Those who work in the logistics sector are well aware that cleanliness, order, and organization are the basic requirements for having a safe and efficient warehouse. The logistics sector keeps growing, large and large structures are created that often work on a continuous circle and sometimes also seven days a week. Since this deals with usually large, not to say huge, factories, warehouses, sheds and logistics centers, industrial floor cleaning can turn out to be somewhat complicated. Moreover, it happens very frequently that the cleaning of the logistics environment is carried out during working hours, with machinery in operation and operators using forklifts. Therefore, cleaning must not hinder the organization of the warehouse and the synchronization of logistics activities, but it has still to be carried out in a timely and constant manner to keep the spaces clean, in order and above all safe. This is the reason why we thought about how to organize the industrial cleaning of a warehouse by listing its key points.
- Why cleanliness in warehouses and logistics centers is important
- How to organize the cleaning of a warehouse: the Japanese lesson
- Apply the 5S methodology for industrial warehouse cleaning
- Comac’s experience at the service of warehouse and logistics centers
Why cleanliness in warehouses and logistics centers is important
Logistics centers and warehouses are workplaces and right for this they must be organized, efficient and clean. That is why cleaning these spaces becomes extremely important. It is known that having clear and well-defined processes contributes to increase safety for employees and reduce company costs. This is much more important when it comes to the satisfaction of those who work in these places: the quality of work improves when the working environment facilitates the smooth running of activities. This also leads to an improvement in the company image, both for customers and suppliers who may visit the spaces.
By this premise it is time to understand how to organize the cleaning of a warehouse to obtain a “quality” working environment.
How to organize the cleaning of a warehouse: the Japanese lesson
The starting point for raising the company’s quality levels is the introduction of methods that aim at improving operational performance. But how? There is an effective method that comes from the Japanese culture which can be used to achieve operational excellence by improving the workplace. Order, organization, and cleanliness is what this method is based upon.
We are talking about the 5S methodology, which comes from the Japanese tradition with the aim of involving the company’s employees in a global and organized way to obtain:
- an improvement in efficiency and operational quality by reducing waste
- an increase in workplace safety
- an improvement in working atmosphere thanks to the increase in the level of motivation and involvement of the staff
- an improvement in the company’s image by increasing customer’s trust
Apply the 5S methodology for industrial warehouse cleaning
The 5S correspond to the initials of the five Japanese words that make up the five steps into which the methodology is divided. We are dealing with 5 steps, that can also be referred to as rules, to apply in the company (and in everyday life) to create a series of good collective habits. For this reason, the 5S methodology is also applicable to organize the industrial cleaning of a warehouse or a logistics center. So, let’s see what these five steps are and how to apply them to cleaning operations:
- SEIRI (sort). This is the first phase of the program. The goal is to separate the essential from the nonessential items to eliminate what is not needed and focus exclusively on the important things. For example, there may be unnecessary or even obsolete equipment in a warehouse, but also unused equipment and materials. Why should we keep them and hence clean them?
- SEITON (set in order). The second phase involves placing the objects in the right place so that they can be easily identified and used. In this case, thanks to the organization of the warehouse, the goal is to eliminate unnecessary time spent searching for materials. Have you ever had a hard time finding the material you need to clean your workstation? Here, thanks to this phase and its motto “a place for everything and everything in its place” this waste of time is deleted.
- SEISO (shine). The third phase involves the systematic cleaning of environment and workplaces. In this phase, cleaning is also understood as a form of inspection to identify if the equipment and work tools need maintenance. In addition, cleaning and keeping clean allows you to identify, analyze and eliminate the causes of dirt and mess. The cleaning must therefore be planned and divided into daily, weekly, monthly, and extra. But these are not tasks that should only concern those who carry out the cleaning operations. The goal must also be to involve all the people in taking on the responsibility of maintaining their workstation in order.
- SEIKETSU (standardize). The fourth phase of the program is dedicated to defining and sharing operational standards by which people can preserve, measure, and improve the results obtained from the previous phases. In this way the activities deriving from the first three “S” become normal working methods. The method also suggests “visual management”, which involves the use of colors, codes, signs, routes, and instructions to help using the equipment correctly.
- SHITSUKE (sustain). The fifth and last phase concretizes the previous phases and can be summarized in “doing the right things well, at the right time, in the right way”. The key word in this phase is involvement. To do this, it is necessary to make everyone aware that organization and cleaning are important to improve their working life and to give a significant impact to all the measures taken thanks to the four previous phases.
A correct application of the 5S methodology allows not only to have cleaner and tidier work environments, but also to reduce costs deriving from waste and downtime, improve productivity and increase safety.
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Source: Unsplash
Comac’s experience at the service of warehouse and logistics centers
Cleaning is therefore the winning weapon for efficient and productive logistics and is synonymous with organization and safety. Thanks to the experience gained over the years, Comac is aware of this and for this reason it designs dedicated and specific solutions to meet the cleaning needs of the logistics and industrial sectors. Thanks to the technology, robustness, and efficiency of Comac machines, it is possible to integrate the organization of the warehouse with the cleaning operations in the workplace. Thus safely working between the shelves, while eliminating the packaging remains, paper or dust that usually settles on floors. In fact, to solve these conditions, machines of industrial design that are characterized by a great washing, suction and sweeping power are needed.
So, if you want to find out which Comac professional cleaning machines are most suitable for cleaning warehouses and logistics centers, you just have to visit our website. Whereas you can read our blog post How to Clean a Warehouse to learn more about this topic.
We remind you that a worldwide network of authorized Comac dealers is at your complete disposal. Contact us for advice and support in choosing the best professional cleaning solution.
This post is also available in: Italian