In the building materials industry, the final leg of the supply chain — material staging before delivery — is often overlooked. But this stage holds immense potential for cost savings, especially when orders involve large, mixed, or special-order items across multiple jobsites.
By improving how and where materials are staged before they leave your yard, distributors can reduce errors, avoid delays, and cut down on wasteful labor and transport costs. Let’s break down the most effective cost-saving strategies rooted in smart staging practices.
Why Staging Matters More Than You Think
Material staging is the process of preparing, grouping, and positioning items for pickup or delivery. It may involve bundling, shrink-wrapping, labeling, or setting materials near a specific dock or zone for quick loading.
When done right, staging:
Increases delivery accuracy
Shortens truck turnaround times
Reduces handling damage
Supports route and load planning
Minimizes return trips and partial orders
When staging is inefficient or inconsistent, costs creep in — often invisibly.
- Use Zone-Based Staging Layouts
Divide your warehouse or yard into clear staging zones based on:
Delivery routes or trucks
Order urgency
Material type (e.g., heavy, fragile, long items)
This reduces confusion during loading, prevents cross-contamination between jobs, and cuts down on last-minute reshuffling.
Tip: Label zones with large, color-coded signage and track orders using mobile devices integrated with your ERP.
- Leverage ERP-Driven Staging Instructions
Your ERP system should generate clear, automated instructions for how to stage materials based on:
Order contents and delivery schedules
Truck capacity and loading order
Customer-specific packing preferences
These instructions can be pushed to warehouse teams in real time, ensuring everyone is aligned — from pickers to drivers.
- Stage by Delivery Sequence, Not Order Entry
Many operations stage based on the order in which requests come in. Instead, stage based on:
Delivery route sequencing
Truck stacking priorities
Jobsite access constraints
This avoids the need to re-handle materials during loading, saving time and reducing product damage.
- Bundle and Pre-Pack When Possible
For multi-product orders or recurring customer profiles:
Bundle common materials in advance
Use shrink wrap, pallets, or cages to keep grouped items together
Print staging labels with QR codes for scanning at dispatch
Pre-packing accelerates the loading process and reduces the likelihood of missed SKUs or misloaded materials.
- Eliminate Double Handling with Just-in-Time Staging
Instead of pulling materials days in advance (which increases handling), consider just-in-time staging, especially for:
High-turnover SKUs
Weather-sensitive products
Tight space environments
With ERP support, picking and staging can be synced to delivery schedules — reducing time on the ground and labor cost.
- Track Staging Performance Metrics
Use your ERP system to monitor:
Average staging time per order
Errors or returns linked to poor staging
Labor hours spent in staging zones
Delays caused by staging issues
This helps identify bottlenecks and optimize staging SOPs across locations.
Bottom Line
Staging is a high-leverage area for savings that often gets ignored in favor of bigger warehouse initiatives. But smart staging — guided by the right technology and layout planning — leads to faster deliveries, fewer errors, and smoother customer experiences.
For multi-yard distributors dealing with large, complex loads, an ERP with built-in staging logic and mobile task management can unlock major gains.
