Not much to say about the past week. I did keep up with the claims as they came in, and I spent Saturday dispatching the remaining backlog. But as the second (or third?) week of working overtime to quell the claims came to a close, my capacity to continue doing so waned. on Thursday and Click Here to continue reading.
A while ago–a longer while than I realized–I outlined a plan to reduce shipping errors. At that time I promised to give updates and to stay focused on what I could control.
I’ve strayed from that worthy plan. It began to fall apart when the supervisor of the spare parts order pickers would not or could Click Here to continue reading.
I sort of forgot I was enrolled in an on-line class. It is beneath my level in the subject matter and boring. But I should still finish the assignments so I can put it down as complete.
On the job training/learning is so much better. But if they are only training you in doing things the Click Here to continue reading.
Forgive the title. I know I shouldn’t be making easy, thoughtless puns on crass holidays, but judge for yourself when you have read.
At the end of every month we are substantially shy of our shipping quota, and at the end of every month the shipping manager asks for any available help from the rest of Click Here to continue reading.
Instead of the Scary Guy coming back and telling us who’s been naughty and who’s been nice, we are now going to host a newly-formed Acme A-Team. The team will be in our plant starting November till just before Christmas. Officially they are here to jump start our transformation to a modern, Lean factory. Unofficially, Click Here to continue reading.
I have been getting more requests from more people for different reports–which orders absolutely must ship today, which important customers are about to get really upset with our performance, other things of that nature. I’ve told everyone that it reminds me of getting the women and children off the Titanic. In other words, triage implies Click Here to continue reading.
Some of our products are made exclusively for certain high-profile customers. In these kinds of arrangements, the customers are expected to forecast ahead of time what quantity of product they will need. The forecast does not have to be precise down the the last unit, but it does have to be in the right range Click Here to continue reading.
Great innovators are the ones who do what everyone said can’t be done. Columbus. Orville and Wilbur. Einstein. Edison.
Great idiots are the ones who attempt to do what everyone said can’t be done. Since they are so much more common, their names are less famous, though a good historian could name a few (shame on Click Here to continue reading.
Acme, the international company, has been making changes, divesting from some product lines and investing in others. The changes have been occuring all year, but they are now looming over our site, my Acme. It is verly likely that things will be running differently by the end of the year. Will it be by our Click Here to continue reading.
After delivering bad new, I usually grin. Unless I feel personally affected by the events.
This week in the daily meeting, M.B. the production manager gave us the sketchy details of the recent visit by the Scary One (the member of senior management most prone to asking for what we are not ready to deliver). The Click Here to continue reading.