SPRING 2024

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THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
Robert Footlik
Robert B. Footlik, PE is a retired Professional Industrial Engineer. With over 50 years’
experience as a Warehouse and Logistics Consultant to a wide variety of clients including
Fastener Distributors, Bob has a wealth of valuable information for our industry and he is
willing to share it. While Footlik & Associates is now closed, his expertise is still available
to his friends and our readers. For friendly advice, a second opinion or just to start a
conversation, he can be reached at robert@footlik.net.
TWICE THE OUTPUT FROM HALF THE WORKERS
The curse of the engineering mind is that
everything can be redesigned, enhanced and
improved. Nothing can ever be completely perfect.
On a recent visit to a proprietary dietary supplement
manufacturer, their “pop-up pick line” was so inefficient
that the problems were as the saying goes, “Immediately
Obvious To The Most Casual Observer” (IOTTMCO).
People were busy, forklifts were restocking the picking
line, materials were being picked, transported, inspected
and packed at what appeared to be a furious rate.
However, it was just wasted effort, with too many people
accomplishing too little and taking too long to do it.
Mission Statement
The overall objective is to raise large amounts of
cash by selling direct to the existing customer base
while attracting new customers. An analog situation for
a Fastener Distributor would be identifying a limited line
of high grade or aircraft fasteners that are commonly
used by the general aviation industry; racecar developers
and teams; along with similar markets where Grade 5
is never used. Every fastener sold will need to have
a trackable pedigree for batch, lot, heat, secondary
treatment, etc. Maximum Stock Keeping Unit (SKU)
count will be 200 individual items, including pre-packed
kits.
The sale will last for only one week and every order
must be shipped, 100% perfect within 24 hours. Speed,
accuracy and customer satisfaction are the primary
metrics. Timing can coincide with year-end to bolster the
CONTRIBUTOR ARTICLE
bottom line, or March 1 to pay last year’s taxes in full
and on time. IOTTMCO every dollar raised is vital to the
future of the company.
Ergonomics
At first glance, IOTTMCO, someone designed
workbenches for inspectors and packers with a 36” high
roller conveyor to remove the completed orders. That is
frequently the standard for bench top assembly, often
from a seated position. It does not work for packing
simply because a 12” high carton on top of a 36” surface,
with flaps that add 6” to the height required the workers
to contend with a 4’6” working height. For a professional
basketball team that is not a problem, but for the women
who were working in this area, with an average height of
5’ the cartons were too high for comfort, productivity or
safety. Everyone was wearing long sleeves to avoid paper
cuts and tilting the cartons to look inside as they lifted
individual products over the flaps.
There are many solutions for this problem. Some
operations use platforms for the workers to stand on
(not recommended) or just hire taller workers (basketball
teams). A quick fix is to fold down one flap of the carton
and hold it in place with a clothespin or clip. A better
alternative is to simply lower the conveyor, reposition the
bench legs to a higher bolthole, or add a lower table or
side shelf for a 24” to 30” actual working surface. Any
viable solution should incorporate the workers needs
and physical limitations. Define the “context” and design
the workplace for comfort and safety.
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