Warehouse
“Every cubic inch of space is a miracle.”
- Walt Whitman
“How many things I have no need of!”
- Socrates
Inventory and warehouse space can be challenging to manage. Companies can find themselves out of space and out of time when business is expanding. Operations need to expand as lines are added. Customers and sometimes vendors require inventory stocking levels. When space becomes jammed, warehouse operations suffer increased labor costs as items become less and less well organized and longer and longer to pick, resulting in artificial stock out and order fulfillment errors. Over time, inventory expands to fill available space creating a temptation to add space in the form of new square footage. Unfortunately, if additional space is added without solving the underlying cause of inventory expansion, this trend will not self correct and is, in fact self compounding.
Oddly, the opposite situation can also be problematic. In times of reduced demand, less inventory and less space is required to satisfy customer and supplier requirements. But getting to lower levels is often a challenge. The company needs to continue to meet customers’ needs with reduced levels of inventory
Our objective is to get our clients into the right sized environment. We assist our clients to reduce warehouse space requirements by relaying existing space, and improving warehouse processes so that inventory moves more rapidly and requires a smaller foot print. For clients with more sophisticated processes in place we take them to the next level examining picking systems and automation to leverage time, labor and space constraints for higher turns and lower per unit inventory carrying costs. We can also examine contracting and procurement processes to ensure that agreements are structured to avoid future problems.
These are some areas where we help our clients:
- Warehouse processes
- Inventory and material handling processes
- Inventory and warehouse systems
- New warehouse layout and re-cubing existing facilities
- Warehouse utilization and process efficiency audits
Case Study
“Since 1929, and through four generations, the Muskingum Iron & Metal Company has specialized in the processing and recycling of ferrous and non-ferrous scrap metals. Our success begins with our customers and their need to get the highest return for scrap. We never lose sight of the fact that they are the reason we are in business. GBQ Redbank Advisors is our consultant of choice because they recognize the needs and challenges that a successful, growing family business faces.”
Josh Joseph,
Vice President,