Comedian Rodney Dangerfield joked about getting a policeman to help him find his parents when he was lost. After an exasperating search, he asked the policeman, “Do you think we’ll ever find them?” To which the officer said, “I don’t know, kid. There are so many places they can hide.” It was never quite so funny when I have been on turnarounds where it seemed materials routinely played “hide and seek.” It can be quite impactful to the schedule, budget and overall morale when materials issues begin afflicting an otherwise successful turnaround, especially when they can.
Turnaround managers must recognize material handling is of critical path value. It must be treated as an important science and given the same high status as labor and equipment on the critical path.
When it comes to implementing and maintaining a successful materials management program, attention must be given to some key areas:
Begin with seasoned professionals who truly know the ins and outs of material handling. It is always a plus to utilize individuals who are familiar with the site, familiar with the type of unit in the turnaround, familiar with the other material handling team members and familiar with the turn-around management team. These should be competent individuals who have been empowered with the appropriate decision-making authority to do their jobs.
Make material handlers a part of the core team and require them to attend regular turnaround meetings. They should be solidly plugged into the communications loop and kept abreast of upcoming material handling needs as well as receiving the turnaround daily schedule and the turnaround look-ahead schedule. Key materials personnel should be hearing concerns people have about material handling and be able to give feedback on their own needs and concerns to the turnaround team. They may have valuable insight when it comes to the lessons learned meetings following the turnaround.
Impose impeccable housekeeping standards. Organized and tidy areas not only promote efficiency and reduce accidents in maintenance areas but also in material handling areas. The area should be well illuminated with mapped out areas that are easily navigable. Spacious aisles, good signage and solid level surfaces should be standard expectations for laydown areas. Material handlers should be able to take pride in their work areas just as maintenance personnel should. Disorganization, clutter and poor housekeeping should not be tolerated. Stringently enforce security measures in material handling areas. Fencing should be secure. Entry and exit should be controlled with electronic badging. Materials entering and exiting should have tight inventory control and documentation. Contracting strategies should be considered. If a contractor has a lump sum agreement on one unit and a time and materials agreement on another unit at the same time, could that make misappropriation more likely?
Assess your technological evolution. Technology is always improving and some-times can make our lives considerably more efficient and easier. There is a great deal more to efficiency than just distance of the laydown yard from the unit. Do you have a robust digital inventory management system? Are you using barcode scanners with wireless data transfer? Have you considered using security cameras in laydown areas? Are you using electronic locator tags to detect the whereabouts of materials and equipment that end up lost?
Ensure the safety of material handling personnel. One threat to keep in mind is the potential contamination of equipment entering the laydown areas. Presumably, everything is decontaminated, but anyone who has ever done a turnaround knows decontamination is not always completely successful. Workers should be made aware of all potential hazards; wear monitoring equipment and the appropriate PPE; and have access to material safety data sheets, safety data sheets or product safety data sheets. Material handling personnel should also be aware of and watch out for the safety of visitors in their areas such as inspectors, maintenance personnel and equipment operators.
For more information, contact Mike Bischoff at (281) 461-9340, email sales@tamanagement.com or visit www.tamanagement.com.