Every vendor managed inventory (VMI) program has three components. One is vastly more important than the other two — and much harder to find.
Item No. 1 is a large supply of fasteners and maintenance repair and operations (MRO) supplies. Every company with a VMI program could need up to 4,000 different items available at all times.
Item No. 2 is a customized bin system containing a reliable number of fasteners for quick retrieval.
Item No. 3 is a service technician. The service tech is by far the most important contributor to a stellar VMI program. However, while every program comes with a service tech as part of the deal, some techs are on the ball and some are just performing the tasks required.
Service techs for most companies will be content to fulfill the routine duties of their jobs. They’ll show up on time, refill the bins that need refilling and be on their way.
Many companies never think to ask for more than that — perhaps because they’ve never interacted with a service technician who is always on the lookout for ways to make their lives easier, work areas safer and their company more efficient.
So, what exactly is service above and beyond mere reliability? Active thinking. Anyone can fill a bin. But when great service techs arrive at their customers’ facilities, they turn on their radars. While there, they are aware of what’s going on and thinking about how it could improve.
Here’s a great example. A service tech (let’s call him George) was visiting his customer at a vast manufacturing facility composed of two huge buildings side by side. Each building covered 300,000 square feet.
Workers at the far end of one building had to go a hefty distance to get to the only fastener storeroom located in the other building.
There were so many maintenance techs who needed regular access to the fasteners that they were issued bicycles to get them to and fro. At the same time, there were forklifts dashing throughout the facility, creating ample opportunity for accidents.
On this particular visit, George was standing near the fastener bins with his customer, the maintenance supervisor. George noticed a steady stream of bicycle-borne riders rolling up to the bins, retrieving fasteners and rolling off again.
The place was busy. Eventually, George said, “You guys would save a lot of time and money if your employees didn’t have to bike across the plant looking for fasteners. Why don’t we put another set of bins on the other side of the factory?”
The supervisor paused, thought for a second, and said, “Why didn’t we think of that?” The two of them made their way to the facilities manager and presented the idea, and it wasn’t long before a new set of fastener bins was set up at the site. The company saved countless man-hours and reduced the likelihood of an unfortunate encounter between a forklift and a bicycle.
The idea of a second bin system may seem obvious, but it took George and his fine-tuned radar to notice the inefficiency that was right in front of everyone. Something else George brought to the situation was his willingness to speak up. He could have thought to himself, “It’s not my place to tell these guys that the bikes are useful, but they’re also costly.”
There are other tales like this — of keen observation followed by time-saving solutions. Another service tech, “Bill,” noticed his customer — a coal-fired power plant — was spending a lot of time and money replacing bolts that had been corroded in a high-temperature, high-moisture environment.
Removing the bolts with a blowtorch was a slow and costly operation. Plant management thought of it as an unavoidable cost of doing business.
Bill had a better idea. He recommended changing to fluoropolymer-coated bolts with anti-corrosion and low-friction properties. His client took him up on the idea. After that, man-hours devoted to bolt replacement plummeted.
By the way, Bill and George work at the same company. Southern Fasteners and Supply Inc. encourages their service technicians to view their jobs as not just filling bins, but solving problems. Service above and beyond is essential to the success of the relationships built with their strategic partners.
Ready for a VMI program that goes beyond the expected? Call Loran Perkins today at (888) 593-7223 to discuss your needs.
