Canon Business Process Services (Canon) released a video spotlighting how organizations can improve their current warehouse and distribution center efficiency, labor retention and flow of materials. Warehouse volumes and customer expectations are at an all-time high.
“Executives in charge of warehouse operations are facing serious challenges,” notes Mark Walker, chief operations and technology officer for Canon. “These include retaining staff, excessive overtime, and improving accuracy, product flow and proper inventory levels. Traditionally, executives have had limited solutions in managing these issues, each involving significant compromise. Now there is a better way.”
The video details how, until recently, an organization had three main options in trying to advance its warehouse and distribution center operation. One, it could engage a temporary staffing agency. This might ease a labor problem but provides no technology or process management.
The company could also consider shifting its operation offsite to a third-party logistics provider (3PL). This approach, however, likely involves giving up control and retrofitting business processes to the 3PL’s requirements. A third option is for the enterprise to continue to go it alone, managing its warehouse without support.
The new alternative is to engage a services partner that offers the ability to work onsite at the company’s location, providing a customized, integrated materials and logistics management solution aligned with the company’s goals.
With Canon’s solution, experts evaluate key elements a company’s warehouse operation to identify efficiency shortfalls. This includes managing the warehouse operation, as well as working with the company to set priorities and meet mutually-agreed-upon service level agreements. The Canon team creates a roadmap for achieving the proper warehouse logistics and manufacturing synergies in shipping and receiving, analyzing the flow of materials, and recruiting and retaining the right staff.