The economy of any country is based on how fast goods travel between points. From Ports to warehouses and from warehouses to distribution points and thereafter. overtime, a disruption at any point, there would be a cascading effect, causing major interruption to the entire flow. It would be more like a domino effect.
It is also pertinent to remember that logistics do not depend on just the movement of goods but warehousing too. Any delay in warehousing of the goods and there would be major challenges for everyone to complete the assignment.
One such challenge is to bring orders to cold storage warehouses. The main use of cold storage warehouses are to store perishables like vegetables, fruits, meat, and seafood. These perishables must be kept at controlled temperatures to prevent any of the food items from going bad.
In the olden days, ice used to be a major headache since industrial refrigeration used to be non-existent. With the advent of technology, massive and robust warehouse systems came into being and they were being supported by automated temperature control systems. These intelligent temperature control systems would perfect the flow of air towards those perishables which would require greater focus.
A cold storage warehouse is not just a warehouse with a refrigeration system. A cold storage warehouse is not just a warehouse with a refrigeration system. It is an organic and dynamic storage unit that is responsible for the livelihood of many workers. Companies spend a huge amount of money on warehouse management systems. A cold storage warehouse management system looks after the inventory and provides timely notifications to the management of impending events like the movement of trucks and invoicing.
What is Cold Storage Warehouse Management?
The legal definition of cold storage warehouse management system would be an automated system that will guide the operator and the management of the cold storage warehouse about the different activities. It is an environment that will provide real-time tracking of logistics, inventory, invoices, and finances.
It is primarily software that helps managers, owners, and operators in trying to manage the entire paraphernalia linked to warehousing. Tracking thousands of goods from a cold storage warehouse, manually, is near impossible, though in the olden days, that was the norm. However, with changing times, the methods have changed.
From time immemorial, the need for cold storage is immense. This is because the materials kept in cold storage last longer. However, with time, the manufacturing of cold storage has changed to suit the needs of the people. Buying one is not a difficult job, provided you have adequate resources. But, knowing how to maintain a cold storage warehouse management is a difficult task. If you want the cold storage to last longer, you need to know to maintain it.
There are many aspects to Cold storage warehouse management.
What are the responsibilities of the Cold Storage Management System?
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Food Safety
The modern consumer wants their food to safe and secured before they consume it. They would require a ton of information before buying it. Hence, the management system will have to provide the expiration date of the product, the temperature at which it has been stored, the quarantine control mechanism, and in the event, the product is returned, product recall.
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Proper management of temperature
This is a pretty obvious condition. But most of the time are just skip this step. Once you set the temperature in your freezer, it will never drop down to keep your products safe. For this, you can employ a person to monitor the temperature.
One of the biggest concerns of cold storage is managing temperature. The way you manage temperature will affect the quality and the safety of the goods you are storing. It can also get an impact on the electricity bills and the related other equipment in your workplace. Hence, to cut down the cost, it is necessary to manage the temperature.
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Receipt and Storage of Inventory
Every food product has its demands of storage. A cold storage warehouse management system will be providing information regarding cross-docking, blast freezer receiving, catch weight receive, and blind receiving. It is extremely important to know how the products will have to store to prevent them from going bad and the company incurring a financial loss.
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Pay attention to FIFO
The full form of FIFO is ‘first in. first out.’ The main use of this rule is for tracking the product movement in a warehouse. This stands true for cold storage. The principle in which cold storage functions is that the longer an item is kept unsold in cold storage, the more likely it will get damaged, thereby becoming unsellable and unsafe. Hence, you have to maintain a record of the date the product was received and the date at which it expires.
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Workforce Productivity
One of the vital tasks of the software is to forecast and predict workload. Workload management is one of the most important aspects of management. It involves daily working hours, leaves, over times et al. The main pillars of workforce productivity improvement management are labor management, forecasting, planning, and scheduling and reporting.
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Be careful when handling products
Apart from the order of the products, how they handle the products are another important aspect of managing cold storage. This can make a huge difference. Ensure that none of the shipments damage any of the products or tear any of the packaging. The temperature consistency main be maintain during the entire shipping process. Remember, the slightest change in the temperature can bring a massive difference in the product.
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Improved storage Efficiency
To improve the overall storage efficiency of the cold storage warehouse, proper utilization of space must be calculated. Actions like multi-depth route optimization, temperature storage allocation and pick by voice and pick by light are implemented in the optimal manner.
You have to use the right kind of industrial storage and divide the cold storage properly. To divide the goods properly, you can use wire shelving to store medicines and foods as they require colder environments compared to the others. Before you set up the freezer’s temperature, make sure the products, along with the cold storage machine, can handle it.
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Smart Outbound
An effective logistics software in Canada will have to handle multiple activities efficiently. From packaging products to distributing them to various quarters, the system will have to be precise. The usual pillars of smart outbound processes are loading dock scheduling, carrier integration, packaging and reworking et al.
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Real-time inventory Management
This is the most important part of a warehousing system. Real-time inventory management systems can do the following activities:
- Stock Depletion alerts
- Excess Stock alerts
- Shelf and space utilization
- Product and storage zoning
An error in any of the following categories will lead to a cascading effect that may have severe financial implications.
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Opt for automation
You will not deny that the cost of land, labor, and energy is increasing day by day. This is why the cold storage warehouse management system operators are looking out for automation processes to cut down the cost. In some cases, automation can reduce energy as well.
Conclusion
Thus, the best practices mentioned above to manage cold storage warehouses can be effectively followed to reduce cost and make the equipment run for a longer time. Besides, regular maintenance of the warehouse is sure to enhance its durability.
