Improve Efficiency Essay Example for Free

Improve Efficiency Essay A very high percentage of the items selected (picked) in the distribution centers and re-stocked in the stores were in quantities of 1 case. This company’s roots were as a high volume, limited assortment retailer and distributor. Over time the business had shifted allowing the stores to reorder a higher mix of items at lower volumes. Given the companies market position as a low-price leader, this reduced profit margins. The two root causes of this shift were identified as: 1. Stock-keeping-unit (SKU) count growth outpacing sales growth, and 2. Allowing minimum order quantities from the stores to the distribution centers to drop to a quantity of one This white paper will study how this company quantified the impact of allowing its stores to order in one case quantity and then recalculated minimum order quantities for higher volume items. (For details of how SKUs were reduced see White Paper â€Å"SKU Reduction – Biggest SKLUsers†) A Supply Velocity Consultant led a team of employees through this 5 week project. The Supply Velocity consultant facilitated, but the employees did most of the analysis and therefore owned the improvements. [emailprotected] com Copyright: Supply Velocity, Inc. 2 Project Outline ? Evaluated all SKUs and the case quantity they are most frequently ordered at, to establish baseline data for how stores are ordering ? Time studied retail store shelf restocking and distribution center order selection labor to determine the negative labor productivity impact of the current ordering policy o Graphed the results in a trend chart o Determined that the greatest labor productivity improvement happens when the order quantity increases from just 1 to 2 cases ? Recalculated minimum order quantity for all items using Multi-Variable Pareto analysis based on: o Item unit movement o Pack-out (number of units that fit on the shelf space allocated in stores) o Shelf life ? About 20% of all SKUs had a re-calculated minimum order quantity greater than 1 case o The most conservative methods were used to ensure this project didn’t just push inventory out to stores, resulting in shrink (throwing away items that go beyond their shelf-life limit or are damaged) ? Communicated all items on the minimum order quantity to all stores through a comprehensive communication plan o Communication plan included data to show stores how increasing minimum order quantity on select items would improve their labor productivity ? Created a control plan to ensure new items, SKU reduction and sales history will be used to update the minimum order quantity on a twice yearly basis [emailprotected] com Copyright: Supply Velocity, Inc. 3 Time Study Analysis To quantify the problem, we time studied order selection in the distribution centers and shelf restocking in retail stores. We conducted a few snapshot analyses of different distribution centers to understand the current state of â€Å"order quantities†. The graph below shows that out of the approximately 2800 items, a majority are ordered in quantities of 1 case. The time study data also showed that the second case selected or stocked is essentially â€Å"free† and the same movement is used for two cases as for one case. At the outset of this project the team was worried that any increase in minimum order quantity would be viewed by store managers as an attempt to push inventory out from the distribution centers to the stores. This data showed that increasing minimum order quantity from one case to just two, gave us the greatest percentage of labor productivity improvement. However, we didn’t just want to increase all items to a 2 case minimum order quantity. Instead, a statistical tool, Multi-Variable Pareto was used to calculate the proper minimum order quantity based on a mix of inputs. [emailprotected] com Copyright: Supply Velocity, Inc. 4 Distribution Center Order Selection Quantity (# of items picked per quantity) 57% of the items in distribution centers were selected at a 1 case quantity [emailprotected] com Copyright: Supply Velocity, Inc. 5 â€Å"Time to Select per Case Quantity† in the Distribution Centers – Based on case count per selection When selecting 2 cases of a n item, the time per case drops by 45% from 1 case. [emailprotected] com Copyright: Supply Velocity, Inc. 6 Time to Re-Stock SKUs on Shelves in Stores – Based on case count When restocking 2 cases of an item, the time per case drops by 61% from 1 case. This shows that the greatest productivity improvement occurs when going from 1 to 2 cases, which is easier to â€Å"sell† to the stores than making large increases in minimum order quantity. They can reduce labor by 37 seconds per case by ordering and stocking 2 cases of an item versus 1. [emailprotected] com Copyright: Supply Velocity, Inc. 7 Multi Variable Pareto Analysis ? Recalculated minimum order quantity for all items using Multi-Variable Pareto analysis based on: o Item unit movement o Pack-out (number of units that fit on the shelf space allocated in stores) o Shelf life ? About 20% of all SKUs had a re-calculated minimum order quantity greater than 1 case o The most conservative methods were used to ensure this project didn’t just push inventory out to stores, resulting in shrink Multi-Variable Pareto is a method that uses more than one â€Å"measure† to sort SKUs from highest to lowest performing. Normal Pareto Analysis has been used to develop guidelines such as the 80/20 rule (20% of customers generate 80% of sales). When using multiple variables, there has to be a way to normalize the data so all variables are part of the analysis. We used three variables to determine the correct minimum order quantity for an item. ? Cases sold per week on average for each item ? The number of cases that fit in the given shelf space ? Product shelf-life Each of these variables are positively correlated to Minimum Order Quantity. ? The higher the cases sold equals higher Order Quantity ? The greater the shelf space (pack-out) equals higher Order Quantity ? The longer the item’s shelf-life equals higher Order Quantity The team of subject matter experts used retail experience to determine each of these factors and their impact on minimum order quantity. Results of this analysis are shown below. The calculation was very conservative, as the results have shown. Only 466 of 2800 items have a minimum order quantity greater than 1 case. This was largely driven by two factors. Item shelf-life limited our ability to make any shelf-life sensitive item greater than 1 case. Our calculation took this limiting factor into account, to ensure we weren’t causing shrink (throwing away items that go beyond their shelf-life limit or are damaged) at the stores. In addition, lower case movement drove many items to a 1 case minimum, even if they didn’t have shelf life limitations. The lower case movement is due to SKU proliferation and was addressed by the SKU Reduction (Biggest SKLUsers) project. [emailprotected] com Copyright: Supply Velocity, Inc. 8 Results of Minimum Order Quantity Calculation [emailprotected] om Copyright: Supply Velocity, Inc. 9 Communication Control Plan ? Communicated with all retail stores about how the minimum order quantity analysis was conducted and the resulting new plan o Communication plan included data to show stores that increasing minimum order quantity on select items would improve their labor productivity ? Created a control plan so new items, SKU reduction and sales history will update the minimum order quantity on a twice yearly basis It was critical that this project was presented as a positive for our retail store-customers. We created a communication plan that showed two key aspects of this change: ? The conservative nature of the change o only 466 of 2800 items are receiving a minimum order quantity increase ? This change is good for the stores and will improve their labor productivity To ensure that this process endures and does not get reversed over time we included a control plan. This is shown in the graphic below. As Category Marketing Managers evaluate items, adding and reducing SKUs, changes will be reflected in new pack-out quantities. This quantity will get fed to Distribution Technology who will recalculate this items’ minimum order quantity using the same Multi-Variable Pareto calculation. A control group, made up of Merchandising, Distribution and Retail Directors will review the list, make changes in the ordering system and communicate changes to store customers. [emailprotected] com Copyright: Supply Velocity, Inc. 10 Results By taking the higher sales volume SKUs and increasing the store minimum order quantity, we decreased the time per case to stock shelves in the stores and select items in the distribution centers. Using only the 1 to 2 case increase in minimum order quantity for the 466 SKUs reduced the labor time per case resulting in a labor savings of $1. 2 million. The expectation for this process is to slowly grow the number items with a minimum order quantity greater than 1 case beyond 20%. By rationalizing and reducing SKUs we should increase the shelf pack-out of remaining items, thereby increasing the minimum order quantity.

Theatre Royal in Winchester production of 1984 :: Drama

Theatre Royal in Winchester production of '1984' 1984 Evaluation =============== On the 19th November 2002 myself, and a group of year eleven students went to the Theatre Royal in Winchester to watch a play named '1984'. The plays main theme was about a society being treated unfairly and not being able to have rights or individuality. It showed people being extremely restricted on what they could do both physically and mentally. Watching it, it made me feel fortunate to have the rights I have and that I am not constrained on what I can do. The director wanted you when watching, to feel uncomfortable and distressed as you were watching one individual being tortured. The more torture shown, the more privileged I felt to possess the rights I do have. A variety of techniques were used to enforce the powerful message this play presented. At the beginning, a group of soldiers pointed at the audience and shouted 'Die Die' continuously, which made you feel threatened and also at the same time involved within the play. The set was quite basic yet effective. All the scenes featured two large wooden walls, which were moved for different scenes. These walls were used as a technique to change scene. When a new scene was started the walls would be spun round to illustrate a new scene, which was very effective. Throughout the play short videos were shown for a variety of reasons. These included: emphasizing a point within the play, to give new information to the audience or to add to the dramatic effect of a particular scene. Various lighting techniques were used including a spotlight. A spotlight makes you focus on one particular part of the stage where usually a scene is being acted. A spotlight can add tension and increased dramatic effect to a scene, for example when soliloquies are used. An additional lighting method used was to flash bright lights at the audience to illustrate a scene change. This was very effective as afterwards a new scene was taking place. As well as lighting techniques, the props used were very successful in making the scene more exciting and attention grabbing. One prop used was a counterfeit electric chair. In this scene the main character was being tortured using the electric chair. The smoke and sounds the chair was making made the scene even more dramatic and made you sympathise with him even more. The main characters included a man named Winston, and a woman called Julia who has already had already a couple of illegal love affairs. Both characters were deprived of their rights and wanted the same thing, freedom.

Psychological Therapies For Depression Essay

PIT was first developed by Robert Hobson (1985) as an attempt to move away from the traditional psychoanalytic approach of a one-sided relationship between therapist and client. It was originally called the ‘conversational model’ to emphasise the fact that the mutual task of therapist and client was to engage in a therapeutic ‘conversation’. In this ‘conversation’ problems are not only talked about as past events, but are also actively relived in the present and resolved within the therapeutic relationship. Hobson believed that the symptoms of depression arise from disturbances in the interpersonal relationships. These disturbances can only be explored and modified effectively from within another relationship – the therapeutic one. The quality of the relationship is therefore crucial. Components of PIT- Exploratory rationale- interpersonal difficulties in the individual’s life are identified, and the therapist tries to find a rationale for the individual that links their current symptoms with these difficulties. Shared Understanding- the therapist tries to understand what the individual is really experiencing or feeling. Focus on difficult feelings- the individual may express an emotion (i.e. anger) of which they are unaware, or may not display appropriate emotion. Gaining insight- the therapist points out patterns in different types of relationship Sequencing of Interventions- different aspects of the model must be used in a coherent manner. Change- the therapist acknowledges and encourages changes made during therapy. Effectiveness of PIT Paley et al (2008) have shown that as a treatment for depression, outcomes for PIT are at least equivalent to those achieved with CBT. However, they acknowledge that changes in significant life-events were not monitored during the study, therefore any observable clinical gains (or lack of them) could not be attributed solely to the therapeutic intervention. NHSÂ  psychotherapy patients were randomly allocated to receive 12 weeks PIT or to remain as a waiting list controls for that period. 54 patients entered the study, of which 33 completed. Significant improvement was observed in patients that completed the therapy, suggesting that even a brief treatment by inexperienced therapists can be effective in alleviating the symptoms of depression. The Cognitive Behavioural Therapy CBT emphasises the role of maladaptive thoughts and beliefs in the origins and maintenance of depression. When people think negatively about themselves and their lives, they become depressed. The aim of CBT is to identify and alter these maladaptive cognitions as well as any dysfunctional behaviour that might be contributing to depression. CBT is intended to be relatively brief (16-20 sessions) and is focused on current problems and current dysfunctional thinking Thought Catching- individuals are taught how to see the link between their thoughts and the way they feel. By challenging these dysfunctional thoughts, and replacing them with more constructive ones, clients are trying out new ways of behaving. Behavioural Activation- this is based on the common sense idea that being active leads to rewards that act as an antidote to depression Effectiveness of PIT Robinson et al (1990) meta-analysis found that CBT was superior to no-treatment control groups. However, when these control groups were subdivided into waiting lists and placebo groups, CBT was not significantly more effective than the placebo condition. CBT appears to be less suitable for people who have high levels of dysfunctional beliefs that are both rigid and resistant to change.- (Elkin et al 1985)

Australian And Native American History - 1472 Words

While from two vastly different regions and cultures of the world, Australian and Native American mythologies have more in common than people initially realize. Both span thousands of years of traditional lifestyles, having developed unique folklore in order to preserve their cultures. Australian mythology has a slightly less severe tone, having written their myths in order to record them in the aftermath of colonization, while Native Americans feel a religious reverence for the tales because they view their stories as true accounts. However, while their tones are different, their thematic similarities stretch from their long histories and creation myths to the importance of animals and astronomy. Similar to Australian aboriginals, Native American people have a history that spans hundreds of centuries. Historians and archeologists estimate that the first Native American population, or Paleo-Indians, consisted of â€Å"nomadic hunters from Asia who migrated to the continent probably during the last glacial period (Bastian and Mitchell 6). The dates of the natives’ first appearance in history range from twenty-thousand to sixty-thousand years ago (Bastian and Mitchell 6). Like aboriginals down under, they formed their own separate cultures around the land, developing a â€Å"wide range of small-scale, oral cultures† (WILLIS 220). Native American groups were more distinguishable than Australian tribes, however, each having founded separate and unique characteristics. At the end of theShow MoreRelatedThe Many Languages of Australia and New Zealand1518 Words   |  6 PagesAs of 2013, there are many languages spoken both in Australia and New Zealand. Having a history dating as far as the 18th century, both countries constitute the Austral realm. 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