4 Signs You Need Onsite Logistics on Your Industrial Project Site

There’s debate about whether Ford actually uttered those words. Regardless of the quote’s accuracy, there’s still an element of truth there. In fact, Steve Jobs talked many times about how Apple never would have created the iPod or iPad if they had relied on customer surveys for product development.

The fact is that sometimes we often don’t know we want or need something until we see it firsthand. We’re too wrapped up in our own challenges and goals to think of creative solutions that we may not know exist, and we may not even know we need.

Our customers have a sense that time and money is being wasted somewhere in the process, but they can’t easily identify where.

At Deufol, we often see that mindset when we start working with new industrial or manufacturing customers. They’re consumed by their schedules, budgets, and quality, as they should be. They know they could be more efficient and productive. They have a sense that time and money is being wasted somewhere in the process, but they can’t easily identify where.

Very often, we can identify those inefficiencies in the way they receive and unpack shipments from vendors. They’re receiving thousands of parts from hundreds of different partners. The shipments come into the worksite and are unpacked by dozens, or even hundreds, of employees and contractors. There are so many moving parts and hands in the process, it’s easy for efficiency to slip.

The solution is something the company didn’t know existed and didn’t previously know they needed. We call it Onsite Insight. With our Onsite Insight solution, we put our team on location at your project site. We handle the receiving of all shipments, products, and materials.

As the containers arrive, we unpack them, eliminate dunnage, and inspect the parts for quality. At this stage, we also scan the parts into our software, so you can track all shipments in your facility in real time.

If there are quality issues, we use a process similar to six sigma to correct the problem. Regardless of whether the issue is caused by the elements, poor packaging, rough transit, or anything else, we do a root cause analysis to find the source. We then work with your vendor to resolve the challenge as quickly as possible.

Assuming there are no quality issues, we deliver the products directly to the end user’s workstation on your jobsite. If there are multiple parts or products going to the same place, we will pack them in a bundle for efficient delivery. Your workers get the parts they need delivered directly to them so they can stay focused on their most important tasks.

Not sure whether you need Onsite Insight? That’s understandable. It’s a relatively new and innovative solution, so you may not be completely sure how it will integrate into your project.

Ask yourself the following four questions. If you answer “yes” to some of these, Onsite Insight may be the solution you need to maximize efficiency and stay on-schedule and under budget.

1. Do your workers spend too much time looking for parts and sifting through packages?

We all know the old saying that “time is money.” That’s never more true than on a complex industrial or manufacturing site. Wasted minutes can add up quickly. Over the course of months or a year, they can impact your timeline and your budget.

Why put your workers in that position in the first place? After all, they’re skilled in a specific area. Let them focus on the tasks they do best, like assembly or machining. Leave the tasks of unpacking and quality inspection for someone who specializes in those areas. Your workers get to focus on their core skills and they stop wasting time wandering around the facility and digging through crates in search of a part.

2. Do you have a large number of contractors onsite?

There are numerous benefits to using outside contractors in your facility or on your project site. However, one of the downsides is that they don’t know every facet of your business. They may not know what part they’re looking for or what a specific material looks like. They don’t know how to inspect for quality or how to resolve a defect.

Again, you’re paying your contractors to perform one function. Maximize their utility by keeping them focused in that area. Don’t ask them to take on tasks that are outside their skill set or knowledge base.
With Onsite Insight, you can rest assured that a knowledgeable and experienced supply chain specialist is handling your material and part inflow, so your contractors can do what you hired them to do.

3. Do you lack supply chain transparency on the job site?

Does this sound familiar? Your workers need a specific part, but they can’t find the container. The vendor checks their tracking and says the container was delivered at your facility earlier in the day. Still, it’s nowhere to be found. Either your vendor’s information is wrong or your team doesn’t know what they’re looking for. In either case, valuable time is being lost.

With Onsite Insight, we scan packages as they enter your facility so you can track them with just a few clicks. You always know where they are in the receiving process. If your worker needs a part to move forward, you can look in the system and potentially see that the part will arrive at his or her station in a few minutes. There’s no mystery about where parts are or when they will arrive.

4. Do quality issues bring your job to a standstill?

Here’s another common worksite problem: A critical part shows up. The team unpacks it and takes it to the workstation so it can be implemented. Only then do you realize that the part was defective. Either it shipped defective or it was damaged in transit.

Now your team members have to stop what they’re doing and work to resolve the problem. They may not know who to call or what to do. If the product spent time sitting in your facility before the error was discovered, that time is now wasted.

There’s no reason why you have to manage every process with your in-house team.

Onsite Insight resolves these issues because we check for quality as parts come in the door. If there’s an error, we contact the appropriate problem and work out a solution as quickly as possible. There’s no wasted time with defective parts going unnoticed or with your team members resolving the issue themselves. We handle that for you.

Do these questions and issues sound familiar? If so, Onsite Insight may be the solution you need. There’s no reason why you have to manage every process with your in-house team. Partner with specialists to manage this function so your team can do what they do best. Consider integrating Onsite Insight into your supply chain.