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The “Best Practices for Achieving Excellence in Warehouse Operations”
survey was conducted by ARC Advisory Group in conjunction with DC
VELOCITY. Steve Banker, vice president of supply chain services at ARC,
oversaw the research and compiled the results. The study was con-
ducted via an online poll in the first quarter of 2017, with a total of
176 industry executives completing the 32-question survey. Of those
respondents, more than half ( 51 percent) had a title of director or
higher. The majority were from North America.
As for the warehouses profiled in the study, the operations ran the
gamut when it came to size. Some 22. 3 percent of respondents worked
in operations with fewer than 25 employees. At the other end of the
spectrum, 21. 7 percent said their operations employed more than 200.
(See Exhibit 5.)
When asked how orders are picked in their facilities, the majority
( 50. 6 percent) said each-picking was the most common type of picking
performed on-site. That was followed by case picking ( 20. 2 percent)
and building mixed-case pallets ( 12. 2 percent). (See Exhibit 6.)
When it came to the technologies used in these warehouse operations, forklifts were far and away the most common choice, cited
by 97. 5 percent of respondents. Other frequently used technologies
included bar-code scanners ( 90. 6 percent) and warehouse management systems ( 84. 4 percent). (See Exhibit 7.)
About the study
>200
21.7%
< 25
22.3%
25–50
18.6%
51–100
18.7%
101–200
18.7%
Other
2.4%
Each
50.6%
Case
20.2%
Building
mixed-case
pallets
12.2%
Full
pallet
8.5%
Even mix
of different
types
6.1%
Forklifts
Bar-code scanners
Warehouse management systems (WMS)
Picking carts
Labor management systems (LMS)
High-speed conveyors and sortation devices
Voice systems
AS/RS or carousels
97.5%
90.6%
84.4%
57.5%
44.4%
27.5%
21.9%
8.1%
EXHIBIT 5
Number of employees
working at the warehouse
EXHIBIT 6
Type of picking that is
most common at the site
EXHIBIT 7
Technologies in use
at the warehouse
