We often hear of customers experiencing costly stock issues caused by disorganisation, overloading, and lack of supplies. This has a huge impact on your profits, with high numbers of customer returns and restocking costs. In this article, we outline how to reduce the impact damaged inventory has on your business, sharing 7 tips to keep your stock safe. From packaging your items correctly to managing your storage effectively, read our advice below. While it makes sense to maximise your storage space, overstacking due to being overstocked is a common culprit of inventory damage. By adding too much weight to cartons, shelves, or pallet racks, you risk them collapsing and causing large-scale inventory loss. To avoid this, it pays to invest in robust shelving systems with clearly labelled weight limits. Additionally, using “no stack” signs will indicate when a shelf, carton, or pallet has reached its weight capacity. Inventory management is crucial to ensuring everything is safe, protected from damage, and kept in peak condition. Every organisation needs to appoint a designated person or team that is in charge of stock levels and inventory management. This ensures there is accountability and transparency on the stock levels to ensure potential overstocking can be identified early and mitigated with appropriate warehouse management. Leaving these issues solely to the inwards/warehouse team to sort once the stock has arrived is too late, and what causes overstacking and stock damage. You will also need to reduce clutter and unnecessary mess around the warehouse to ensure your staff can move freely. This will reduce staff frustration, unforeseen obstructions, and forklift accidents. Another way to enhance your inventory management is with warehouse automation. Using technology and Artificial Intelligence streamlines processes and reduces administrative errors. Examples of warehouse automation include Warehouse Management Systems (WMS), mobile robots, warehouse drones, and warehouse cleaning robots. Clear signage helps staff to identify hazards, stock, and any relevant storage information. For example, having large, visible signage displayed for forklift operators will reduce the risk of collisions with products, pallets, and staff. Clear labels on all product packaging and pallets will allow your staff to work more efficiently which also reduces frustration. While you may not notice the direct impact of this, it will result in fewer mistakes and accidents caused by human error. To improve your warehouse operations, we recommend exploring labels for cargo security, loading instructions, dangerous goods, and quality control. Find our full range of labels here ›› While it may not be the first factor to spring to mind, dim lighting is a common cause of warehouse accidents. If your workers cannot see what they are doing, they are likely to make mistakes in packing, storing, and product handling. To reduce these costly errors, make sure to install adequate lighting in all areas of the warehouse. We also recommend using LED lights, a mixture of ceiling light panels and localised task lights. While human error may be one of the main causes of inventory damage, environmental factors may also come into play. It is common for stock to be damaged by weather, especially when being moved in and out of a warehouse. If your stock is being stored outside at any point, weathertight pallet wraps are essential. Another tip is to inspect your building frequently for leaks or structural damage. If the warehouse is compromised, your stock will be exposed to the elements. It is wise to use preventative maintenance, rather than waiting until the damage is done. Temperature changes can also lead to product damage. For example, humidity can create moisture inside packaging and cause mould or mildew. One way to reduce the impact of moisture is by adding desiccant bags to each carton. In addition to climatic conditions, remember to consider product tampering. If your warehouse or stockyard is not adequately secure, your products may be prone to theft or vandalism. To reduce this, we recommend using our Tampa Evident packaging tape and a security pallet wrap from Powerwrap or Easywrap. One of the easiest ways to ensure the safety of your products is to choose the correct packaging products. Start by choosing the right size of carton, box, bag, or mailer. If there are any gaps between the product and the packaging, use an appropriate void fill or protective wrap. Our recommended protective packaging includes: If you want to reduce the amount of plastic packaging your warehouse uses, kraft paper is a great solution. To increase efficiency, we also have desk or wall-mounted paper crumplers and freestanding paper crumplers. Discover our range of protectives here ›› To reduce stock damage on your pallets, it is vital to conduct regular inspections to note any issues and replace stock that is compromised. Additionally, it’s crucial to train your forklift operators in safe pallet handling techniques. To protect items from impact damage, use the right pallet supplies, including pallet slip sheets, corner boards, and pallet cushions. This will ensure your stock is insulated from any bumps and scrapes. To prevent pallet loads from slipping, falling, or collapsing, you also need to wrap each pallet correctly. This involves choosing the right pallet wrap and loading items evenly. We recommend using a stretch wrap for improved puncture resistance and stretch memory during distribution. To ensure consistency across all pallets, use a manual pallet wrap dispenser or wrap machine. While there are many factors at play when it comes to reducing inventory damage, investing in the right packaging and warehouse supplies is the most important step. We’re always looking for ways to improve warehouse operations and help you reduce stock damage. From stock packaging options to labels to product protectives, our team will work with you to ensure you have a quality, cost-effective solution. Ready to improve your warehouse operations?Discuss your options with our team or view the packaging supplies in our e-commerce catalogue. Perfect for logistics, warehousing, and shipping, we have everything you need to keep your inventory in tip-top condition.How to reduce stock damage
1. Avoid overstocking
2. Organisation and Operational Management
3. Signage
4. Lighting
5. Environmental protection
6. Packaging protectives
7. Protect your pallets
How to wrap a pallet
E-commerce warehouse supplies
FAQs
7 ways to reduce damaged inventory in your warehouse | Primepac? ›
Organize the Warehouse with Adherence to Safety Rules
Place goods on shelves considering safe storage practices. Store fragile items on lower shelves to minimize the risk of damage. Place valuable cargo higher to reduce the likelihood of theft.
Organize the Warehouse with Adherence to Safety Rules
Place goods on shelves considering safe storage practices. Store fragile items on lower shelves to minimize the risk of damage. Place valuable cargo higher to reduce the likelihood of theft.
- Apply Weather Proofing. Most stock in storage needs you to properly insulate the facility and maintain an optimal zone. ...
- Keep Broader Aisles. ...
- Use Signage. ...
- Train Workers. ...
- Light Up the Facility. ...
- Load Pallets to Form a Stable Structure. ...
- Secure Pallets Properly. ...
- Protect Storage Racks.
- Forecast your true demand instead of your sales. ...
- Employ the Pareto distribution in merchandise assortment planning. ...
- Leverage data to perfectly time your purchasing and allocation. ...
- Optimize your logistics, warehousing, and safety stock.
This typically involves recognizing a loss on the income statement and reducing the overall value of the inventory on the balance sheet. Adjusting entries: accounting entries are made to adjust the inventory accounts and reflect the decrease in value due to the damaged items.
How do you minimize damaged and expired inventory? ›- Determine your optimal reorder point. ...
- Accurately forecast demand. ...
- Track inventory levels in real time. ...
- Conduct regular inventory counts. ...
- Use inventory management software to maintain visibility. ...
- Sell items at a discount. ...
- Consider an inventory write-down. ...
- Write off obsolete inventory.
- Know your pallets. ...
- Load & wrap your pallets right. ...
- Lighten up your operation. ...
- Keep it clean. ...
- Watch your weight. ...
- Install safety equipment. ...
- Protect products on the conveyor. ...
- Protect your door frames & building structure.
- Wear Appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) ...
- Practice Proper Lifting Techniques. ...
- Keep Work Areas Clean and Organized. ...
- Be Aware of Forklift Safety.
A damaged goods strategy refers to a strategy which is generally adopted by the manufacturers who damage the goods intentionally either by reducing its quality or performance for price discrimination.
What is an excellent approach to reduce inventory? ›Reducing your order cycles and order quantities is another popular inventory reduction strategy which also helps improve inventory turnover. Smaller, more frequent ordering gives you more flexibility to meet changes in customer demand while preventing a build-up of stock and keeping carrying costs under control.
How would you protect the inventory in your warehouse? ›
- Warehouse Security Cameras. ...
- Warehouse Lighting. ...
- Alarm Systems. ...
- Security Patrols. ...
- Access Control Systems and Security Cages. ...
- Inventory Tracking. ...
- Entryway Security Doors. ...
- Window Security.
Train Your Employees
Incorporating safe product handling techniques during employee onboarding is a key to reducing product damage in warehouses. Reinforcing proper material and machine handling includes the following: Teaching them how to store inventory correctly. Training them in using manual and motorized machinery.
- Offer customers a free gift. ...
- Bundle products. ...
- Clearance sales. ...
- Return items to a supplier. ...
- Donate dead stock items. ...
- Seek out partnership opportunities. ...
- Sell items on marketplaces. ...
- Refresh or re-merchandise.
Prepare a damage report detailing the amount and nature of each damaged item. Calculate the value of the damaged inventory (multiply the number of damaged units by cost-per-unit). Set up a loss on inventory write-off expense account to record the value of the damaged inventory.
How can I protect my inventory? ›Proper labeling and storage of your inventory to ensure all items are accounted for and are stored according to humidity and temperature requirements. Proper inventory management following your FIFO or LIFO system to avoid revenue loss through obsolescence.
How can we prevent excessive inventory? ›- Bundling products or services. Bundling products or services can increase sales. ...
- Discounting. ...
- Repackaging as an incentive. ...
- Remarket inventory. ...
- Donation for a tax write-off. ...
- Buy now, pay later. ...
- Selling online. ...
- Automation.
Four popular inventory control methods include ABC analysis; Last In, First Out (LIFO) and First In, First Out (FIFO); batch tracking; and safety stock.