Most Recent Articles

Without sound reverse logistics management, your business might be harboring hidden costs and many uncertainties that threaten long-term success. Every business has to deal with returns. But treating them as an afterthought is not the best approach. Here is what you need to know about the high cost of reverse logistics and how your business can better maximize its results.

“Quality is Everyone’s Responsibility”

Edward Deming, considered to be a “God” in the eyes of the Japanese business community for his influence on their manufacturing sector after WWII is attributed as the source of the now somewhat obvious quote above. His philosophy was one that wanted us to see manufacturing as a “system,” not a series of bits and pieces of additive work.

In October, Newcastle Systems’ own Kevin Ledversis was on a team of presenters in a webinar that dug into the challenges managers are facing with labor issues – sourcing, hiring, training and retaining in addition to things like performance and pay.  We’ve covered labor and staffing as a regular topic here over the years, and think the data that was assembled for this webinar is worth sharing widely.

Wasted Motion does not happen all at one time - it may be 20 seconds here and 10 seconds there, making it extremely difficult to identify.  Simple examples of wasted motion include:

• Walking to a printer to print labels
• Walking to a computer to access data 
• Walking to a static desk to dimension product

Not only is this waste hard to identify, it's also very costly over the course of a year.

One area of staff retention and warehouse productivity that is frequently overlooked is the effect of ergonomics on production. Consciously or not, ergonomics pervades every aspect of facility management.

While some managers still look at ergonomics as a form of regulatory burden or reactionary response to a problem, successful leaders understand its ongoing importance. A proactive ergonomic focus helps organizations to maximize productivity and improve employee retention.

Prioritizing ergonomics drives management innovation in numerous ways.

While logistics is typically forward-facing, focusing on the details and costs associated with getting items produced and delivered to end users, reverse logistics is concerned with the analysis of products going in the opposite direction.

Moving items backwards in the supply chain is how companies recoup value from products that are not useful in their current state or location, making reverse logistics just as important for effective supply chain management.

Whether you are in a manufacturing environment or a distribution center, there is a long list of technologies that may be on your wish list, ranging from “must-have ten years ago” to “nice to have someday”. But when budgets become available for upgrades, getting everything you want isn’t always a good idea. For example, bringing in a new software tool might be a good idea, but upgrading two or more of them that are linked together or through another system (like your ERP) could be a recipe for disaster. Troubleshooting and debugging may be plagued by the potential conflicts between two new systems instead of one.

"That Looks Cool! Wonder How I Can Use It?"

For the true gadget lovers, we have the experience of being in a store full of gadgets and machines and occasionally see something that compels us to say, "I am not sure what it is, but how can I find a way to use it?"

If you haven't seen one yet, dimensional scanners definitely fall into that category. No one will be surprised if a true distribution center process nerd brings it home one day for personal use. 

What is a "Dimensional Scanner"?

A dimensional scanner is a specialized equipment that will scan and record the dimensions of an object - of any shape. When paired with a scale, the complete shape, weight and dimensions of any product can be recorded to a database and be the source of efficiency in multiple areas of the business.

...but how can we use a dimensional scanner?