Running Out of Room? No Problem.

A common problem in my North Orange County territory is space. Companies are growing, running out of room, and need more building space. The problem is, North Orange County is currently 97% occupied. The other problem is, it is EXPENSIVE to move. Signing a new lease in this expensive market, moving all your product to a new facility, paying for new racks, dock and door equipment, business cards, and all the other pains of moving are just not something a lot of companies have budgeted for, nor something they want to handle.

Last year, I finally came across a project that gave me a great understanding of what Raymond Handling Solutions can do for their clients. For their privacy sake, we will call them Company S. Company S actually owns 4 buildings right in a row. They were running out of room in their warehouse. They manufacture their product, and their other properties had big expensive machines in them that they just couldn't justify moving. So, I, along with their consultant, had to put together a plan to increase their pallet positions in their current warehouse.

At first look, the change was easy. They were using sit-down propane lifts which require wide aisles (around 12-14 ft) and they had rack scattered throughout their facility. We often run into this issue because racking is not always the first thing companies plan. In order to create an efficient space with maximized pallet positions, it takes planning. You could tell Company S put in racking as needed, and in turn only utilized half of the warehouse's space.

The other issue was their picking process. They primarily piece picked, which means they just need a box or two, not a full pallet to fill orders. So they were taking a lift, bringing the whole pallet down, taking a box off the top, and putting the whole pallet back up. They were handing the pallet 2x-3x as much as they had to because they did not have the right equipment.

 Pallets in the middle of aisles

 Huge Aisle Size and Horizontal and Vertical Racking

 

 

So, we needed to narrow the aisles and get them new, more efficient equipment. With a swing reach and order picker, we were able to reduce their aisles to 72". We increased their pallet positions from 1200 to 2800 in their existing facility. I added wire guidance to their floors so their operators were able to comfortably maneuver in such narrow aisles. Now, when they put pallets away, they use P&D (Pick and Delivery) Locations, where a sit-down forklift stages the pallet and the swing reach can be dedicated to putting pallets away in the aisles.

 

Learning the new equipment was a challenge to the operators. Company S purchased 1 swing reach and 3 order pickers. They operators were not believers in the new system, insisting they needed more than once piece of equipment to put pallets away with. They did not realize the amount of unnecessary handling they were doing. Once they saw that an order picker could help them pick orders faster, they understood why only one piece of equipment was needed for pallet handling.  I go in every now and then to see them, and it is amazing how comfortable they are with the equipment compared to when they started.

 

It was amazing to watch this project grow into the warehouse it is today. The consultant they had working for them had a great vision and really helped me understand the business I was in. Not only did Company S not have to move, but now they have a gorgeous warehouse that they can bring clients to and show off their efficiencies.

 

 

Much Cleaner look

 

Narrow Aisles with Wire Guidance

 

Still putting away pallets, with plenty of room to spare!



The Dirty on Dock and Doors

In a warehouse, there is a special place where shipments come in and shipments go out. Precious cargo rolls over this place time and time again - Operators, forklifts, merchandise, finished goods, and so much more. This place gets beat up, stomped on, slammed down, and all the while, sometimes rarely serviced. This is one of the most overlooked piece of warehouse I have seen: The Loading Docks.

Of course, before being in the material handling business, I could understand how this piece of equipment gets overlooked. It doesn't bring in any money, it isn't a machine (most of the time) and if you can put a shim here, or file it down there, the dock board/leveler still works. But as with all things that wear, a small problem usually becomes a big problem and it can cost the company a lot of money. There are plenty of important parts of socks and doors and sometimes your best investment comes in small packages and maintenance.

The bumpers alone are such a crucial part of the dock leveling systems. When a bumper is missing or worn, a truck has the high potential of hitting the dock opening and causing many problems. The truck restraints won't engage, the levelers can get damaged and the walls could get worn as well. I just went to see a client who wanted some dock levelers. Because of damaged and missing bumpers, we have to do so many repairs account for almost half of the cost of the bumper and leveler replacement! Not to mention the repairs we don't do, like the damage the trucks have done to their tin walls, allowing rodents to come in. All for a couple hundred dollars in bumpers!

Another thing I see companies over look is simple maintenance. We look for a lot when doing SMs on dock levelers is the overall condition of the unit. We want to be sure it is safe to operate, make sure there aren't any broken hinges, stress cracks, things of that nature. Then we will operate the dock to make sure its in balance. Mechanical dock levelers have a lot of moving parts - under the dock there are 4-8 springs that raise the docks, counter balance assembly and other springs to kick the lip out. You don't want the dock lifting too fast or two slow ( which has to do with spring tensions). This is for the safety of your operators. We will also sweep out pit. What is does to ensure there are not any harboring points. This is especially crucial for food or controlled environment. who are trying to avoid a spot for rodents to feast on pallet pieces or food.  We also check bumpers, which I explained the importance of those a little earlier!

When clients don't do routine checks on their docks, they miss potential issues when they are small, and then they become large problems. An example is stress cracks. These can be identified and it is a simple weld if caught early. If left, a year or two later, these stress cracks can be structural failures and now I see my clients replacing docks, and that could have been avoided.  We want to replace bumpers before they are a potential issue. Bumpers should be replaced a pair here, a pair there, but we see whole bumpers replacing at once because of not doing SMs. Its like going to the dentist. If you go every 6 months, they can catch a potential decay or cavity early. If you wait 5-10 years, the next thing you know you have 3 root canals, 7 cavities and a bridge, causing a lot of pain and a whole bunch of money.

The safety of your employees, the cleanliness of your facility, and the forever need to fulfill your wallet can drive you to manager your docks. You want properly working levelers or dock boards for your employees safety. You want to keep the rodents out for the cleanliness of your facility, and scheduled maintenance will catch potential issues before they become huge problems. Thus, saving you money in the long run. If you only take two things away from this blog, please remember this: Take care of your docks, and go to the dentist.

When You are Losing Deals...

Hello Followers,

It has been a while since I have posted; 16 months to be exact! To say I have been busy would be an understatement. Since my last post, last October, I have completed Raymond's D.A.R.T. program, got pregnant, had a baby, took 5 weeks off work to care for said baby, had a record year for my territory, celebrated that record year, and now, I am experiencing what most every sales person experiences at some point, a slow slump in sales.

The beginning of the year is always terrifying. I feel that is even more true after having a great year prior. Come mid-January, still high on my achievements, I took a look around and thought, "The score board is back to zero and I have nothing in the cue." Well, I did have some in the cue, but I lost three deals right in a row, which really, REALLY, hurt my ego.

So, I am sitting back, with my tail between my legs, and asking myself what made me successful last year and why did I lose all of those deals to competitors? My excuses are pretty weak, but they make sense when I dig in. I was "greener" last year, much more pregnant, and not as busy. Being green in the business, I think I worked harder to ensure all my ducks were in a row, details were beat to a pulp and every question was asked and answers were prepared prior to my meetings. Being so pregnant, I made sure to have my upper management at every meeting so my new clients knew that I wasn't going to bail when I had my baby. This also brought experienced ideas to the table and answered questions more thoroughly than I was able. I worked from my home office more, because it was hot and I was massive, so I was on my computer, getting out quotes quicker than any competitor could. And as far as not being as busy, I was able to put all my time, energy and effort into the tasks in front of me. I was able to go to any location at anytime because nothing else consumed me. No task was too small because I was hungry, had another mouth to feed on the way, and wanting to sweep up anything that came in front of me.

And as a lot of successful salespeople seem to do, I got cocky.

I had three big deals in front of me, I thought "oh, these are no problem." I didn't include upper management, I was missing important details, and my quotes were taking longer than normal. I was skipping out on the little things clients were requesting, and obviously that was noted. I never want a sales person to fail, but sometimes it is good for them to lose deals. It was good for me for a few reasons. I was able to take a step back and look at who brought me to my success last year. Half of my income was from small things like battery orders, watering systems and shelving. It was the meticulous work I did and the way I treated every deal like it was my life's work. I started from the bottom, and I think I moved up so quickly, I forgot where I came from! I got knocked down, and gracefully, I am going to stand myself back up, brush myself off, and start from the bottom again.

When you are losing deals, here are a few of my tips to get back on track:

1. What Previously Helped You Succeed?
This may be at your current job, or maybe a past job. When I was struggling in the material handling business early last year, I thought about what made me successful in car sales. We had Monday morning meetings and daily group huddles that really got me pumped. I personally went to my boss at Raymond, MADE him sit down with me every Tuesday, until I started getting on a roll. We would discuss projects, my goals, he success stories.. and slowly the meetings became less necessary as that time slot started filling up with client appointments. Recreate what made you successful in the first place.

2. Sales Training
Some of the old (I say that lightly) sales people hate this because they are stuck in their ways and no way will you teach an old dog new tricks. To them, I salute. However, to young pups like myself, I have to go back to Sandler Sales training every Thursday to get new tips, ideas and polish my sales techniques. Coaches and trainers can really help get you back on track.

3. Don't Forget About the Small Stuff
Remember when you used to care about all of the deals? Even it was a $15 commission check? Get back to those. We have heard it and said it 1000 times, small deals can lead to big deals. Companies grow. You may show up to a tiny little warehouse and think "I don't have time for this," but you never know where they will lead you in your sales future. Even if they don't, small deals add up. If I can do five extra $100 commission deals a month, that's $6000/year. I could use an extra $6,000 in my pocket, couldn't you?

4. Goals
Never forget to write down you goals and have them in a visible spot every day. It sounds stupid, but I put my goals, as well as my husbands, typed out and typed on our bathroom mirror. Everyday it is a small reminder as to why I am waking up and what I am working toward. There is so much power in the subconscious and just having your goals written out will get you one step closer than the guy who doesn't know what he wants to do this year.

5. Be Green Again, and Ask for Help
This may be easier for a newer person to do, but don't be afraid to ask your management for help. They already recognized you are slipping, but now they don't have to confront you when it is too late. I approached my boss and told him I wasn't doing as well as I wanted to be and I could see a sigh of relief from him. He said, "I'm happy you brought this up..." As many who have gone through AA have heard, Admitting your problems is the first step to recovery. Your management is there for a reason and that is to make you succeed. If you succeed, they succeed. Hopefully they can give you tips, guidelines or guidance on how to improve. My boss won't micromanage, so it takes my desire to improve to get him to push me to the next step.

That is just scratching the surface on how to get back on track, but hey, it will get you started. I wish you all the best this year and look forward to posting more about material handling in 2016!

And just for good measure, here is a picture of my greatest accomplishment last year:

This is Thomas Allen Harper at 4 Weeks Old - He's about double this size now!