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Warehouse & Fulfilment Process Audits: Turning Bottlenecks Into Breakthroughs

8 September 2025 by
ChainExSolutions, Prarthee

Your warehouse is more than just racks and forklifts—it’s the beating heart of your supply chain. If orders are delayed, inventory is misplaced, or labor feels overworked, the entire customer experience takes a hit. That’s why a Warehouse & Fulfilment Audit isn’t just about spotting errors—it’s about unlocking hidden efficiency, space, and cost savings.

The Hidden Cost of “Good Enough” Warehousing

Many businesses think their warehouse is “working fine” until problems pile up:

  • Excess travel time: Pickers walk kilometers daily, wasting hours.

  • Space crunch: Stacks of inventory block aisles, while other areas sit underutilized.

  • Inaccurate picks: Wrong orders = refunds, rework, and frustrated customers.

  • Fulfilment delays: A surge in demand exposes weak processes.

These issues don’t just increase costs—they damage brand reputation and scalability.

Our Audit Framework: 6 Steps to Clarity

  1. Layout & Flow Analysis

    • Mapping material movement, dock-to-shelf-to-dispatch.

    • Identifying bottlenecks in storage, replenishment, and order flow.

  2. Process Mapping & Gap Identification

    • Reviewing inbound, putaway, picking, packing, and dispatch.

    • Spotting delays, redundancies, and non-value-added steps.

  3. Inventory Accuracy & Control

    • Cycle count efficiency, stock accuracy, and visibility.

    • Checking alignment between system data and physical inventory.

  4. Labor Productivity & Utilization

    • Measuring picker rates, idle time, shift utilization.

    • Benchmarking vs industry standards.

  5. Technology & WMS Readiness

    • Assessing barcode use, scanning errors, automation potential.

    • Evaluating fitment of ERP/WMS with current needs.

  6. Fulfilment KPI Review

    • On-time shipment, order accuracy, space utilization, labor cost per order.

    • Building a performance baseline to measure improvements.

Sample Audit Deliverables

When we complete an audit, you don’t just get a PDF report—you get tools to drive change:

  • Site Audit Report (PDF/Word) with photos & layout insights.

  • Process Gap Analysis (Excel/PDF) highlighting delays and bottlenecks.

  • Efficiency Roadmap (Excel/Gantt) with timelines for improvements.

  • Optional Add-ons: SOP templates, barcode/WMS checklist, layout redesign sketch.

Impact of a Well-Executed Audit

Businesses that undergo warehouse & fulfilment audits typically see:

  • 20–30% faster order processing times

  • 15–25% space optimization without expansion

  • Improved pick accuracy (95%+ consistently)

  • 10–20% reduction in labor cost per order

Final Word

Warehousing inefficiencies are like small leaks—they don’t sink the ship overnight, but they drain profitability silently. A Warehouse & Fulfilment Audit helps you move from firefighting to future-ready, where your operations scale with your growth instead of choking it.

At ChainEx, our audits are not about pointing fingers. They’re about co-creating a warehouse ecosystem that’s lean, accurate, and built for tomorrow.

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ChainExSolutions, Prarthee 8 September 2025
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