Practical Solutions for Lean Material Handling, Vol. 1, is the most complete CD resource for pictures, videos, literature, brochures and technical data on lean material flow systems.
The "Low Hanging Fruit Theory" - Does It Make Sense for Lean Material Flow?
What are the signs that there may be low hanging fruit in your plant or warehouse material handling system?
What to Look For…..
Traffic Congestion, Pedestrian Safety Intersections of main aisles, heavily traveled connecting bays or aisles, non-existent or minimized walkways may create problems for forklifts and people.
Too Much Inventory at Work Station More than 2-4 hours of parts or assemblies usually means the forklift driver has “buffered” his route with material that should be in the market.
Too Many Material Moves (too many touches) Walk the route of a typical part to see how many times it is moved or touched before it is actually used. Each touch represents a potential to reduce handling costs.
Dependency on Forklift or Picker Timing (workers waiting) Do workers have to wait for the assigned forklift driver to get to their area after their stock is depleted? What is the typical wait? How are calls for material handled?
Material Damage Are sub-assemblies or large parts transferred by forklift where the potential for drops or damage is large? Are containers or packages occasionally damaged with forks?
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These photos are "old" style plants where forklifts are the dominant transportation method and inventory is stocked at each workstation. Does your facility look like this?
What to Listen For……..
Too Much Labor Cost (forklift operators, line support) Certification costs for forklift drivers, safety schools, purchase of more forklifts, adding additional manpower for handling.
Fleet Maintenance or Operational Costs Too High Repair / recharging costs or parts costs are on the rise and/or represent a large part of monthly operational expenses.
Safety Problems or Issues Forklift accidents or near miss incidents reported every quarter.
Packaging Disposal or Handling Excess paper, plastic, cardboard, etc. causes too much downtime for area cleanup.
These photos show manufacturing plants using lean material flow. Inventory is moved just-in-time and on carts. The industrial carts improve the flexibility of the workstation while reducing the forklift traffic on the floor.
View a video of an industrial cart that is positioned line side for a lean material flow application.
