4 TIPS TO USING DATA TO OVERCOME CHALLENGES

Lean Management is based on the philosophy of total waste elimination in pursuit of the most effective and efficient methods. This process begins with visualization. Visualization aims to make a situation easily understood merely by looking at it and can be accomplished throughout a facility with data displays, labeling, location markings and tool displays. Through a proven process of gathering data via visualization, organization and standardization, lean management can help operations gain visibility into the current state of an operation.

Investing in telematics can save warehouses from potential losses in productivity and damage. The data these systems gather set a baseline to aid in identifying issues that are affecting a warehouse’s bottom line. Tracking things like fleet utilization, operator performance and scheduled maintenance allows operations to optimize by proactively identifying areas of loss and inefficiency and gaining visibility into which equipment is being utilized the best and which cost the most to operate.

As labor markets tighten and operations become leaner, understanding your cost and productivity of labor is crucial. Implementing a Labor Management System (LMS) can give operations visibility into their labor force, identifying and reclaiming lost or missing time, which can result in big savings.

It’s not enough to just collect data — operations also need to analyze it. By analyzing the available telematics data, managers can make informed decisions about where improvements are needed. Managers should regularly evaluate the data collected from telematics systems and adjust warehouse operations accordingly.