Can you spot the Lumber PickLine in the satellite image? Contrary to the myth that it will “take up too much space,” a lumber PickLine can actually save space by utilizing existing truck lanes and by following existing forklift flow. For example, this outside PickLine has ample 35 ft clearance to access the building and to load the building side of the PickLine, while also using the existing driveway to easily load the opposite side of the PickLine. And, by having the PickLine chain trough in the existing driveway, there’s no obstruction of truck traffic. [For all images, See PDF or View in Full Issue.]
PickLines can be “shrunk” typically from over 300 ft to anywhere in between 120 ft long by managing and stocking the PickLine for daily production along with utilizing material handling strategies including alternating less-used lumber perpendicularly or diagonally in between more commonly used parallel bunks of lumber, which allows you to get more SKUs onto the PickLine for daily jobs.
Keep in mind that a PickLine is daily production lumber and not lumber storage. Not all SKUs need to be stocked on the PickLine for daily production needs. Make a sub-pick part of the daily picking process to pick non-PickLine stocked lumber for the day/shift’s production as a supplemental pick. A sub-pick will essentially extend the length of the lumber PickLine.
Yes, a sub-pick is forklift lumber picking, however, it is only for lumber sizes/grades not stocked on the PickLine that will be placed at a designated spot(s) on the PickLine. Another tip to extend a PickLine is to use wheeled carts for bunk lumber to enable the Picker to self-manage the PickLine according to daily production requirements.
Optimize your work force. All workers can and should be cross-trained to work the lumber PickLine using paper picklists and/or WiFi tablets. The PickLine will help facilitate training of new workers by counting boards, checking lumber lengths and lumber width to make sure your automated saws keep cutting. More than a few plants keep score of human vs. machine if and when an error is detected and stops the trough chain.
The Picker’s other motivation is to fill the live deck as quickly as possible in order to take a break or use this time to manage the pick line lumber and keep the work area tidy and clear of culled lumber. A lumber pick line will help solve your labor issues in many other ways. Haven’t we all had forklift drivers quit in under two weeks of forklift lumber picking complaining, “This is not a forklift position.”
Do you have room for a Lumber PickLine? Yes! Contact us when you are ready to take your organization to the next level: Edmond.Lim@LimTekSolutions.com, 416-888-4457 (cell), https://limteksolutions.com/.