This is the time of year when you hear people all around you wishing each other happy holidays. For people working in logistics, those holidays tend to have extra meaning.
Not that we logisticians celebrate Christmas more fanatically, or pop carbide or fireworks at New Year's Eve, no I mean that there is often a lot to do in the logistics field prior to those holidays.
Busy or quiet
For some, the festive season means reducing stock levels to prevent products with a short shelf life from becoming unusable after the festivities; for others, it means building up stock to meet the higher demand around the festive season. After all, we’re always striving to keep our customers as satisfied as possible. Still others have to go the extra mile to ensure all orders are processed on time. Many businesses want to see matters finalised, and consumers want certain goods delivered before Christmas. This means (extra) careful planning, perhaps working overtime, and scheduling machines across staggered shifts to maximise net working hours.
At the same time, we often want to spend some time with the staff, whether or not combined with the presentation of a Christmas hamper as a token of appreciation for their efforts. If the company is particularly busy at such times, it can be quite a puzzle to keep everyone happy.
For all kinds of companies, 'balance sheets' are often added. Whether this is prompted by the tax authorities or the 'own' finance department, it doesn't really matter. It can take a lot of hours, but on the other hand, it is often a good reason to take another critical look at stocks: is this still necessary, is this quantity needed and is it all in order, do the records match the physical stock?
Looking back and looking ahead
Another aspect of the festive season and the approaching New Year is that it’s a good time to look back and, above all, to look ahead. What went well last year and what could be improved? Once we have a clear picture of what can (or must) be improved, the next question is how we are going to achieve this. What will we do differently to achieve our objectives?
Perhaps this question will give rise to good intentions, which will then hopefully last longer than Epiphany.
Maybe now is the time to make clear agreements with yourself, colleagues, employees, customers or suppliers. Or is now the time to really start those measurements, KPIs, productivity measurement, or to bring (more) structure to the operations. A nice bonus is that then, when the market picks up, we will also be completely ready. This way, you can really start looking forward to the new year again, even though a few days off might be coming up first!
Either way, I wish you 'happy holidays and all the best for the new year' in every way.
Frits de Wind - Logistics Advisor
