Streamlining KEP’s Shipping Procedures

At KEP, we are always focused on continuous improvement. No problem is too large for us to tackle – that’s why we have regular Kaizens! At each Kaizen, we gather team members from different departments and facilities to come together and address an issue they’d like to improve. Keep reading to see how a team of four made improvements to our shipping procedures!

Kaizen Participants:
Chris Rohrer (Manager of Operations, Winesburg)
Dan Febres (Information Technology Manager, Kent)
Tammy Tomello (Order Entry, Kent)
Michelle Johnson (Shipping and Administration Coordinator, Mogadore)

The Problem: Currently, there are several different folders and locations you must go to when shipping orders. It takes time to go in and out of these locations, figuring out how to ship an order, what documents are needed for orders, to whom documents are sent. Our team needed a more efficient way to complete this process, one that eliminated the possibility of mistakes.

Goal: To make central files for each customer with special requirements for shipments.

Results: The team was able to…

• Build a single database with special scenarios for shipping customers so that it’s all in one location instead of multiple.
• Create a Bill of Lading (BOL) classification database that calculates the cubic feet – this will remove manual calculations.
• Create a Winesburg shipping folder that can be used to drop any shipping related items for easier location.
• Change processes to removing any physical stamp on BOL and permanently typing in the requirements.

Savings Summary:

• 200 steps per order down to 174 steps (13% savings when the database is complete)
• 19 minutes to work up a standard order without the BOL classification; 7 minutes using the new database (63% time savings)

Future Recommendations:

• A Kaizen addressing backorders
• A partition for the front office
• Sales update and validate Special Shipping Instructions
• Additional monitor and shortcuts for Winesburg Shipping Coordinator
• Create a database of all customer shipment details by the first update
• Host a micro-Kaizen for Certificates of Conformance