How to Organize Pallets of Product Crowding Your Facility

All types of finished goods and raw materials are shipped between businesses every day. As companies receive truckloads of goods shipped on pallets, they must find a way to keep their facility and inventory organized. A proper flow of goods and organization is key to achieving streamlined and productive activities.

Here are some tips to organize the many pallets of product crowding your facility.

• Unpack shipments quickly – when receiving pallets full of boxes or cartons stacked upon each other, it is best to unpack shipments quickly. Unpacking pallets quickly allows for immediate inspection of incoming material and for accurate inventory counts when adding materials directly to stock upon receipt. Shipments that are left to sit in a warehouse become a serious quality issue and may contain substandard products and be left unaccounted for until receiving procedures are performed.
• Follow meticulous receiving procedures – every business should have written work instructions for receiving procedures which include checking products for quality issues, checking paperwork such as packing slips against the purchase order and performing in-house procedures to add these products to inventory. Automated inventory systems allow for label printing and scanning on the spot at receiving stations to quickly add material to inventory.
• Keep inventory categorized and organized – following strict work processes for inventory management is critical for companies to know exactly what raw materials and finished goods are on hand. Inventory should be organized to follow each facility’s accounting method, such as First-in-First-out (FIFO), or Last-in-First-out (LIFO), or other established methods. Inventory should be easy to locate, easy to verify, and easy to access and load for transportation to the next destination. Whether storing raw materials to take to your production floor or storing finished goods ready for shipment to customers, every business must know exactly what is on hand at any given moment to ensure no disruptions with production and order fulfillment requirements.
• Consider color-coded stretch film – most pallets are secured with stretch wrapping film, typically clear in color. Stretch film is available and other colors as well, and can be a helpful tool to quickly identify pallets of product in one category versus those in another. Working with an experienced packaging and palletizing company can help you to understand your options for organizing pallets of product.
• Create and follow a streamlined floor plan – every company should have a system for an efficient and streamlined floor plan. Loading docks should be dedicated to either just receiving or just shipping when possible, and any backtracking of products should be eliminated whenever feasible. Ideally, incoming materials are received in one area, and all receiving procedures are followed to move products to their correct locations. Raw materials should then be moved straight to required production areas, where they are processed and transported to the next area, such as quality inspection, packaging, and shipping, without backtracking across any prior floor space. This is the most efficient flow of goods that helps to improve productivity and prevent contamination.

Speak with a contract packaging and palletizing company for more information on how you can improve the efficiency and organization in your facility.

PPS Offers Packaging and Palletizing Solutions

Peoria Production Solutions, PPS, offers secondary packaging and palletizing solutions to businesses of all sizes in a wide range of industries. We have been providing production solutions such as packaging, wrapping, kitting, assembly, palletizing, and more for more than 80 years. As an ISO9001:2015 registered company, we follow strict quality policies to provide added assurance to our customers. We customize your production solutions to meet your needs, such as packaging, palletizing, storing, and shipping per specific customer requirements.

PPS specializes in providing value-added secondary services that improve your productivity and help companies meet production and order fulfillment goals. We utilize automated equipment in our state-of-the-art facility, with 17 shipping and receiving bays and ample capacity to ensure a strictly controlled flow of goods. Contact us with any questions and to learn more about how we can improve the efficiency and organization of your facility with our packaging and palletizing services.