The warehousing sector in India is on a stunning growth trajectory, and poised to reach greater heights. While this is a positive indicator, we can only reach future milestones if we pause and have a look at our warehouse process techniques to gauge their impact on the environment. Recent developments in warehouse process flow studies have placed an emphasis on building a sustainable warehouse process for your business, to ensure a lower impact on the environment and allow sustainable growth for your business.
Warehouse process analyses show an increasing demand for sustainable warehouse flow creation. Any business owner or entrepreneur in this day and age must be aware of the environmental impact their activity creates. Sustainability is a key pillar of our work at IndoSpace, and we take pride in helping companies develop and adhere to sustainable warehouse process systems. Here are 5 of the most essential warehouse process practices you must incorporate into the warehouse process flow of your business.
Here are 5 of the most crucial warehouse processes for a sustainable business
1. Bringing your warehouse closer to the end customer
The most obvious, but not the simplest step you can take to make your warehouse process better for the planet. Bringing the warehouse closer to the market means a shorter warehouse process flow, and hence less transport, fewer goods exchanges, and reduced emissions.
Shorter delivery distances also mean less wait time for customers and shorter supply chains for the business, so this sustainable warehouse process also pays dividends in practicality. Location is key when it comes to logistics and warehouse process decisions. This one warehouse process flow has arguably the biggest environmental impact given its ramifications over the long term.
2. Investing in renewable energy and increased energy efficiency
A crucial warehouse process step that has an upfront cost but a cost-effective and long-term sustainable payout is renewable energy. Most industrial warehouses today are built with energy management systems that can work off the grid as well as with renewable energy sources such as wind or solar.
You could also build a warehouse process that mitigates inefficiency by creating a warehouse process that shuts off machines that aren’t being used. It is important to incorporate energy-saving technologies across your warehouse process flow to enable savings as well as sustainability.
3. Installing energy-efficient utilities
Recent developments in indoor lighting and HVAC technology allow your business to adhere to your warehouse process flow sustainably, with a smaller carbon footprint. By taking advantage of natural light and ventilation, you can reduce the overall environmental impact of your logistics and warehouse process.
Given that cooling and ventilation require a lot of power, proper ventilation should also be given priority when designing a sustainable warehouse process. It is also important to note that lighting and ventilation have an impact on a variety of facets of your business, including staff productivity and safety, so it ought to not be disregarded when discussing your warehouse process flow.
4. Choosing the right insulating building material
Poor or inadequate insulation, which causes climate-controlled air to leak from your warehouse, is another significant energy loss to your warehouse process. As your dock shutters are continually being opened and shut to let trucks and cargo flow in and out as the staff follow the warehouse process flow, this frequently occurs in the loading area.
Both heating or cooling costs will go up, and power will be wasted, if the air you pay to heat or cool your warehouse escapes. Use appropriate dock closures and shelters to prevent this. Incorporate SOPs for heated or cooled warehouses in your warehouse process to keep the climate-controlled air you’re using power for inside. Saving both cost and energy while improving the workplace conditions for your team could hence be an integral part of your warehouse process flow.
5. Choosing certified green warehouses or industrial parks
Green certification programs such as IGBC and LEED provide a stamp of approval to warehouses and industrial parks’ sustainability measures. When you choose to integrate your warehouse process flow with such certified sustainable warehouses, you can be sure that your business will grow sustainably. Additionally, you future-proof any developments you make to your warehouse process as certified green buildings can adapt to newer energy systems and warehouse layouts.
The conversion of existing warehouses into sustainable ones requires sustainable warehouse process flow systems and operations. This entails creating sustainable supply chains that support your warehouse process, determining environmental concerns, evaluating potential solutions, taking into account associated problems, and weighing the long-term benefits and drawbacks. When you sit down with your supply chain and warehouse management team to gauge the sustainability of your warehouse process, remember to take into consideration ways to grow your business without an adverse impact on the environment.
