inefficiency can cause 34% of delays in shipping, which causes unnecessary business costs. Here is one case in which Moglix has solved the problems of un-optimised inventory, data discrepancies and a fragmented vendor base. You can achieve a streamlined, efficient warehouse operation by avoiding these pitfalls. Regularly review processes, embrace data-driven decision-making and adjust proactively to stay ahead in the competitive B2B supply chain management world.

Over 6 in 10 firms are considering technological investments to optimise their supply chain. The trend is evolving as inflationary pressures and economic stagnation concerns grow.

Transformation usually focuses on improving customer engagement. But this time, the focus is shifting to the supply chain. So, while firms gear up to invest in supply chain management software, do you know the role of technology?

Are you curious about how cutting-edge technologies optimise operations, enhance supply chain visibility, and reduce costs? Read on to discover.

Table of Contents

Technology Takes Charge in Supply Chain Landscape

Harnessing the Power of Robotics for Efficiency

IoT’s Visionary Impact on Visibility

AI Drives Cost Reduction

Transforming Supply Chains into Profit Engines

Technology Takes Charge in Supply Chain Landscape

As much as 60% of supply chain leaders consider technologies a competitive advantage. These technologies include robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT). Let’s explore how these technologies can become a competitive advantage for you.

Harnessing the Power of Robotics for Efficiency 

By 2026, 75% of large enterprises will adopt some form of robots in their warehouses. Let’s see how automation using robots can optimise operations for your supply chain:

• Automate: Robots can pack items, reducing human labour and improving order fulfilment speed. Let automation handle repetitive and time-consuming tasks. This streamlines processes and leads to faster and more efficient operations.
• Reduces errors: Plus, it reduces the risk of errors in data entry and inventory management. This ensures orders are fulfilled, reducing returns and improving customer satisfaction.
• Data-driven decision-making: Automation generates a vast amount of real-time data. You can analyse it to identify bottlenecks, inefficiency, and areas of improvement. This can help you make informed choices to optimise operations. 

IoT’s Visionary Impact on Visibility

Two-thirds of business leaders emphasised increasing visibility in their supply chains to maintain operational stability. Here’s how IoT can improve visibility:

• Real-time tracking: Devices such as sensors and RFID tags help you track a product’s journey across the chain. It helps you spot and mitigate risks right away, should they arise. 
• Predictive maintenance: Predictive maintenance software can track the health of delivery services in real time. This increases the visibility of the delivery processes. Plus, it can help reduce vehicle downtime and repair costs by detecting issues in advance.
• Condition monitoring: IoT can track environmental conditions such as temperature to reduce the wastage risk. This is critical for goods with specific storage requirements, such as pharmaceuticals.  

AI Drives Cost Reduction

Reports say AI-driven operations reduce errors by 20–50% and administration costs by 25–40%5. Here’s how you can use AI to reduce costs: 

• Supplier performance monitoring: AI tracks supplier performance and detects issues. This reduces supply chain disruptions and associated costs.
• Route optimization: Advanced algorithms can calculate the most efficient delivery routes. They consider factors such as road closures or traffic conditions. This minimises the delivery distance, improving delivery times and saving fuel costs.
• Process efficiency: AI can analyse your datasets and identify inefficiencies in your processes. It can then suggest process improvements, reducing operational costs, and streamlining workflows. 

Transforming Supply Chains into Profit Engines

A company’s supply chain represents over 10% of its overall costs6. So, optimising the supply chain can boost your bottom lines dramatically. That’s what Moglix did for India’s leading tire manufacturer.

Moglix helped the firm improve its supply chain efficiency by optimising its inventory management processes. As a result, the firm saved 3% of its total cost of ownership. If you want to learn more about how Moglix can help make your supply chain a competitive advantage for you and achieve your business goals, schedule a call. 

Did you know Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help pharma reduce manufacturing cost by 15–30% and personnel cost by 50–70%? 1. A manufacturing strategy called lights-out manufacturing minimises human presence in factories. AI is set to alter the pharma supply chain sphere dynamically. They are in an excellent position to capture 70% of the future value2.

In the past, manufacturing companies have initiated digital shifts in the supply chain. And they’ve all had one likeness — untapped data and technological breakthroughs. They all leverage technologies such as advanced analytics, AI, and blockchain. But pharma companies are yet to make any bold moves. 

AI is transforming the supply chain through real-time data processing and decision-making. This would make supply chains data-driven by reducing human subjectivity and bias. Read along as we explore how AI improves MRO procurement and optimises the supply chain.

Table of Contents

Transforming Pharma Supply Chains with AI

Optimise Inventory and Demand with AI

Boost Efficiency with End-To-End Visibility

Quality Excellence with Predictive Maintenance

Transforming Pharma Supply Chains

The pharma supply chain generates massive amounts of data, which must be utilised more. Processing data with AI will support real-time decision-making and improve operational efficiency. Plus, it will create a cost-effective and near-autonomous supply chain. 

Here are a few critical supply chain processes where AI will likely have the highest impact.

• Optimising Inventory: To optimise the supply chain, you must accurately adjust inventory levels. Use advanced AI tech, such as predictive analytics, to track the state of drugs. This will enable you to take proactive measures if the supply chain encounters obstacles.
• Boosting Efficiency: Visibility across the supply chain means knowing the status of every transaction and demand trigger. Regardless of the logistics movement, you should know the state of the drug. One can achieve this via supply chain control towers serving centralised hubs. You can use these hubs to audit, track, and generate insights to boost efficiency.
• Achieving Quality Excellence: Pharmacos face challenges due to quality, safety, or compliance issues. AI-enabled predictive maintenance can cut this. It can provide information and insights into operations, equipment performance, and forecasting faults. This can help you improve operational effectiveness, thus improving your bottom line.

It’s a no-brainer for pharma cos to embrace AI and unlock its potential to meet market demands.

A case in point is this leading vaccine manufacturer from India. It faced high inventory holding and volatile monthly MRO procurement spending. After collaborating with Moglix, it reduced inventory costs by 10%. Click here to schedule a demo and see how to team up with Moglix to make your supply chains resilient.

Did you know that power and fuel costs 50–55%¹ of the entire cost of cement producers? Yes, the cement industry is growing. However, it needs to optimize its supply chain processes to sustain growth.

MRO procurement concurs with buying the maintenance, repair, and operations products. These are essential for the production and transportation of cement. Optimizing MRO procurement and supply chain can improve efficiency, quality, and inventory management.

Continue reading as we delve into strategies and technologies that enable efficient transportation. We’ll also discuss the role of supply chain management software in managing logistics.

Table of Contents

Rocky Road of Cement Logistics

Achieve Supply Chain Excellence

Rocky Road of Cement Logistics 

In hilly areas, the inward and outward logistics costs contribute over 35% of the cement cost². This impacts the profitability and competitiveness of the cement manufacturers. This is one challenge the cement industry is facing; some others are: 

• The logistics of cement products rely on the road/rail network. But those are often in poor condition in countries like India. Plus, the capacity is also a factor. This results in either production loss or costlier movement. 
• The industry must still adopt the latest technologies to optimize and integrate the supply chain. This leads to poor visibility, transparency, and coordination among the supply chain partners.
• The cement industry faces the challenge of fluctuating demand and supply. This causes problems in forecasting and supply chain planning, affecting inventory. 

Achieve Supply Chain Excellence

Supply chain management software helps cement companies track and optimise supply chain processes from raw material sourcing to finished product delivery. It can make transportation efficient and improve inventory management. At the same time, it can optimize distribution using technologies and data analytics.

This is possible by optimising the flow of materials and information across the value chain. Here are some benefits of supply chain management software in the cement industry:

• By improving the visibility and transparency of the supply chain operations, it
  • Reduces costs
  • Improves customer satisfaction and 
  • Enhances decision-making.
• It makes you more agile and responsive to changing market conditions. This enables you to adjust production plans, optimise inventory, and divide resources.
• It improves collaboration among the supply chain partners, such as suppliers and distributors.

Cement companies can improve coordination, collaboration, and decision-making using supply chain management software. One such software is Moglix. It also allows you to optimize inventory, transportation, and distribution processes.

Check out how Moglix transformed MRO procurement for a cement manufacturer. The company achieved a 20% increase in working hour efficiency. Plus, it saved 5–7% and ensured delivery of 100% genuine products. This reduced the costs of handling counterfeit products.

Moglix made this possible by reducing the PR to PO time. It also standardized the pricing across the plants and reduced supplier dependency. This helped build stronger relationships with the ones it retained. Schedule a demo to understand how Moglix can strengthen your supply chains.