The “dock to stock” procedure is when a warehouse receives products at the loading docks and puts them away on the racks. This needs to be done accurately and quickly. If not, businesses risk running out of stock, delaying restocks and deliveries.
When your business first starts out, dock to stock might appear to be reasonably simple. Items are brought to the loading dock and held in the warehouse until a consumer places an order.
However, as you expand and grow, so does your inventory and the complexity of its management. More items are brought in, with new and more SKUs, and you might even need to operate more than one warehouse to store your products.
The 4 Stages of Dock to Stock
When a delivery arrives at the docks, a business will follow these steps to properly handle the new products.
Receiving
Products are received when trucks from suppliers or manufacturing facilities arrive at the loading docks. Heavy lifting tools like forklifts and pallet jacks may be needed to unload the goods, depending on their size and volume.
Pallets are taken out of the vans and set momentarily on the ground, so as to get validated.
Validation
The warehouse personnel needs to examine whether the production facility or supplier’s delivery contains the exact match of the order placed.
They check the items’ quantity, quality as well as integrity of seals, product codes, and SKUs. This task can be extremely time-consuming, especially if you order a substantial amount of products.
To save time, some businesses opt to count boxes instead of items, or they implement automated scanner inventory systems.
Stock Updating
After validating that your orders contain the items you asked for, it’s time for updating your stock levels. This step will help you have a clear and accurate overview of your inventory.
Keeping your inventory updated the traditional way by pen and paper can be hectic and inefficient. An inventory management system like Megaventory can do all the heavy lifting for you.
An inventory management solution will benefit your business greatly. It will make the updating process faster, provide you with real-time stock levels, and will minimize the risk of human error.
Storing
The last step of the dock-to-stock cycle is storing your new items. The items are put on the unit load and put in their designated position in the warehouse.
It’s of significant importance to have a well-organized warehouse. Knowing exactly what your inventory consists of, and where it is in your storage facilities will maximize your productivity, thus increasing your revenue.