When the leadership of McCollister Global Services – a New Jersey-based national provider of transportation services known in the industry as “an employer of choice” - looked for help with process improvement and equipment upgrades, they got more than they asked for while working with Integrated Productivity Systems (IPSi) in nearby Lansdale, PA.
While McCollister’s originally reached out to IPSi to help identify upgrades that might help address the accuracy challenges, President Rick Schilling saw a bigger opportunity to change the process that would not only greatly improve accuracy but also reduce the time required - making it far more efficient even without the accuracy improvements.
And how did the teams on the floor who actually have to use them adjust to both a new tool AND a major process change introduced together? The McCollister team has already given their fleet of carts a nickname – calling them “Marties”. As noted earlier by IPSi’s Rick Schilling, the difference was obvious even on the first day of use – almost zero time required to adapt and new efficiencies from Day 1.
Newcastle System’s own VP, Kevin Ledversis, notes that one of the most compelling benefits of providing a more ergonomic and fatigue-reducing tool as part of the process is that this solution comes at an intersection of two important aspects of Lean thinking: The endless striving for efficiency and productivity along with “respect for the worker” (by not having them endure unnecessary physical activity or wasted motion).
In a world racing faster to visualizing a fully automated workspace staffed by industrial robots, AI, and other advanced machines, Kevin reminds us that well over 90% of the industry is still not even close to that. This means that the people that do the work day in and day out will continue to be – and should be – an even larger priority than ever before. With logistics, operations, and related supply chain jobs requiring a growing set of skills, and with staffing remaining challenging as ever, solutions that demonstrate value win every time.