26 Jun Start Saving Money…Now!!

1. Change out your lighting – Switch from old Metal Halide or High-Pressure Sodium lamps to new T5 florescent lighting can save your company up to 50-75% in electricity costs.
2. Install air curtains – If your facility is either heated or cooled, install air curtains on all dock doors. This will help minimize the amount of energy you are using to heat or cool your facility.
3. Maintain your equipment – Properly maintain your equipment will ensure that it is operating at optimal levels, minimizing the need for parts and service over the long run.
4. Recycle – If your facility produces a lot of corrugated cardboard waste, buy or lease a compactor. Selling bundles of waste can generate extra revenue and protect the environment.
5. Install impact devices – Install impact devices on your lift trucks. This will help minimize damage to the facility. It will improve overall safety, lower replacement/damage costs and identify the culprit.
6. Keep your floors clean – Debris is one of the leading causes of pedestrian accidents as well as damage to wheel assemblies of lift trucks. Keep your floor clean and your trucks and people healthy.
7. Reduce your box size variety – Lowering the number of box sizes you use. This will give you greater purchasing power as you will buy more of a smaller range of sizes. Use low cost dunnage to fill any voids between product and package.
8. Evaluate every step in your process – Do not overlook even the smallest step in your distribution process. There is a tremendous amount of technology available the can handle each part of your operation. Take a long term view, initial capital expenditure can have a quick payback if applied correctly.
9. Continuous Training – Turnover in our industry is generally high. Have a structured training program to get new employees up to speed quickly and reinforce operating principles to existing employees. There can be substantial productivity gains and reduction in damage if your employees are well trained.
10. Make smarter purchases – Purchasing improperly specified equipment will cost you money in the long run. Do not overlook what you are buying. Price alone is by far the worst metric for evaluating equipment. Whatever you are buying, you can find that product at whatever price point you have in mind. However, be aware that