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One great aspect about working in the supply chain industry is the fact that no two operations are ever alike. Regardless of geographic location, business units, product types or corporate structure, every warehouse has its own unique qualities. One of the most common differences across the supply chain industry is size; facility size that is. When implementing JDA WLM (Warehouse Labor Management), I’m often asked if an operation is too big or too small for measuring productivity. Simply put, JDA WLM can improve any size operation.
In the case of large operations, JDA WLM is an extremely powerful tool, providing what is commonly considered paramount to productivity success; Visibility. When the supervisor to employee ratio is 10 or higher, there’s simply not enough time in a supervisor’s day to see what all employees are doing and how well all employees are performing tasks. By implementing JDA WLM, supply chain leadership is able to have productivity reporting and measurement at their fingertips, with up-to-the-minute results. This can also help make decisions regarding coaching and training opportunities to best utilize time and resources. Allowing leadership in large operations to have employee-specific metrics is a necessity in today’s supply chain.
In the case of smaller operations, where the volatility of volume fluctuations is very impactful, JDA WLM provides what many smaller operations need the most; Planning. In a single shift operation, a 10% shift in the volume of inbound or outbound activity could be the difference in meeting or exceeding overtime goals. In many small operations, supervisors and management may even be called upon to step in and assist their workforce in accomplishing activities. One of the most impactful mistakes could be losing sight of your planned work and the completion of your shifts’ tasks. Falling behind in something like inbound receiving could cause a domino effect to the entire operation. JDA WLM gives direct and instant visibility of the tasks scheduled for the day, and will continuously monitor how an operation is performing against expectations. JDA WLM allows leadership to make quick decisions on the fly and shift resources effectively, which can lead to reduced overtime and more effective customer service.
These are just two examples of where JDA WLM can impact large or small operations. Chances are good that there are opportunities in your operation to improve your visibility and planning, regardless of the size. If you’d like to see examples of how the software can help you see, plan, measure and perform in your operation, please contact the Open Sky Group today about JDA WLM. We look forward to partnering with you and taking your supply chain to new heights with JDA WLM.
The post Does Size Matter with Labor Software like JDA WLM? appeared first on Open Sky Group.
