viernes, 1 de noviembre de 2013

Costs to inadequacies

Now was the last day of the week, a week dense but fruitful. Among flick and flick weekly activity information, trying to rearrange the agenda for the following week. A new batch of emails made his appearance in my inbox. I have a habit of scheduled reviews of all that there comes, but the head of one of the messages caught my attention.



The title was expressive enough to disrupt the order of my activities, "Project Application optimization of stocks". Piqued my curiosity.
The petitioner company was the industrial sector and, in short, stated: "We are a company blah blah blah ... After an analysis of the processes regarding our storage, stock and inventory control we have undertaken Optimization Project Stocks. We are interested in holding an interview with your company so we can assess their participation in the project. "Guess they were not crossed my mind that my company could assess the suitability of the applicant to rely on our services. Is the strength of the customers. They choose with whom, when and how to purchase products and services. To me, the experience has taught me to listen to the entire world in a streamlined manner. I decided to include it in my schedule to answer the caller.
At the time the interview was concluded and we specify the appointment. At my arrival at the headquarters of the company, so normal. A friendly staff made aware of my presence, and in a couple of minutes I was waving to two people from the company. One who sent Me, communication, manufacturing director, the other in charge of logistics. I was escorted to a room and as we exchanged our "credentials" and we completed the presentations. I did know that the CEO would accompany us as finished take a phone call.
I am very much given to spend time in unproductive issues so I began to "interrogate" the two people to extend me details about your project. The manufacturing manager apologized answer start preferring to wait for its CEO. How long will it throw away! Choice was not talking about the time of the crisis and speculation about the economic recovery.For a moment I thought I was in an elevator, was the typical conversation.
Finally, came the CEO. Ten minute wait. My schedule told me I had twenty minutes to finish it. I maintain that the business can be programmed to start and end. Yes, you who alone are able to schedule two visits in one morning, because you excuses to a customer that does not know when it comes out, you have to change your method.
The CEO consumed about, others ten minutes telling me the story of your company. Only took a couple of notes.
It was my turn, I did not wait for them to tell me another story about the origin of the project that aimed to develop. Take the second of silence that occurred between the end of "discourse" of the CEO and said, "Develop a project of any kind requires a prior analysis of the company. In the certainty that this has been done already, the idea can be considered ripe to move to the next phase if its purpose can be summed up in two minutes. " There was a silence that I am sure my interlocutors bothered. The CEO "picked up the gauntlet" and began his project desgranarme follows: "Following the previous quarter inventory consider the need for a revision in the assessment of a group of materials that a realistic picture of the value of that immobilized. Beyond this step we want to determine the changes in the cost of these products until final sale. The assessment criteria are clear and we consider external criteria "
It is clear that omitted the root of your problem. On the other side suspected the other two people present there, did not consider the fact as a problem other than to resolve on their own and ideas. My response was, heading to the CEO: "I appreciate your work but I'd like to hear synthesis under the same conditions to its two liable". Again the silence.
Finally, the factory manager, spoke: "We have some equipment that had been made in full.For different situations were removing some components and now we want to restore the situation. Also we have a lot of components that, despite being old, are purchased by customers as equipment parts bought us some time. " The CEO could not conceal a gesture of resignation.
The following minutes followed a similar line to that, served the time that I had marked for that visit, I finished the meeting: "I have an idea of ​​the possibilities we have to make a proposal for you to value it. During this week I will contact you and arrange another meeting to present the option will put this ".
At our next meeting, to present our proposal, attended the same partners.
First I explained the vision I had of the problem: "You want to have an objective assessment of your inventory and assessment processes that keep your reality over time.Manufacturing at the certain elements are valid inventory, and therefore have value. From the standpoint of warehouse logistics security exists that the rotation of these elements will remain insignificant and consumes resources to other elements. Finally, management of the company needs to know the reality of their assets in an objective manner, reflect the same in the accounting records and ensure that the information in its financial statements correspond to reality and true picture of the company. " I kept saying, "This is what I asked to be told in five minutes the other day."
At the time, CEO face lit up and said: "Exactly, that's our desire and problems. The factory is devoting resources to rebuild computers that have missing components, but those teams were built long ago and our manufacturing processes have changed since then. Now most of the assembly of components being outsourced. "In that moment interrupted the factory manager:" We have staff at half throttle and can take that workload without affecting normal production. " To which the logistics manager stated "the problem to me since I generated that included outsourcing the storage and thus store only the components necessary to avoid stock-outs."
Before I started a 'cockfight "I spoke and said," None of you have the problem. The problem is with the ownership of the company does not get the proper return on their investment by the inefficiencies caused each of you. "
I'm used to my words originate controversy but this time, there was silence. In that circumstance took to continue: "If you have outsourced certain components in low production implies that the best cost obtained if you manufactured. On the other hand, I doubt that your staff can be more efficient that manufacture returning occasionally and subject to different situations depending on the state of the equipment. In this scenario is customary to conclude that the team has lost its value and throw, or try to reach an agreement with your usual recycling, something that rarely happens. On the old components, any approach to reach strategic agreements for storage, custody and re supply current provider are more beneficial. In any case, this is not more complicated. The hardest, and where more collaboration need, is to understand that customer service, profit, cost and productivity form a whole. Each one of you is looking for a site but all leave the actual cost and profit out of the circle and that impoverishes your business ".

That same day he ordered a charge of transportation, with components in different states, towards the outsourced provider. After weeks of work, our partnership with the company has expanded to search for parts suppliers trade agreements for old computers.Manufacturing has begun to discover the fascinating world of real value of things.