Implementation of Lean Principles to Improve the Operations of a Sales Warehouse in the Manufacturing Industry

Abstract

This paper deals with the implementation of lean techniques in a sales warehouse in the manufacturing industry. It highlights efforts to improve warehouse operations by eliminating waste using lean tools such as a value stream map (VSM). A current state VSM exposes waste in an existing system. High order picking time, improper storage, delay in vehicle loading, and low space utilization make the warehouse inefficient. Implementation of a U-shaped flow layout in the warehouse improves order picking time, vehicle loading time, and space utilization. A future state VSM shows the new state of operations before implementation. After lean implementation, considerable improvements were observed in vehicle loading, space utilization, and storage. Thus, the efficiency of warehouse operations is increased, resulting in quicker responses to customers' demands.