A Definition of Warehouse Operations

Rick Stinchcomb of the University of Oklahoma Press defines warehouse operations as

such: “The goal of warehouse operations is to satisfy customers’ needs and requirements
while utilizing space, equipment, and labor effectively. The goods must be accessible and
protected. Meeting this goal requires constant planning and ongoing change.”
Breaking it down, warehouse operations covers a number of important areas, from the
receiving, organization, fulfillment, and distribution processes. These areas include:

 Receiving of goods
 Cross-docking of goods
 Organizing and storing inventory
 Attaching asset tracking solutions (like barcodes) to assets and inventory
 Integrating and maintaining a tracking software, like a warehouse management
system
 Overseeing the integration of new technology
 Selecting picking routes
 Establishing sorting and packing practices
 Maintaining the warehouse facility
 Developing racking designs and warehouse infrastructure

How Warehouse Operations Work

While many factors come into play when considering warehouse operations, ostensibly,
today’s key factor concerns customer experience. Since the rise of Amazon and its nearly
autonomous fulfillment centers, consumers have grown accustomed to two-day, one-day, or
sometimes even hourly shipping times.

Receiving

The receiving dock is the first place a company can begin to ensure an efficient
warehouse. A receiving clerk should be in charge of receiving and securing all
inventory and should also collect all shipping documents from the carrier at the
time of delivery. A receiving log should be maintained to ensure that all
inventory expected for the day has been received. The receiving log can be a
useful source of information for other departments within the company, such as
purchasing and accounting. All inventory received by the shipping clerk should
be moved from the receiving dock to its appropriate place in the warehouse to
prevent damage and deter theft.