2016 Warehouse/DC Operations Survey: Ready to Confront Complexity

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2016 Warehouse/DC Operations Survey: Ready to Confront Complexity Weighing the Value of Dimensional Data Talking fashion with Greg Hewitt, CEO of DHL Express U.S Case Study: LEAN Yields Big Results Efficiency improvements in Track/Trace Enhances Customer Loyalty More Warehouse News Case Study: LEAN Yields Big Results Every day, companies across a wide range of industries use LEAN in their supply chains, warehouses and distribution centers, finance departments, and customer service centers, among other areas. LEAN practices improve safety, quality, and productivity by extracting cost and waste from all facets of an operation – from the procurement of raw materials to the shipment of finished goods. All Resources As it has the last few years, our “Annual Warehouse and Distribution Center (DC) Operations Survey” points to growing order fulfillment complexity, larger labor forces, and other challenges associated with e-commerce. However, the 2016 survey reflects an industry that’s not only well aware of these challenges, but one that’s poised and ready to do something about them. From tweaking operational processes, to tapping labor as a means of flexing capacity, to incrementally applying more technology, the survey clearly indicates that respondents are in the midst of addressing omni-channel challenges. For example, capital expenditure (CapEx) levels have kept pace with CapEx growth seen in recent surveys, and workforce numbers held steady or grew among some respondents. According to Donald J. Derewecki , a senior consultant with St. Onge Company , and Norm Saenz, Jr. , a managing director with St. Onge Company, a supply chain engineering consulting company and Logistics Management’s partner for this annual research, a majority of the data points to an industry engaged in confronting omni-channel complexities. “As operations requirements become more complex, companies in general seem to be coping,” says Derewecki. “E-commerce has been affecting nearly everything. Even companies […]