Another Fine Mess
A
couple inches. That’s all it took to throw Ford into a public relations
chasm a mile wide.
The
company was still recovering from the effects of its Firestone-tire-related
recall when it found another tiresome problem with its Explorer SUV. This time,
material handling gets the spotlight.
After
the first recall, affecting models equipped with Firestone tires that lost
tread under certain driving conditions, Ford put its new Explorer models under
special scrutiny. The automaker was determined to find any weak links in the
production chain. It even made the new Explorer two-and-a-half inches wider and
two inches longer than its 2001 models to make it less prone to rollovers.
The new
Explorer design passed inspection. Unfortunately, the material handling system
comprising the production line at Ford’s Louisville, Kentucky, plant
didn’t get a second look. Apparently, nobody thought to see if the
conveyor was wide enough to accommodate the SUV’s new dimensions. It wasn’t,
and it bit them where it hurts —
in the tires.
According
to an Associated Press report, the SUVs were loaded too far to the right on a
conveyor that was too narrow, leaving cuts five to nine inches long and a
half-inch deep in one or both of the right tire treads. Result: recall number
two, this time affecting 50,000 2002 model-year Explorers and Mountaineers.
The
automotive industry should thank Ford for teaching an expensive — no, a
valuable — lesson. It’s one that the e-commerce world will never
forget. Just say Christmas 1999 to one of the survivors in that sector and
watch them shudder. There aren’t many left among those who failed to back
up their glitzy online front-ends with back-room material handling logistics
operations that could deliver on their service commitments. Whether
you’re an e-tailer or a car maker, material handling must be factored
into your business plan.
How can
other industries avoid the consequences of ignoring the lessons of Material
Handling 101? Employing material handling specialists would help.
Unfortunately, many companies have gotten away from staffing up on that talent,
according to John Nofsinger, CEO of The Material Handling Industry of America.
“In
the days I was doing IE stuff we would never do a methods-type analysis without
first assessing the shape, size and speed of what was there,” he told me.
“Today there probably isn’t such vertical expertise, and this kind
of thought process never happens.”
The
best recourse is a three-way alliance among the end-user, the information
system vendors and the material handling system vendors. With such a system
safety net it’s less likely that a stray detail like conveyor width would
slip through the information gap.
In
today’s time-sensitive, service-competitive business environment,
it’s easy to see how logistics details can get lost. Even Nofsinger
admits material handling tends to be overshadowed by high-tech’s
razzle-dazzle. He likens the material handling equipment industry’s
relationship with enterprise system software vendors to a circus parade.
“They
get to wear the sequins while we’re out there following the
elephant,” he explains. “It’s not pleasant, but between us we
can make this thing work.”
Need to
clean up your act? Make sure material handling plays a lead role.
Tom
Andel
chief
editor
tandel@penton.com
