[petra]

>> Warehouse workers, when pressed to meet order/put-away quotas, tend to put inventory in pick locations based on the product type, NOT where the warehouse management system directs them to

Have you got any source for this being a real problem ? Because it seems such things are easily detected at the packing station, by barcode. And if an employee does so often, he'll probably won't stay long.

[GurnB]

Only speaking as an IT professional that has spend a couple of decades working in various distribution environments. If you are a pool manager in a warehouse this is a real problem. Warehouse employees working the receiving docks seem to always find a way to empty a truck at the end of a shift, even if that means shoving pallets of product in the nearest open rack slot. Yes, the WMS will eventually catch the problem and track it back to the employee. In a warehouse working with food/consumables there are lot controls that are suppose to be adhered too. (For tracking and recall purposes). The barcodes on a 'quality' knock off is going to be the same as the original product. Warehouse workers don't care if the product in a pick location is genuine or not. They are managed/measured on their picks per hour & accuracy. (Accuracy based on where they were directed in the warehouse to pick and the correct quantity) Most warehouse employees are through temp agencies and their work ethics can be, though certainly not always, somewhat lacking. Honestly, they typically aren't treated with respect from the start. This article is fairly representative of what I have seen in at least 2 of the 3 warehouse environments I have been associated. http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/02/mac-mcclelland-f...