Solving Traffic Congestion! Visualizing Warehouse Issues Using IE Methods

When working in a warehouse every day, do you ever feel a sense of "waste," such as "it's somehow difficult to move around" or "I spend a lot of time walking"?
However, even if you intuitively sense "waste," it is difficult to explain "what," "where," and "how much" is happening.

That is where the "IE (Industrial Engineering) method," which visualizes issues, comes in handy.
Although IE methods are often used in manufacturing sites, they are actually extremely effective in logistics sites as well.

In fact, at our company's warehouse, there was an area where the traffic lines of workers and forklifts (FL) were congested.
Therefore, we used IE methods to quantify the issues and reviewed the layout of the work area, resulting in an improved layout that separated the traffic lines of workers and FLs.
As a result, we were able to improve productivity by 15%.

In this column, we will introduce the steps for improvement using IE methods, as well as actual improvement cases implemented at our warehouse.

1. What is the IE method?

The IE method is a systematized set of "perspectives," "ways of thinking," and "methodologies" to minimize "waste" and maximize "value."
[Citation: Japanese Institute of Industrial Engineering]

By visualizing work flows and the movement of people and goods using numbers and diagrams, you can proceed with improvements based on evidence rather than intuition.

2. Improvement steps using IE methods

While it is possible to visualize on-site issues by using IE methods, you will not get sufficient results just by using them blindly.
The important thing is to proceed according to the correct steps.
By following the steps, anyone can work on improvements.

Step 1: Clarify the problems

Instead of leaving the "waste" you feel intuitively as just a feeling, put it into words and organize it.
This allows you to find clues for improvement in daily tasks that have become "taken for granted."
Also, while layouts, workers, and work processes are interrelated on-site, thinking about them separately makes the problems easier to see.

Step 2: Investigate the current situation

The first step to improvement is to correctly understand the current situation. As a means for this, we utilize "IE methods."
What is important here is to choose an "IE method" suitable for the problem.
The point is not to try to grasp everything with one method, but to investigate using multiple methods according to the content of the problem.

Step 3: Identify the causes

Based on the survey results, focus on where the "waste" is occurring and clarify the cause.
Identifying the cause often feels difficult, but by focusing on numerical outliers (parts that are particularly high or low) and thinking about the reasons, it naturally becomes visible.

Step 4: Set the issues

Once the causes of the "waste" are visible, next, organize "what should be solved."
The point is to set issues by prioritizing those that are expected to have improvement effects or those that are easy to tackle, rather than trying to solve everything at once.
By clarifying the issues, you can determine the direction of improvement.

Step 5: Consider and execute improvement measures

To solve the set issues, consider and execute improvement measures that suit the site.
When considering measures, it is important not to chase ideals too much, but to place importance on whether they can actually be executed.
Also, since improvements often yield results even with small ingenuity, let's start small first.

3. Summary

The "waste" you feel intuitively in the warehouse every day can be clarified as issues by using IE methods.
Improvements using IE methods can be tackled in-house by following the steps. On the other hand, incorporating improvement proposals from a professional perspective is also effective.
If you are worried about warehouse improvements, please feel free to contact us.

First, we accept consultations via our inquiry form.

📩 Inquiry Form:　  [
https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/AhaEAjizXW]Questions in the comments section are also welcome. We would be happy to exchange information with others in logistics, manufacturing, wholesale, etc., who have similar concerns.

Furthermore, please see our official website for details on logistics solutions, services, networks, and technologies provided by MD Logis.

🏢 Homepage:[https://www.mdlogis.co.jp/]

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#Logistics #LogisticsManagement #WarehouseImprovement #IEMethods #Layout #NewPhysicalDistributionEfficiencyLaw