It’s possible to process more orders with the same team by working smarter—not harder, but more efficiently. The greatest gains come from eliminating unnecessary movements, wait times, and physical bottlenecks during the picking process. By using the right material handling equipment and specifically optimizing workstations, many warehouses achieve a measurable increase in productivity without hiring additional staff. In this article, we answer the most frequently asked questions about increasing your order throughput.
Where does a team lose the most time during order picking?
The biggest time wasters during order picking are unnecessary movement, searching for products, and manually lifting or moving heavy goods. Studies in logistics environments consistently show that employees spend up to 50% of their working time walking and waiting, rather than actually picking orders.
Specifically, these are the most common time-wasters in a warehouse:
- Long walking distances due to a suboptimal warehouse layout
- Manually lifting and moving pallets, boxes, or rolls without the use of equipment
- Waiting for materials that are still at the wrong height or in the wrong position
- Physical fatigue that causes work speed to drop halfway through the shift
- Errors caused by manual actions that result in corrections and rework
Each of these bottlenecks can be addressed. It starts with understanding exactly where time is being wasted before you invest in solutions.
How can you increase order throughput without hiring additional staff?
Increasing order throughput without hiring additional staff requires two things: eliminating physical bottlenecks and organizing workflows more efficiently. Ergonomic aids in the warehouse play a central role in this, as they reduce physical strain and allow employees to work faster without becoming exhausted.
Practical steps to increase productivity in your warehouse:
- Identify workstation bottlenecks through a thorough analysis of each step in the picking process
- Replace manual tasks with ergonomic lifting aids in situations where the load or frequency of lifting is high
- Optimize the warehouse layout so that the most popular products are located closest to the picking zone
- Automate repetitive movements, such as transporting pallets between zones
- Ensure consistent maintenance of machinery so that breakdowns do not cause production stoppages
As a result, the same employees can process more orders per shift, with less physical strain and fewer errors. This is exactly what makes pallet handling more efficient in practice.
Less effort, more performance
Lift more efficiently with ergonomic lifting solutions. Our specialists are happy to work with you to find the right solution.
Which material-handling equipment speeds up the movement of pallets and goods?
Electric pallet trucks, mobile lifters, and vacuum lifters are the most effective material-handling equipment for speeding up the movement of pallets and goods. They eliminate the heaviest manual tasks and enable employees to work faster, safer, and remain productive for longer.
An overview of the most relevant devices by application:
- Pallet Trucks: ideal for quickly moving pallets over short distances, available in both manual and electric models
- Mobile lifts: versatile for lifting goods to the correct working height, which helps prevent handling errors and back pain
- Vacuum lifters and hoists: indispensable for handling sheets, boxes, or other flat products that are difficult to grip manually
- Pallet Tippers: speed up pallet changes and the repositioning of loads without manual intervention
- Pulling Aids: reduce the force required to get heavy carts or loads moving
Choosing the right piece of equipment depends on the type of goods, their weight, the frequency of use, and the available space. A combination of equipment usually yields the best results.
What is the difference between semi-automation and full automation in a warehouse?
Semi-automation supports employees in performing specific tasks, while full automation takes over those tasks entirely. The difference lies in the degree of human intervention: with semi-automation, the employee remains in the loop; with full automation, they do not.
In most cases, semi-automation is the most realistic step for companies that want to make their warehouse more efficient without a complete overhaul. Examples include an electric pallet truck that assists employees in moving heavy loads, or a pallet wrapping machine that handles the wrapping of pallets. The employee still determines the pace and direction of the work.
Full automation—such as autonomous transport robots or automated storage systems—requires a larger investment and a fundamental overhaul of the warehouse structure. This makes sense for very high volumes and repetitive processes, but for many companies, it is a step too far in the short term.
For most warehouses, semi-automation delivers the fastest return on investment because it speeds up existing work processes without requiring a complete overhaul.
How do you know which workstation will yield the most profit when optimizing?
The workstation with the greatest potential for optimization is the one where the combination of high handling frequency, heavy physical strain, and slow execution is most pronounced. A thorough workstation analysis quickly identifies this by measuring time, movement, and strain for each step.
Specific indicators that point to a bottleneck workstation:
- Employees frequently complain of back pain or fatigue after performing this task
- The process takes significantly longer than similar tasks elsewhere
- This step involves a higher error rate or more rework
- The job requires more than one employee for what should, in principle, be a one-person job
- The workstation creates a bottleneck that slows down other steps in the process
By evaluating these factors together, you’ll come up with a prioritized list of work items. Always start with the work item that has the greatest impact on the total lead time of an order—not necessarily the most difficult task in absolute terms.
When is a maintenance contract for handling equipment worth it?
A maintenance contract for handling equipment pays for itself as soon as a machine breakdown directly leads to production stoppages or delays in the order process. The greater the reliance on a machine, the faster a maintenance contract pays for itself.
Preventive maintenance is less expensive than corrective action. A malfunctioning pallet truck or lift truck that is out of service during a busy period not only incurs repair costs, but also results in lost productivity, missed delivery deadlines, and potential overtime. A maintenance contract prevents this by keeping equipment in optimal condition through scheduled inspections and the timely replacement of wear-and-tear parts.
A maintenance contract is definitely worth considering when:
- The device is used intensively every day
- Employee safety depends directly on proper operation
- There is a lack of in-house technical expertise to resolve malfunctions quickly
- The warehouse operates with tight delivery deadlines, where every delay counts
You can find more information about our service and maintenance options on the service page.
How Logitrans Handling Helps Process More Orders
Logitrans Handling combines ergonomic expertise with a wide range of material-handling equipment to make warehouses more efficient in practical terms. We not only help companies select the right equipment, but also guide them through the entire process, from analysis to implementation.
Here's what we offer, specifically:
- Free workstation analysis, during which a specialist will visit your site to identify bottlenecks in your picking process
- Customized solutions for every application, from box handling to pallet handling and everything in between
- Semi-automation solutions that speed up time-consuming processes without requiring a complete overhaul
- A demo space in Drongen where you can try out equipment with your own materials before you decide
- Maintenance contracts that ensure your equipment always remains operational
- User training upon installation or delivery, so your team can get up to speed right away
Would you like to know which approach will yield the best results for your warehouse? Contact our specialists for a no-obligation consultation and a free analysis of your workstations.
Less effort, more performance
Lift more efficiently with ergonomic lifting solutions. Our specialists are happy to work with you to find the right solution.
