By: Zoey Pittman
T.J. Lanier works as a manager for a railroad signal shop. Some of the struggles he experiences are supply chain, technology changes, and dynamic schedules.
As a manager, Lanier supports and ensures that appropriate material is ordered and tracks it accordingly. “In the past several years, supply chain issues have changed dramatically from the average lead times and availability,” said Lanier.
Materials are becoming non-realistic for lead times and challenging back orders. “We have to adapt, over come, and improvise,” said Lanier.
Due to changes in the supply change, all projects continue down their completion path with the hope of back order materials arriving. “It’s the same thing auto industries have done. They keep building cars to maintain production and keep people working, even through the back orders of materials,” said Lanier.
The facility works to completion. Once the projects are finished, material tracking is still in place for all remaining items.
Tracking advanced ordered material has also been an unforeseen element to their project material handling. Inventory space can become crowded very quickly.
Inventory levels are becoming so unpredictable due the effects from COVID. “It is worse than trying to hit a moving target.”
Lanier is working with electrical components to prepare for testing. “We have had to develop methods to ensure circuits are protected, and utilized other items to ensure a quicker equipment installation once received.”
Dealing with the challenge of technology, it is always changing in the shop’s field. The changes are to educate the workforce and ensure the quality processes are in place.
Cross-training employees is important to the process because it ensures the shop has coverage in their work. It also allows solid quality checks from other perspectives.
Some equipment is utilized for building network control panels. New equipment, like this, allows for more work but also presents a new level of skill set for employees.
Ever changing equipment, such as micro processors, creates its different challenges. To overcome these changes it is through education of the new technology.
It is important for the suppliers to support their technology advances. “We are educating the end user on how to test and diagnose our specialized equipment.”
Dynamic scheduling is a revolving schedule for all aspects of the shop. It is a start and end date for project completions that can change at any moment.
Weekly reviews ensures first end, is the first out. A challenge could be a project changing, but whatever is in progress will be finalized to move it through the completion process.
Advancements with even some of the moderate technologies has successfully assisted with increased production. “This particular equipment was pursed through employees’ suggestions.”
Using employees’ ideas has proven to be very beneficial with meeting scheduling demands. This device allows for more streamline approach to production needs.
Keeping safety and ergonomics in mind allows for a better employee and working experience. “Safety is always paramount.”
With the shop’s unique configuration , scheduling challenges are usually easy to overcome by changing specific locations layouts. This is most useful for an emergency situation.
Scheduling applications and metric tracking is something Lanier stays on top of to prevent from becoming an issue. “We can adapt and change things on the fly, which makes us a more unique work facility.”
