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Waiting for the Forklift. Never again!

Using creative thinking and the principles of continuous improvement, we resolved a problem of reduced productivity in a manner that was not obvious at first glance.

One of our customers appeared to be having a problem with the forklift in one of their departments.  The purpose of the forklift is to supply machine operators with pallets of materials for assembly, and then to remove the same pallets once they have been emptied by the operators.

Our representative met with everyone involved with the problem: the project supervisor for continuous improvement, the forklift driver, and the assembly machine operators. We studied the course taken by the forklift through the department; we removed obstacles in its path; we studied the path of the forklift and marked it onto the floor. We defined and marked off storage areas. Even though these changes greatly improved traffic flow, the forklift operator was still unable to coordinate pickups and deliveries for the machine operators.

We eliminated workload as a cause of the problem because the forklift driver had plenty of time to perform all of his required tasks. The problem was more about timing than about time. The driver had plenty of time, but not always at the right time.

The Multi-Industrial representative recognized the problem as one of coordination and timing: having a fresh supply of materials at the assembly stations before the operators were out of materials. Assembly operators too often found themselves idle and waiting for the forklift to remove their empty pallet and to deliver a new full pallet. There were too many factors that interfered wiht the precise timing of the arrival of new material to work with, so we presented the group first with a design and then a prototype of a 2-tiered modified racking system. The idea was to use racking (inexpensive, lightweight, easy to customize, and easy to work with) to provide the next load of materials in advance. While the operator was working on one pallet, and before they needed more materials, the rack was stocked with the next pallet of material for assembly.

The solution was not where we first looked. The solution was also not any product that was in any of our catalogs. The solution lay in identifying the problem as one of timing: with two pallets of work, when one pallet was empty, the operator no longer has to wait for the forklift. The next pallet of work is on the other level of the cart. The forklift operator is no longer pressured to immediately remove the empty pallet or to replace it with a full one. Racking is light and inexpensive. We quickly welded wheels and legs to create the custom solution to the problem.

After testing and minor modifications to the prototype cart, eight additional wheeled racks were produced, and a sharp rise in productivity has resulted. We see several important points that are brought to light by this experience:

o    We do sell products, but primarily we offer solutions.
o    Product from the catalogues (or not in the catalogues) can me modified or custom-made to fit the solution.
o    The solution is not always where you think it is. Thinking outside of the box often gives birth to the solution.

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