Compete Like an Olympian: Warehouse Tips from the Pros

This month, more than 5,000 athletes and 10,000 members of the media will travel to South Korea for the 2018 Pyeong Chang Winter Olympics. Each of them require special equipment – think bulky items like cameras, skis, sleds. Bulky item delivery is nothing new for us.

There’s a ton of behind-the-scenes logistics that happen leading up to, during, and after the Olympics. It’s of utmost importance that warehouse and fulfillment operations are running smoothly during a major event such as this one. With this in mind, our pros put together a few of their top tips.

Retailers and manufacturers should consider a few things when preparing for any major event or busy season:

1. Have plenty of warehouse space

Order volumes can be volatile depending on seasonality. You should have enough warehouse space to accommodate the peaks and valleys of orders throughout the year. If your warehouse can’t keep pace with your growth, it might be time to consider a 3rd party fulfillment provider like FIDELITONE.

2. The latest technology

Your warehouse is only as good as your technology, especially during busy times. Your systems should support timely, efficient, and omni-channel fulfillment. FIDELITONE has state-of-the-art warehouse technology and automation such as conveyors, pick/put to light, barcode scanning, weight in motion scale, and more.

Here are some of the business systems we use to ensure things run smoothly:

• ERP – An ERP integrates your core business processes. It collects, organized and manages critical business information. Having a robust ERP that can be flexible to support different and or changing business needs is a requirement for any company. An ERP can fuel or prohibit growth depending on the type and how it is used.
• WMS – This is the brains of your warehouse. The WMS coordinates the activity that occurs within your warehouse(s) and must also be flexible to support different or changing business needs. The WMS manages the flow of goods, storage, and labor…so as these change your WMS needs to be able to manage that change, and do so efficiently and effectively.
• TMS – This system coordinates the transportation for getting your products to your customers. Without a system that manages this, you will have a hard time getting your product out the door.
• OMS – An OMS manages the orders that your customers place. It’s a complex system that orchestrates orders according to your business. When you have an omni-channel sales strategy, an OMS is a critical system. The OMS “routes” orders to be filled by varying criteria like type, location, amount, channel, etc. Going a step further, an OMS also manages back orders, split orders, partial orders, and order editing. Investing in an OMS is required if you aim to have a true omni-channel strategy.

3. Flexibility in labor

During a high stakes event like the Olympics, you’ll want to have flexibility in labor resources to support daily swings in order volumes, while still maintaining your service level agreements (SLAs). Costly mistakes and mix ups can happen when you’re under staffed.

Go for the gold! We don’t know a whole lot about bobsledding or figure skating, but FIDELITONE know how to win when it comes to customer loyalty. Contact us today so we can work together to optimize your fulfillment.