Radwell International’s Blog

Process improvement is something that should remain a top priority within a company, especially in the manufacturing industry. Making process improvement a priority can be difficult as it is easy to get caught up in other areas. In a recent USA Manufacturing Hour, on Twitter, host, David Crysler from The Crysler Club, led a discussion that highlights some tips and tricks for prioritizing process improvement.

Constantly staying on top of current processes is a necessary task for manufacturers in order to keep operation most up to date and efficient. There are many strategies that go into behind the scenes of process improvement. It can be a delicate task, with prioritizing the efficiency of processes, while also keeping employees’ thoughts and best interests in mind.

We live in a data-driven world.  Volumes of information are accessible with the push of a button or the touch of a screen. Supercomputers exponentially more powerful than those used to put man on the moon sit casually in our pockets.  We are incredibly lucky to live in an era where the concept of advanced statistics isn't walled behind the ivory towers of institution but can be readily digested and interpreted by anyone who's willing to look hard enough.

With the amount of data available to digest and the abundance of user-friendly tools that can be used to quickly process that data, a business can generate metrics for nearly every potential process output.  On the surface, this is an enormous boon for managers, as they should be able to tell exactly what their teams are doing and how efficiently it's being done.

But that data doesn't always tell the whole story, or even the right story at all. What if all that data is doing us a disservice? What if the data we've come to rely on and, in some cases, take for granted, is harming our decision-making abilities. When do metrics matter?  And, more importantly, when don't they?

Improving warehouse productivity can feel like a daunting task. There are so many moving parts within a warehouse operation that it may seem impossible to align everyone’s priorities for the good of the operation. But making improvements can provide big returns. We’ve chosen five basic tips to help streamline and improve your warehouse’s productivity. 

Small to mid-sized companies face many challenges in today’s business climate. In the “Amazon” era, customer

expectations continue to rise, presenting a great need for businesses to continually improve processes and methods. This constant need for improvement is all in the hopes of mitigating challenges and turning them into wins throughout the customer buying cycle. 

In terms of shipping customer products, the struggle can be very real. There are many things to consider and often overcome. A manual shipping system requires accessible inventory and humans to execute every aspect of bringing that inventory to customers. Inventory must be chosen based on a customer’s order and picked so that it can be packaged. The item must then be sent through a series of checks before it is packaged in the correct sized box and weighed for shipping. After the item is labeled, the correct shipping method must be chosen. The prepared shipment must be brought to the end of the shipping cycle for sorting prior to carrier pickup. There is a lot of movement in a manual system and humans must execute the steps within a manual system.