Piloted at Rosehill Service Centre in Sydney in early 2007, the CHEP Express appointment booking program aimed to improve productivity and cut downtime by significantly reducing truck waiting times.
The problem
To quantify the problem at the outset, the CHEP team used GPS units in CHEP trucks to capture data on service centre traffic and queuing times.
The data showed peak waiting periods early in the morning, dropping off throughout the day.
Modelling indicated that waiting times would increase over time without action.
The team identified that the greatest factor affecting waiting times was unscheduled and clustered truck arrival times.
The results
The pilot demonstrated that savings of 15 minutes per truck could be achieved using the booking system.
Using a Six Sigma model to improve productivity and efficiency, the Rosehill project cut waiting times for scheduled trucks, and more than 75% of daily movements are now using the scheduling service.
Similar to its predecessors Quality Control and TQM, Six Sigma is an effective systematic and data-driven method for eliminating process inefficiencies whilst offering a Just-In-Time approach to logistics management.
Following the pilot’s success, CHEP Express is now operational at Rosehill, NSW, and Clayton and Altona, VIC, and four more sites are being considered at present.
How it works
Through CHEP Express, customers elect a preferred three-hour window, and a guaranteed appointment time is offered within the preferred period.
Bookings can extend to multiple loads, which facilitate scheduled programming for up to weeks ahead, significantly increasing productivity.
A dedicated CHEP Express service point exists at Rosehill, Clayton and Altona.
Customers not wishing to pre-book an appointment can still use the other service points and queue for service.
CHEP Express allows truck arrivals to be spread out at regular intervals throughout the day, minimising the impact of waiting and servicing periods.
It is anticipated that the uptake of CHEP Express will be gradual as operators become familiar with the service and the potential time savings.
www.chep.com
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