You've just installed a new material handling system in your warehouse. But it soon becomes apparent that your system is not performing like you anticipated it would. Maybe a merge in the conveyor system is not able to keep up with the carton volume you are experiencing, or your picking productivity in a new pick module is not where you anticipated it would be. While this can be a frustrating and overwhelming situation, there are several things you can do to address this situation and get the root cause of the problem.

If you are looking to increase productivity in your DC, it's not time to retrain employees. It's time to train supervisors. In fact, supervisor training alone nets between 5 and 9 percent productivity gains immediately.

The scenario is all too familiar. The best lift truck operator in the building is promoted to supervisor and he's a failure. The same thing happens for the best order picker, or the best shipping clerk. A person who has superior on a prior job just can't cut it as a manager. What's the problem?

Information is key in reducing picking inaccuracies. Understand where your errors are coming from and what is causing them. Then take measures to eliminate the source of errors. This article contains ideas that have been used successfully accross a wide variety of industries to increase outbound order accuracy without large capital outlays.

Few distribution center managers have the luxury of excess warehouse space that can be tapped whenever needed. Certainly the vast majority of DC personnel would claim they have a shortage rather than a surplus of space.

Being a supervisor in a fast-paced distribution center is a lot like being an airline pilot: Success is all in the approach.

There are several warning signs that your system may no longer be adequate, though the specific signals can vary by industry or the performance criteria that's most important to you.

Visual warehouse management is a lost art. Operations executives tend to get so caught up in technology that they overlook some of the common-sense solutions that allow for better visualization whether they are receiving, processing, picking, packing or shipping. In most cases, small changes go a long way.

A front-line supervisor is a lot like the coach of an Olympic champion. Like Olympic champions, your employees need someone to train them, to observe them, and to encourage them.

Recent studies show the available civilian workforce is projected to decrease through 2014, because of the retairing baby boomer generation. With this in mind companies will face the loss of an experienced workforce and be compelled to replace them from a smaller, younger pool of available workers.

In an era of increased competition and the need by most organizations to reduce or control costs while maintaining or improving customer service, Optimized Performance solutions can represent a high payback/low risk opportunity to achieve these challenging goals.

While many companies set the bar according to past performance, the question is actually not how high the bar is or was, but how high it should be.

Distribution center managers are constantly trying to do more with less. However, they often overlook the advantages that can be gained from thinking more about where items are kept.

Busy DC and warehouse managers often observe that they are so busy putting out fires that they do not have the time to develop even a short-term plan. Developing a solid improvement plan requires an investment in time, but it will pay off in the long run.

Labor accounts for more than half of all distribution costs, but companies that utilize labor-management programs can realize big savings.

TZA has identified seven key principles it believes shippers should seek to improve their distribution productivity.