April, 2008

Do a Springtime Inspection

Pay Attention to the physical condition of your yard.

By Tom Fife

You could spend your time walking around your business looking for the pitfalls that slow the operation down, or, you could just ask your load builders, receiving personnel, and drivers.

At this time of year, you need to pay special attention to those bumps and potholes in your yard—some may be quite new to you.

I know that in most yards, it’s almost a game to see if you can drive around potholes and ruts and build a load without being stung!

How many times have you or your workers approached the dreaded bump or hole with a load built, creeping up to it and trying so slowly to make your way over the problem area, only to find the load falling off your forks? You can probably hear the shouts of frustration as one after another tries their best not to lose materials off the forks. The worst is when you have had to restack the load and try again only to have a row or two go tumbling back to the ground.

Welcome to “double handling”—compliments of your roadway.

It’s frustrating and demoralizing to deal with these kinds of repairable challenges. A small hole or bump may not seem like much, but it is a daily bone of contention with your people. In my seminars, literally everyone holds up their hands when I ask if they have some kind of obstacles that are driving them crazy and slowing them down on a daily basis. The statements fly: “Why doesn’t management do something about them? Don’t they care what we are going through out here?”

Attendees will lament that they have tried to get the problems addressed only to be told there’s no money for that concern. That’s just saying it’s not a priority. This means skilled workers are spending valuable time filling in holes with gravel, dirt, or some kind of patchwork that invariably gives way to the dreaded hole. I can tell you from firsthand experience it does drive you crazy!

How would you like it if every time you tried to type a letter or document, you had one key that if you didn’t hit it just  right, deleted the work you had just done? I bet a few computers would get thrown out the window if that kept happening.

The same plight faces your yard personnel on a daily basis.

A springtime inspection of the physical needs of your operation is essential. I urge you walk around the operation to see for yourself and confer with the team members who work in the yard.

While you’re at it, take a look at your forklift seats. Are they in need of repair for the coming busy season?

The cracks that appear after the winter will deteriorate into a seat that is way too uncomfortable for optimal performance at the minimum and a safety hazard at the worst. Take a look at the forks to see if they need leveling or shaping to be ready to slice and dice in the spring rush. Those forks often damage the materials by splitting them like a giant hot dog stick!

We must deal with the physical challenges that face every aspect of our operation. I’m not saying that you need to run right out and re-pave your yard and buy new forklifts.

We can live with some obstacles along the way; however, an easily fixed problem addressees two very important things. It shows we care about the working conditions of our people and it improves our chances for being more efficient, which falls to our old friend the bottom line.

I can help; just holler.

TOM FIFE is a 20-year veteran of the construction supply business and president of Unionville, Ind.-based Challenges Inc., a speaking, training and consulting firm. Seminar topics include employee motivation and retention, customer service, management skills and yard foreman skills. For additional information, call at 812.330.1640, e-mail tom@tomfife.com, or visit www.tomfife.com.