Commentary: 5 Ways to Reduce Materials Handling Costs

Many behaviors and approaches you can support and reinforce in the workplace can help your business drive down materials handling costs. Space management and damage prevention are two examples of tactics you can take to minimize losses from your budget and drive the bottom line. Here are five ways to reduce the materials handling costs for your business:


  1. Make the most of your space This begins with understanding what kind of shelving and rack systems you have available to you. Much of this can start with a simple gander at your current spacing system. Shelving and racking should be designed in a way that uses as much height of any warehouse as possible. Floor space going unaccounted for can raise costs while also inefficiently utilizing your facility.
  2. Reduce damage costs Lowering such costs equates to reducing materials handling expenses as it begins with safe, methodical, and efficient handling. The more you reduce incidents and accidents in any warehouse or materials handling application, the less likely damages will be assessed and reported. The best business practices are anchored in preventing damage to raw goods, materials, and the finished products.
  3. Utilize optimal storage conditions – Assure your goods and products are stored in the best conditions. Humidity is a prime culprit of oxidation and deterioration for many perishable products and materials. Monitoring and moderating humidity levels is an effective way to enhance storage conditions. In addition, assure there is proper lighting and the temperature is at adequate levels to prevent and mitigate any form of probiotic growth. Furthermore, rust is another problem that can cause damage and add hidden costs for materials as it compromises the integrity and aesthetic of many different materials. Utilizing the appropriate storage conditions prevents such an occurrence.
  4. Promote teamwork – Many of these initiatives begin with fluid communication and teamwork. Promoting a consensus approach to materials handling is essential to reducing costs since it affords staff the opportunity to articulate methods and behaviors which have been beneficial to the overall operation.
  5. Modernize your operation – Replacing older and obsolete equipment with emerging technologies can result in the significant improvement of productivity and energy savings. Modernizing your operation is a sure-fire way to reduce materials handling costs while also creating an innovative environment to drive efficiency and productivity.

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