Almost everyone has read the famous Harry Potter books and encountered the strange Sorting Hat, which knows each of the student’s personalities and can place them in the right house. Unfortunately, there is no such creation to help sort your inventory during transport and when placed in warehouses. Instead, you need to find a third party, usually the warehouse owner, who will sort your inventory and keep track of it so nothing gets lost or broken.
What Is Sorting Inventory?
The professional process of inventory sorting is when a warehouse item is categorized based on its characteristics and then placed in a matching location. The goods and their location are then kept in meticulous records so, in theory, workers know exactly where all of the inventory is kept.
Unfortunately, many warehouses do not have good systems. Items are supposed to be sorted based on their size, weight, and any special needs the objects possess. So, a 150 lb. package containing computers will need to be in a climate-controlled area and not have any heavier goods stacked on it. On the other hand, a 500 lb. container of lumber can go in an area for construction materials and can have lighter boxes stacked to the workers’ content.
As a business owner utilizing warehouses and distribution yards, you will unfortunately not have much of a say in sorting inventory. These decisions need to be left up to the employees and managers at hub locations, as they often have systems in place designed to keep goods safe and prevent mishaps like a palate of soda spilling and damaging a pallet of Mentos. Plus, these systems are often used to optimize the flow of goods, making shipping easier on you.
Sorting - Optimizing the Flow of Goods
Besides making it easy to find and store goods, the purpose of sorting inventory is to simplify the flow of goods that are brought in and out of the warehouse. After all, warehouses and other storage hubs see a lot of packages and pallets on a daily basis. This optimization is essential not only for the owner of the warehouse but for you, the businessman or woman.
Companies stay afloat by keeping track of their goods, services, cash flow, employees, and profit margins. If goods are constantly getting lost or being delayed because the inventory was not properly sorted at the hub, then it will cut into profits and potentially cost you, customers.
What to Do
Thus a well-sorted warehouse and process are essential for preserving your bottom line. If you want to take advantage of material optimization, it is important to do your research before choosing who will transport your goods and where they will be stored.
Unfortunately, there is no Sorting Hat to tell you where you should invest your time and money. You have to instead rely on a business’s reputation, the services they offer, and reviews left by customers. We at American Manufacturing Solutions have some of the best sorting solutions in the industry! Contact us today to have us manage all your sorting needs from start to finish.
