Efficiency. This one word can either inspire a desire for growth or provoke fear in the minds of every reverse logistics manager. With so many aspects of your business, it might seem like increasing efficiency has taken a backseat to the day-to-day processes you need to complete. However, a reverse logistics manager can reduce both day-to-day and longer-term inefficiencies by implementing these 5 green initiatives.  

1. Outfit Trucks with Ergonomic Seating

Your drivers sometimes face long days or nights behind the wheel. They experience all kinds of issues on the roads – rush hour traffic, construction delays, heavy lifting, and more. It’s easy to forget how much of a toll these issues can have on the body in the short and long term. When drivers fatigue, it can also cause safety issues and shipment delays.  

Drivers with proper ergonomic support can keep energy levels up for longer routes. That results in fewer breaks while on the road, so the truck spends less time idling and more time processing shipments.  

2. Enhance Truck Fuel Systems

A truck’s fuel efficiency goes hand in hand with the efficiency of a reverse logistics strategy. Using a fuel-saving option significantly reduces the outflow of cash through fewer fill-ups. That also means more efficient route planning potential.  

Enhancing the fuel system is also a smart green strategy. In addition to restructuring routes to flow more readily, an upgraded fuel system will help reduce emissions. That’s especially important during those unavoidable idle times for your vehicles.  

3. Add Technology and Remove Paper

Hardware and software systems automation can help tighten up any process. From the warehouse management systems that track the product to the transportation management systems like GPS tracking or route scheduling, getting tech-friendly will help productivity. The speed of accessing information keeps things running smoothly.  

These solutions are also inherently green as they draw minimal power while charging the device. Technologies like tablets can also help to reduce the need for paper, the largest waste contributor in most companies.  

4. Keep Technologies and Machinery in Proper Working Order

Technologies like computers and other hardware (televisions, monitors, etc.) and the software systems you use are key places to improve processes. Compatibility issues with older equipment or programs could lead to incorrect or missing information for your employees. Updates can help avoid those delays in information access.  

It’s imperative to maintain all hardware you use. Just like your trucks, a fully functioning pallet lifter can be a place to cut fuel costs through greener solutions. Another way to go green is by e-cycling handheld technologies when they reach the end of their use.  

5. Consider a Large-Scale Green Warehouse Installation

There are many options for commercial locations to update their systems with green technology – solar, wind, hydro, etc. But some of those systems, while planet friendly, don’t improve efficiency as well.  

Money spent in the right places can improve on both. Adding more natural daylight through solar tubes, skylights, or wall windows, for example, can provide passive solar for energy savings. Natural daylight can also improve mood and increase the productivity of your employees. 

Managers like getting more for less. Day-to-day functions in your reverse logistics departments can be designed to maximize efficiency. By thinking greener and making these upgrades to your trucks, warehouse, equipment, and technology, managers can increase productivity. 

Image credit: smif