When you order something online, you only interact with a screen. But behind the scenes, a group of logistics professionals work hard to get your order on the road. Ever wondered what it’s like for them inside the warehouse? See what it’s like behind the scenes at our New England warehouse below.
About the N&D New England Warehouse
We’re a third-party logistics warehouse and distribution center located in North Smithfield, Rhode Island. We pride ourselves on treating both our clients and our employees the way we’d like to be treated. Our commitment to fast fulfillment times, warehouse safety culture, and quality control shines in every step of our fulfillment process.
New England Warehouse Safety Inspection
Before the day goes into full swing, we start with a safety sweep of our equipment. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) requires daily inspections of forklifts used around the clock, like those used on our warehouse floor.
Morning Meeting
Next, we have a meeting with our core warehouse staff. We’ll go over a few key points, including:
- Production goals, such as the number of orders fulfilled or the average fulfillment time for pickers. This keeps everyone on the same page and helps them understand their roles.
- Special priorities, such as rush orders or fragile inventory that requires extra packing and loading care.
- Warehouse safety briefing: It never hurts to refresh the basics, like our standard safety protocols. Regularly re-learning proper warehouse safety routines keeps everyone careful around heavy pallets, forklifts, and chemical drums.
Warm-up
Working in a warehouse can be physically demanding, especially for those on the front lines, like pickers, receivers, and loaders. We encourage everyone to do a stretching session to enhance mobility and prevent muscle cramps.
Unloading Trucks & Storing Goods in Our New England Warehouse
From here, the day starts in earnest. Trucks arrive on our loading dock, and our crew unloads and inspects them for quality control. We ensure that pallets are intact, scan them into our warehouse management system (WMS), and check the packing list to verify that the order is correct. If there’s a discrepancy, we make a note to contact our client.
From there, we’ll move inbound items into storage, using forklifts to arrange pallets on organized racks. Items may stay here for a few days to a few months, depending on our client’s needs.
Picking Orders
At the same time, another team handles outbound orders. Our WMS points personnel to the right section of the warehouse to ensure order accuracy. Workers called “pickers” retrieve the items using a forklift or a pallet jack and cart, and bring them to the distribution area for packing and shipping.
New England Warehouse Quality Control
At N&D, we take quality control seriously, and every item goes through an inspection process before it leaves our order fulfillment center.
We primarily deal with pallets, not consumer packages, so every order gets stretch-wrap and a fresh label to ensure it arrives safely and professionally. Every item is scanned, inspected, and verified before it ships out with our New England trucking fleet.
Loading Trucks
When a pallet is ready, we move it to our distribution area, where workers on the loading docks load it onto the truck. We have both truckload (TL) and less than truckload (LTL) clients, meaning some clients may reserve entire trucks while other trucks carry orders from multiple clients. When the truck is full, it heads out to its next destination in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, or anywhere else in our New England service area.
Throughout the day, we’ll alternate unloading trucks and fulfilling orders to meet our clients’ deadlines and our internal productivity goals.
Warehouse Break Room Recharge
Work isn’t non-stop. Everybody needs a break to recharge their energy levels and renew their focus, especially in a fast-paced environment like a distribution center. Our employees take scheduled breaks throughout their shifts to relax, grab snacks, and catch up with work friends. It’s part of our commitment to encourage a supportive work environment for everyone.
Inventory Management and Planning
Throughout the day, our management team conducts inventory audits, monitors productivity benchmarks, and identifies any potential hazards. Staying vigilant helps keep our employees safe and enables our clients to anticipate demand and inventory levels.
Prepping for Tomorrow
Before the lights go out, the night shift preps for the next day by cleaning and tidying up the aisles, workstations, and racks. We’ll do a sweep to ensure the facility is organized and there are no discrepancies between our WMS info and our storage areas.
We also reset the loading dock, so it’s ready to receive and load orders for the next day.
A Rhode Island Warehouse Here for Your Business
If you’re looking for a team that’s dedicated to meeting your company’s logistics needs, N&D will get the job done.
With 12 acres of land and over 100 pieces of equipment at our North Smithfield distribution facility, we have the resources to handle all your storage and distribution needs. Our talented team of experienced, dedicated employees is committed to safety, quality control, and meeting deadlines. With both warehousing and fulfilment options available directly through us, we’ll be your one-stop logistics partner, so your business can run without a hitch.
Contact us today to let us streamline your logistics!
