Think, look and see smarter – simple solutions save time

Outsourcing the logistics operation to a third-party logistics provider is nothing new and it makes a lot of sense. If you are good at manufacturing something, you are not necessarily good at running a distribution and logistics operation. So you give it to somebody who has specialised in doing so and who can do it at a more attractive cost whilst achieving a consistently high service level.

After working with industrial and supply chain change projects for over 22 years, there is one constant that still irritates the life out of me. This is the acronym typical consultant methodology solution to how you should change people. The glamour methods that don't actually hit the spot, the costly programmes that leave people totally disillusioned and sceptical of why they are changing in the first place.

Everyone is an expert

Mention communication and everyone is an expert and has a story to tell. The expertise is often an opinion on what constitutes good communication and the story is mostly about how communication has somehow failed.

You have gone to great length to purchase the right machinery, you have a preventative maintenance plan in place, your operators are motivated and well trained, you are even maintaining a 5S culture complete with performance charts and KPIs, and you still cannot get product out of the door inside an acceptable lead time. What is going on?