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to go hunting for a tool has a better chance of finishing a job and identi- fying potential process improvements. Periodic facility-wide assessments ensure that 5S remains in place over time and attrition. 7 Level the workload. The best-run warehouse operations balance workloads for the most efficient use of each associate’s time and abili- ties. Continuous cross-training yields a nimble, flexible staff with solid morale and the ability to quickly respond to changing business needs. Each manager should maintain an updated cross-train- ing matrix to monitor the progress of the team and their evolving skill sets. 8 Implement standardized work. Developing detailed and illustrated standard operating procedures
(SOPs) and standard work instructions (SWIs) for every job is a crucial step toward the quality goal of repeatable processes. With SOPs and SWIs in hand, new employees walk onto the floor with specific reference material to con- sult. This results in a shallower learning curve, and makes it easier for managers to monitor and assess performance. 9 Build quality into processes. Accurate quality measurement systems estab- lish quantitative baselines and enable the organization to monitor the current status at all times. When a vari- ance or mistake occurs, the team focuses on the process, not the person involved. Utilize a “Five Why’s” investigation, where team members ask “why?” not once, but at least five times. For example, if a forklift knocks off a sprinkler head, you don’t simply ask why it happened,
but why the forklift was so high, why it was in that location, why the sprin- kler head was placed there, and so on. Drilling down to root causes allows the team to collaboratively rebuild the pro- cess to prevent recurrence. 10 Aim for a just-in-time (JIT) strategy. Just-in-time warehouse management strives to eliminate the waiting, storing, and unnecessary movement of product, materials, or information. The goal is to establish as close to continuous flow as possible without constant movement and the need for intermediate steps. Stagnation in the movement of parts, people, process, or communication within the warehouse – for example, an e-mail that sits in someone’s in-box for three days–interrupts proper flow and can lead to process errors. ■
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8 Inbound Logistics • September 2009
FACING LOGISTICS CHALLENGES? USE IL’S 3PL EXPERTS AND
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