What are good tips for a warehouse supervisor?

Question

What are good tips for a warehouse supervisor?

Answer 1

Take 5s seriously, keep everything visual, clean, organized, standardized. Don't let your employees just do eveything their way, consolidate everyones ways into SOPs and try to streamline as much as possible.

Get as much lean manufacturing training as possible (it works for everything!). Take the training seriously and PUT IT INTO ACTION!. Treat everyone with as much respect as possible but oversee everything without micromanaging (very hard to do, no one like to be micromanaged). Be safe, direct, confident, organized.

Listen to the employees. Keep an open door policy but do not waste your time on implementing employees ideas if no improvement in efficiency is to be realized.

Listen to your customers. Your customers are NOT always right, however you must make them feel like they are while solving the underlying issues. Make them feel like you will do whatever it take to please them but do not let them walk over you. Always find the best solution for both you and the customer. Make them feel they had a large part in finding the solution and you must make the solution that helps you out the most sound like it is the one helping them out the most. Be accomidating without hurting your processes and other customers.

Do weekly walk arounds of the floor. Point out and document everything that could be improved (process flow, cleanliness, organization). Set deadlines and responsibilities to solve these problems. ALWAYS LOOK FOR IMPROVEMENTS.

Never assume the way things are being done is the best way. THERE IS ALWAY A BETTER WAY! YOU ARE NEVER 100% EFFICIENT, BUT STRIVE TO BE!!!!!