Scheduling a count around holidays, working hours and delivery peaks

One count was fixed for early February: the Chinese colleagues were already home for the Spring Festival, suppliers were not answering their phones and the only person at head office who could sign was away for ten days. Another was set for late March, when half of the local warehouse staff were off for Navruz. None of this was unpredictable. The schedule was simply made without putting the two countries' calendars side by side.

Read both holiday calendars together

On the Chinese side: during the Spring Festival, Labour Day and National Day breaks, head-office approvals, supplier replies and travel by Chinese staff all stop. Around the Spring Festival, factories in China also rush out shipments or close, which changes arrival dates.

On the Uzbek side: New Year, 8 March, Navruz (around 21 March), Independence Day on 1 September, Constitution Day on 8 December and others, plus the Eid holidays whose dates move every year. Working days are sometimes swapped with weekends to create longer breaks. Follow the official calendar published for that year, and ask the local accountant or HR colleague to confirm.

The method is simple: draw both countries' holidays on one year planner. A day when either side is off is not a count day, and not a deadline for anybody to reply.

Working hours and the rhythm of the site

• The daily rhythm: learn the local team's starting time, finishing time and lunch break, and do not schedule a count that needs everybody present during lunch.
• Season: in summer a warehouse without air conditioning is hard to work in during the afternoon, so start early. In winter it gets dark early, so make sure the lighting is adequate.
• Ramadan: some local staff adjust their routine, and physical work suits the morning better. Do not guess; ask them.
• Overtime, night and weekend counts: these need prior agreement. The pay and labour rules involved should be confirmed with HR or a lawyer, and such counts usually cost more.

Avoid delivery and dispatch peaks

The worst situation for a count is heavy movement of goods. Peaks tend to occur:

• at month-end and quarter-end, when shipments bunch up;
• around the Spring Festival, when Chinese factories ship in a rush or close, and arrivals cluster;
• before local holidays, when markets and shops restock;
• before project milestones, when materials are issued in bulk.

Ask sales, purchasing and logistics for a six-week movement calendar, enter all known deliveries, dispatches and pick-ups, and look for the quietest two or three days. Also ask the carriers and the longest-serving staff which days trucks usually bunch up at the gate.

Build in a buffer and warn everyone early

A count seldom finishes in exactly the days planned. Recounts, chasing documents, equipment failure and weather all take time. A simple rule of thumb: add one or two days of buffer on top of the planned days. The buffer is not slack, and is used only when something really goes wrong.

An invented plan for the last working week of December: cut-off at close of business on 31 December, counting from 28 to 30 December, the buffer on the first working day of January, and head office wanting data by mid-January. If that buffer day turns out to be a public holiday, treat it as lost and add another.

The notification list should be complete:

• Head office: cut-off, plan and delivery date.
• Local accountant: the moment from which documents dated before the cut-off stop being entered.
• Suppliers and drivers: the dates on which nothing will be delivered.
• Customers and collectors: the dates on which nothing will be dispatched.
• Security and third-party staff: arrangements for entering the warehouse.

Send the notice two weeks ahead, remind everyone three days ahead, and ask for a written reply.

In short

The difficulty in scheduling is not counting the days but knowing which days cannot be used. For year-end and quarterly counts, UzWarehouse generally suggests contacting us three to four weeks ahead, so there is time to see the site, agree the basis and plan the shifts. If time is short, tell us anyway and we will say honestly whether we can fit it in.