126 THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK EFC: DOING THINGS A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY continued from page 40 Douglas Adams, CEO and President of EFC International, is the first to admit “EFC does things a little differently.” He is proud to lead the fastener industry through innovation on all levels. Douglas leads his team with hard work, dedication, and a few perks thrown in. EFC continues to invest in people through company paid education. Another perk enjoyed by employees throughout the company is subsidized fuel expenses. The plan was first implemented in 2008 with oil and gas prices breaking records and no resolution in sight. Concerned it may force employees to consider other employment closer to EFC wins KMOX Radio’s Cardinal Spirit Award their homes, which would clearly adversely affect the company, the decision was made to subsidize fuel expenses. Gas prices continue to be at a level impacting the world-wide economy. EFC realizes the impact as a company due to their position as a major supplier to the automotive, recreational vehicle, commercial and distribution industries. Douglas states, “We encourage all corporations to consider similar support for their employees.” EFC continues to develop strategies to create consistent business growth and remain focused on this initiative and employees because we really do care. EFC International Atlanta - St. Louis - Chicago - Detroit - Toronto IF YOU REALLY TRUST THE WAREHOUSE - PART 1 OF 2 continued from page 118 Purchasing appropriate readers for both UPC and Code 39 (typical for the industry) with simple programming that will allow for matching bar codes on racks with the ones on the products (regardless of code symbology) can be used to verify both stocking and picking. The costs and efforts may be minimal but your peace of mind will make the payback virtually instantaneous. The easiest place to begin implantation is stocking where the stocker verifies the code on the product or paper work with a label on the rack, bin or shelf. Get this process under control and then add picking, physical inventory, checking and other functions. Often this will set the stage for installing a new Warehouse Management System (WMS) and can gain perhaps 50% to 80% of the benefits before making any substantial software investments. It will take at least 2 months for any bar code label program to be usable so starting on this in The objective is for you and everyone else to become comfortable with about a 97.3% confidence level that what you are finding in terms of both quality and quantity is “truth” and accurate. the near future is imperative. If the Pick-Pack personnel will need to bring boxes with them while picking at some point you need to identify the shipping carton type usage to determine what cartons (and quantity) should be stocked strategically in the warehouse and bungeed to the carts. While initially the current pick carts and cartons can be utilized they are not necessarily optimal for pick/pack. Self forming bottoms for the cartons and a more user friendly cart should be investigated. A future article will discuss the personnel and compensation issues involved in Pick-Pack operations. Never mess with people’s paychecks until everyone in the operation has reached a very high level of trust. Saving time and labor in the warehouse provides an opportunity for “gain sharing” where both individuals and teams are rewarded. This is where the ultimate payback is generated.
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