Warehouse Productivity Improvements and Business Productivity
Following the UK’s Keep Britain Working Review, fresh attention has been placed on the country’s workforce shortages – including the estimated two million people currently out of work due to long-term health conditions. Combined with rising demand for fast, reliable distribution, the pressure on warehouses has never been greater – perhaps explaining the increase in the search phrase: “warehouse productivity improvements” in search engines.
Non-contentious elements of the latest UK budget echoed a similar concern: the long-term competitiveness of British businesses depends on improved productivity and more resilient operational models. Warehouse productivity improvements are critical in environments where labour availability is increasingly unreliable, or unpredictable.
Improving Warehouse Productivity: Reducing Strain, Increasing Output
The ongoing challenge facing many UK companies is simple: higher output is required, but available labour is limited. Recruiting and retaining staff in logistics roles continues to be difficult, leading many organisations to rethink how work is carried out on the warehouse floor. This is where labour-saving Warehouse productivity improvements are needed. By reducing walking time, improving accuracy, and removing unnecessary manual handling, modern storage systems enable staff to achieve more in the same shift – safely, consistently, and without strain.
At Industore, we see this every day. Our Hänel Lean-Lift and Hänel Rotomat systems give operators direct, automated access to inventory at an ergonomic height, removing the time spent searching for stock or travelling long distances between pick locations. The result is faster throughput, better picking accuracy, and a more stable operational environment, even when staffing levels fluctuate. Meaningful warehouse productivity improvements no longer require ever larger teams – they require technology that supports existing teams.
Business Productivity: Warehouse Efficiency That Pays for Itself
Automation hasn’t been reserved for larger corporations only for over a decade. Today, efficient labour-saving warehouse solutions – such as Vertical Lift Modules (VLMs) and Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems (AS/RS) are operationally and financially accessible to organisations of all sizes.
Crucially, automation provides the kind of warehouse productivity improvements that are both measurable and long lasting:
- Significantly reduced walking distances
- Faster and more accurate stock retrieval
- Safer, more ergonomic working conditions
- Improved traceability and stock control
- Resilience during labour shortages or seasonal demand peaks
These aren’t abstract productivity claims – they translate into real commercial outcomes such as reduced overheads, fewer errors, smoother workflows, and the ability to scale without proportionally increasing labour costs. For many organisations, this is the foundation for sustainable, long-term growth. You can see real-world examples of these improvements on our case-study page.
Warehouse Productivity Improvement FAQs
Combining automation with smart layout design and a reduction in unnecessary manual handling is the fastest way to produce measurable improvements. If you’re not sure what a smart layout might look like, we’d recommend you read Industore’s blog on architectural logic.
By reducing reliance on repetitive manual tasks, automation allows smaller teams to handle larger workloads comfortably and safely. A good, visual example of this can be seen in our batch picking case-study with Sonardyne.
Automated systems reduce search time, walking distances, picking errors, and stock discrepancies — creating consistent, predictable workflows.
Strengthening Productivity Across Your Operation
True productivity requires more than simply working faster. It relies on better processes, safer environments, accessible stock, and systems that help employees work at their best. Hospitals, manufacturing sites, distribution centres, and critical industries – not just across UK and Ireland, but across the world are now shifting toward automated storage solutions to safeguard performance, ensure compliance, and support long-term workforce resilience.
Better technology doesn’t replace people – it supports them. When people can work faster, safer, and with fewer mistakes, warehouse productivity improvement becomes the catalyst for stronger business performance.
Long-Term Productivity Gains:
“The Keep Britain Working Review highlighted the UK’s need for long-term improvements in productivity, safety and workforce resilience. Warehouses play a crucial role in that mission. By embracing modern, labour-saving solutions such as VLMs and automated storage systems, British businesses can meet demand more efficiently – using the teams they already have. It’s about enabling people, not replacing them.”
– Jobe Bruzas
