As part of its integrated cement Loading Management system, PSCL enables its clients to load more than 25 million bags of cement each year.
In consultation with clients we were able to document an error-prone, manual process:
- Excessive and late change orders
- Late product substitution
- Labourious, manual inventory management
All of which had the effect of reducing throughput.
Even with PSCL’s Order Management combined with Loading Management, forklift operators were interacting with the office as orders came in, passing pick lists back and forth to one another. It wasn’t a process that lived inside the warehouse. The actual loading and the management of the information to the forklift operator was still manual. Manual, slow, inefficient, and, again, mistake prone.
One specific client had a new facility with limited real estate and could foresee issues getting forklifts in and out efficiently while keeping site staff and drivers safe. And that would hurt their bottom line. With what we bring to truck loading with our Self-Service Loading and Plant Portal solutions, we knew we could streamline and automate bag loading by creating a combination of hardware and software, integrating the last piece of a plant’s cement loading processes.
We began with a hardened tablet that is mounted to each forklift and power controlled by the ignition. Similar to our K5 Kiosk, the tablet is built to withstand all environmental challenges. It’s waterproof, dustproof, works in a wide range of temperatures, and – given the nature of forklifts and bag loading – it’s vibration resistant.
This also reduces or eliminates interaction between the operator and driver during loading. This increases efficiency, but far more important is that by keeping the driver in their truck we reduce the number of moving elements in the bag warehouse. That improves safety measurably.
After, the driver exits the loading area, tarps up, and prints their BOL outside in an end-to-end managed site, which increases the number of trucks you can move through your facility.
VP, Cement Distribution Craig Leavitt emphasises this primary benefit:
“You’re containing the loading operation to the warehouse exclusively. You’re doing all the other processes outside of that so you can increase your throughput. And if you’d go with the full Plant Portal solution, you’re also getting the truck driver to check themselves in and out. So you’re not using terminal staff to interact with the driver.” In addition, there is full auditability of the entire process. The forklift operator can be set up with a unique user ID and login when they start the forklift. They log into the app and then you can verify who loaded which truck.
PSCL has once again delivered a completely automated chain of custody solution, supplanting inefficient – and potentially costly – traditional methods.
For more information, reach out to a PSCL representative.
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