Do we need to reinvent the wheel?

Every time that I move dirt, one wheelbarrow load after another, from my truck to the garden, I never cease to be amazed at the power of that one small wheel. Of course, wheels are not a new thing in the workplace.

Recently, I have been conducting an informal survey to see how many uses of wheels, in the form of carts, that I can see in everyday use. Everyone seems to have a cart especially designed for the job at hand. Have you ever studied the maid’s cart in the hotel? It’s a treasure trove of storage and cleaning functionality. What about the meal carts on the airplane. Or, the janitor’s cart in your office. Each of these seems to be the result of a good industrial engineering methods study, resulting in a tool for the operator that supports all of the tasks that they normally perform.

So, why not in materials handling? Do we think that our tasks are so basic that any old cart will do? Maybe we just haven’t studied them hard enough. And, I’m just as guilty as anyone.

My good friend, and Chicago consultant, Robert Footlik taught a class in Simple Solutions at the old Materials Handling Management Course. He used to ask the class what features might be added to the venerable pallet jack to make it a more useful tool. The resulting list was always surprisingly long, and included such things as a clipboard to hold the orders, a pouch for a carton knife, a holster for the scanning gun and a bag for collecting trash generated along the pick path.

As a matter of fact, we see many of these ideas creatively implemented by the workers in almost every warehouse using whatever materials they can commandeer. But, never have I seen a pallet jack come this way “factory equipped.”

This week, I was faced again with that perennial problem of not enough floor level pallet positions for all of the products. Naturally, we move the slowest movers up to the second level. But, picking from the second level pallet now becomes difficult, and perhaps even unsafe.

Then, it dawned on me. How about a 3-step kitchen stool hanging on a hook on each pallet jack. Of course, it will be a slower pick, but these are, after all, the very slowest movers.

Many of the best opportunities in small item picking take advantage of batching several orders to reduce travel time. Some carts that I have seen have been very carefully thought out and configured. But, most are simple shop carts, rigged as best the operator can manage.

It’s time to take a page from Robert Footlik’s book, and one from the hotel maid.
We can make a list of all of the tasks and materials that a picker needs. Things like: scanner, orders and shipping labels, packing materials, pencil or pen, tape, a way to stage orders requiring additional picks, a place to put completed orders, and, yes a place for the trash, too.

It is also important that the cart is easy to push and maneuver. It needs to be small and light with large casters. It would be great if we could do all of our work from one end – just like the airlines!

How about a little design competition? Some of you are way ahead already.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James M. Apple, Jr. is a Director in The Progress Group. Prior to co-founding The Progress Group in 1991, he was a Partner with Coopers & Lybrand's SysteCon division. During 1992-1995 he served as a Senior Systems Advisor with Vanderlande Industries, a major conveyor and systems provider in Europe.

Jim is an internationally recognized thought leader in the area of facility design and integrated distribution systems. His contributions to the improvement of distribution practices have been recognized by his receipt of the prestigious Reed-Apple Award, which is given for lifetime contributions to the advancement of the material handling profession. Jim has also received the Institute of Industrial Engineers' Facilities Planning and Design Award. He has written numerous articles and handbook chapters on warehousing and logistics operations and is a popular speaker on logistics seminar and conference programs.

Prior to SysteCon, Jim worked as an Industrial Engineer with IBM, was Supervisor of Facilities Planning for the Oldsmobile Division of General Motors and was Executive Vice President for an automotive aftermarket parts supplier. He holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.