With the proportion of retail sales made online rising to 28.8 per cent in August 2026, according to the Office for National Statistics, organisations operating in logistics, fulfilment, retail, e-commerce and third-party logistics (3PL) are entering one of their busiest times of the year. With peak season now under way, Southgate Global has launched its free Warehouse Efficiency Self-Assessment tool to help businesses identify bottlenecks, cut costs and improve efficiency.
Warehouse inefficiencies are often hidden. The tool highlights the role that asset visibility, workflows and maintenance play in improving productivity.
How the assessment works
The tool asks businesses 10 questions about areas including warehouse utilisation, workstation design, maintenance history, repair or replacement decisions, workflow bottlenecks and how operations adapt to change. The assessment helps businesses identify problems and offers practical steps they can take straight away.
Darren Hill, business development manager at Southgate, said: “Warehouse inefficiency is not always obvious. It can show up as time spent searching for equipment, underused assets, repeated repairs, unnecessary replacement or avoidable delays.
“These small gaps can create significant drag, which is exacerbated during peak season, when demand reaches its highest levels, and minor inefficiencies become major disruptions – costing time and money.
“Our Warehouse Efficiency Self-Assessment encourages businesses to take the time to step back from the day-to-day, and works to identify where small changes could make a meaningful difference.”
Businesses score each answer from 0 to 2. They can then calculate a total score to gauge the extent of warehouse inefficiencies and access tailored advice on improving asset visibility, extending equipment life and removing workflow bottlenecks.
Hill added: “Our ethos has always been that having a connected approach to assets, equipment and warehouse design boosts operational efficiency. This is something we have seen time and time again with customers across the UK and Europe, which we have helped to make significant productivity gains. Our tool is designed to help businesses understand what’s causing their inefficiencies.
“Our team of experts are experienced problem solvers within operational logistics and fulfilment and can further support with a thorough evaluation of your current workflow and identify the right solution for your organisation.”
Southgate Global is a specialist in packaging equipment, consumables, servicing and operational solutions for logistics and fulfilment. The company works with organisations to improve productivity, reduce costs and optimise their operations.
Download Southgate Global’s free Warehouse Efficiency Self-Assessment.
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