Dear Members and Friends:
It was good to see many of our members at the ProMat trade show in January. There were several new uses of technology that I thought were pretty exciting. I like some of these ideas because they are innovative ideas that rely on smart controls.
I hate to keep droning on about the economy like a 24 hour news channel anchor, but the fact is we are facing tough times and I want to try and address timely and relevant ideas that will help us be more effective. We need to start working smarter and finding ways to make operations run smoother and leaner. I think there are two basic directions we can take; going back to basics or looking to new technology to help us become more efficient. These directions are not mutually exclusive by any means. Let’s face it - most of us have already picked the low hanging fruit off the process improvement tree. That means the next steps taken will be tougher and require more thought and team input.
This month’s tour of the Volkswagen/Audi distribution center is a study of going back to basics. The managers at Volkswagen/Audi looked intensely at their business when they designed the operation and planned the facility. They decided that a more conventional type of operation suited them best. They will tell us how they made their design decisions and why.
As we all go about our supply chain jobs in the coming years we should be trying to educate ourselves on new applications of technology but don’t forget the past while you’re doing it. We’ll see you in Cranbury. Help us to honor some of our Past Presidents and the College Scholarship presentations at the dinner meeting following the tour.
Dave Lodwig
MHSNJ President
It was good to see many of our members at the ProMat trade show in January. There were several new uses of technology that I thought were pretty exciting. I like some of these ideas because they are innovative ideas that rely on smart controls.
I hate to keep droning on about the economy like a 24 hour news channel anchor, but the fact is we are facing tough times and I want to try and address timely and relevant ideas that will help us be more effective. We need to start working smarter and finding ways to make operations run smoother and leaner. I think there are two basic directions we can take; going back to basics or looking to new technology to help us become more efficient. These directions are not mutually exclusive by any means. Let’s face it - most of us have already picked the low hanging fruit off the process improvement tree. That means the next steps taken will be tougher and require more thought and team input.
This month’s tour of the Volkswagen/Audi distribution center is a study of going back to basics. The managers at Volkswagen/Audi looked intensely at their business when they designed the operation and planned the facility. They decided that a more conventional type of operation suited them best. They will tell us how they made their design decisions and why.
As we all go about our supply chain jobs in the coming years we should be trying to educate ourselves on new applications of technology but don’t forget the past while you’re doing it. We’ll see you in Cranbury. Help us to honor some of our Past Presidents and the College Scholarship presentations at the dinner meeting following the tour.
Dave Lodwig
MHSNJ President
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