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* This article was an original contribution from our own Kevin Ledversis seen in Zebra Technologies "Your Edge" Blog on June 16, 2020.

Did you know you are spending up to twice as much on labor on your receiving dock as you should be? Or that the error rates on your receiving labels could be 10 times what they should be? More importantly, did you know that many of your workers are taking far more footsteps in a day than they need to due to excessive trips to the printer? These are problems that many retailers and 3PLs don’t realize that they have.

The good news is that these are problems easily solved with transportable printers – or, should I say, a stationary desktop or full-size industrial label printer that can be made mobile.

Back in March when it became clear that we would be in for a very unpredictable year ahead, we were quick to point out that anyone who was not already good at E-Commerce would now need to be or disproportionately suffer from the slowdown in activity. Four months into the crisis, that seems more true than even we had considered.

Since 2020 has us rethinking EVERYTHING we were doing before, we wanted to make a quick share for you to start the week with a visual look at some basic Warehouse Design fundamentals. The events of the last few months have everyone wondering what the warehouse of the future will look like. But while doing updates to your CURRENT space to react to the new normal, how closely have you been adhering to the basics already?

We thought this infographic was a good representation of some of those basic pillars of good warehouse design. Let's start with the basics we use for planning. The one thing we'll highlight here is how often we hear that space management is the BIGGEST issue our client's are having. If you are exceeding the guidance below and using over 30% of your square footage for storage, it means you might be feeling crowded. Better rack utilization and building up may improve your sense of space!

Adapting To The Unexpected Future

If there is one aspect of the COVID-19 crisis in 2020 that will remain with us perhaps permanently is the way we space ourselves from each other in the workplace. Over the last three months, entirely new protocols that no one could have anticipated are now the norm. Beyond the basic ones addressing general hygiene practices like hand-washing and disinfection routines, entire industries are re-tooling or re-organizing how they work to not only make it possible to reopen workplaces now, but to make them less likely to close again for another wave that might return, or in case of a new threat in the future.

A few weeks ago in Part I, we looked at the bigger picture of Dock Design – the facility itself and the advantages and disadvantages of the different possible configurations for your docks and their bays (See the full article here). This week we’ll walk through some of the key elements in outfitting your dock that ensure optimal productivity for your facility and your shipping partners.

When we started to realize that the current crisis was going to be much more than a small hiccup in our year, one of the things we discussed internally was that we would likely see a large bump in E-Commerce growth because for many businesses in some industries it would become the only way they can reach customers while their traditional channels were greatly reduced if not entirely closed – temporarily or permanently.

We’ve written quite a bit in the past about best practices for supply chain labor management and with the extreme stress being put on the every part of some supply chains right now, though it would be a good time to share some additional insights on how to maintain a healthy and productive work force.

For fifteen years, we've always been about finding ways to make the warehouse workstation mobile and productive. But our new world in 2020 has created needs and solutions we may not have always anticipated. Whether it is businesses operating at full capacity or those just trying to stay open enough to support their customers, there has been a sudden recognition for the need to maintain physical distancing and personal spaces to keep everyone safe and to keep supply chains healthy.

The current crisis we are in is taxing all of our healthcare resources – both human and material. As a manufacturer supplying equipment for the warehouse and logistics industries, we are especially aware of the strain being placed on supply chains as well as the important people who keep them running smoothly.

By now we are all aware we are dealing with an unprecedented global crisis that is going to impact every business and customer we know. But the impact will vary by the industry and type of customer being served. While we are not in the business of playing the role of economic pundits peering into reams of data and making predictions, it is safe to say that a boost in E-commerce operations among across many industries is already happening as retailers shut stores.