Why the wooden pallet is King!

Posted on January 18, 2017January 18, 2017 by WHadmin

Pallets are the supply chains key ingredient worldwide. Millions of them are used daily to transport goods from manufactures to warehouses to retailers.

Where would we be without them?

Did you know they first came into use in the 1920’s and were in widespread use by the 1940’s.

That’s nearly 100 years of use. No wonder we all have a soft spot for them.

Every year 1.5 billion pallets are manufactured worldwide, that’s an astounding 60 million cubic metres of timber. In Europe we produce 350 million, 20 million cubic metres of timber annually. (www.timcon.org)

There has been much discussion recently about the environmental impact of the traditional wooden pallet and the numbers I’ve just quoted may have set a green flashing alarm bell off in your head.

Well don’t panic. The pallet that all logistics professionals regard so fondly is actually still one of the most environmentally friendly options available.

Wooden pallets are largely made from the sub-standard off cuts from the furniture and housing industries. So rather than adding to deforestation pallet manufacture is ensuring that nothing goes to waste.

International standards for wooden packaging (ISPM15) help to protect and encourage the safe use of timber packaging worldwide.

Less than 5% of timber pallets end their life at landfill. That’s 95% of what we manufacture being recycled and reused.

Any pallets that are beyond repair can be shredded to provide wood chips for fuel.

There is also a wealth of pallet pool options that keep pallets circulating in the system and many pallet providers repair and recycle on a regular basis.

And let’s not forget the pallets greatest gift – its ability to be recycled and upcycled into some amazing objects.

I bet every single one of you has something in your home or garden that you have made from a pallet!

As this week kicked off with Blue Monday and has continued to be grey and dreary I thought it would be fun to put a smile on our faces by taking a quick peek at some of the best pallet transformations I have seen.

In at number one are these great staircases.

Followed by these two brilliant ways to organise your garage.

How about a revamp of your office space with these filing cabinets.

Or perhaps your kitchen needs a tidy.

The fact is wooden pallets are the lifeblood of our industry.

They are environmentally friendly.

They could be the most versatile recycling material out there.

And they have a very special place in all logistics professionals’ hearts.

Long live the wooden pallet!

Are you facing a labour productivity challenge?

Posted on January 11, 2017January 11, 2017 by WHadmin

Labour is generally one of the biggest costs for most companies, sometimes as much as 50 – 70% of annual budget. Managing and reducing labour related expenses while maintaining robust customer service levels can seem like a never ending challenge that many companies struggle to tackle or maintain.

The benefits for those companies who accept the challenge are far reaching; cost reductions, improved productivity, increased customer satisfaction and more streamlined efficient processes.

In short, a distinct competitive edge.

If you are thinking of tackling labour productivity Les Flanagan Logistics Services Ltd provide a full project management service that delivers significant results fast.

Our most recent project in a manufacturing warehouse, employing 90 staff, delivered annual savings of over £300k.

We have more than 4 decades of experience in management consultancy and business development within warehousing, distribution and logistics.

We have worked both large and small organisations including Sainsbury’s, Wincanton, M&S, Tibbett & Britten, Dairy Crest and Neals Yard Remedies. We are supply chain specialists with in depth experience in warehousing, labour relations and performance management.

The benefits of working with us are;

a bespoke, tailored project management approach that works with your business. We are big enough to be the best at what we do but small enough to offer a personal service that makes you our top priority.

a comprehensive work rate analysis of every measurable task based on professional work measurement and method study techniques. The analysis highlights inefficiencies, duplications, double handling and lost time allowing you to make focused changes swiftly.

a detailed work flow evaluation which identifies the speed of movement of key lines and makes smart, achievable recommendations that will reduce travel time, eliminate congestion and streamline the process flow.

an examination of your labour management techniques and structured training for all management levels on how to maximise labour force productivity.

a thorough investigation, feedback and training on organisation and work load planning with a real focus on managing avoidable peaks, troughs and bottlenecks that impact efficiency.

ongoing support, training and guidance that ensures you implement the recommended changes and reap the rewards.

If labour productivity is your challenge for 2017 then get in contact now and let us help you get that competitive edge.

Please email Les@LFLS.org.uk or call 07768 148208.

We are a small team which allows us to offer a real personal and tailored project management package but it does mean that we book up fast so we would advise you to get in contact quickly to guarantee our help this year.

OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE – DELIGHTING CUSTOMERS

Posted on November 2, 2016November 2, 2016 by WHadmin

Today’s rapid advances in mobile technology mean customers are better informed, more demanding and have greater expectations for a faster and more accurate service.

To a business this means new challenges in the form of greater visibility and reduced order lead times.

Operational Excellence is the key to meeting these challenges.

It can

deliver great customer service
enable business growth
improve financial performance
enhance employee satisfaction and retention

Successful implementation relies on

strong leadership
high performing teams
well-designed processes
robust review mechanisms

Operational Excellence does not have to be complicated and it can be applied to any size business, division or department.

Strong leadership

To succeed the leader of the business must communicate a clear vision, be committed to making change happen, be engaged with the work force and determined to continually improve the business.

High performing teams

High performing teams are well informed, fully understand the direction and needs of the business, are aware of customer requirements and challenges, and understand, value and take pride in their part of the business process.

The leadership of the business needs to be fully engaged with employees and all stakeholders in order to deliver the required results.

Well-designed processes

The key business and support processes must be well defined, simplified, documented and trained to all staff involved in the process. Appropriate process measures should be in place to monitor performance and identify efficiencies.

Robust review mechanisms

Continuous improvement is achieved by reviewing appropriate KPI measures, undertaking internal and external benchmarking and regularly reviewing key processes.

Process performance needs to be measured in terms of time, quantity and quality. In turn these measurements should be used to monitor progress, identify improvements and used to feedback to teams.

Feedback from employees, customers and other key stakeholders is also vitally important in order to adapt, change, improve and perform better. This feedback must be used in a regular review process resulting in appropriate action plans.

To be successful your business needs to adapt to change or it will be changed.

Standing still is not an option.