The Logistics Jigsaw Puzzle:
A Case Study and Activity to Help Piece it Together
David Veech and Parthi Damodaraswamy

First, we’ll explore some of the challenges of bringing change to our internal logistics through a short case study featuring a nation-wide distributor for nearly everything that gets sold at truck stops throughout the US. Orders come in from each truck stop for items as diverse as DVDs and radar detectors. Delays in picking and shipping adversely affect store operations and the percentage of late shipments led the new owners to seek help in streamlining the internal logistics of the company’s main distribution centers. We’ll provide detailed explanations of how this company reorganized to achieve greater flow, and how long-time and brand new employees contributed to the solutions.

Next, we’ll lay out a simulated logistics environment featuring four firms. Each firm completes a piece of work that must then be shipped to a systems integrator to deliver the final product. The biggest challenge comes from the dispersion of information and materials that must be ordered by each firm and supplied by the other three firms. Participants will work in teams to design and operate a system to ensure that each firm gets what it needs to complete their portion.

Upon completion of this session, participants will learn…

• How to create an environment of excitement for transformation

• How to reorganize work centers to achieve flow

• How to think from a systems perspective

• How 5S goes way beyond housekeeping

• How a video camera can serve to engage employees rather than turn them off

• How to design workstations for maximum employee satisfaction while vastly improving productivity

Presenter Biography

David Veech is the Executive Director of the Institute for Lean Systems.  Mr. Veech retired from the US Army in 2001 and now consults with companies to help them design more satisfying work systems for their team members.  He also develops and teaches lean systems certification courses, executive courses, and short courses in topics related to human performance (problem solving, motivation, employee involvement and satisfaction, team building, and leadership.)  He serves as Co-Faculty Director for “Applying Lean Principles Across the Supply Chain” course offered by the Pennsylvania State University Executive Education Programs in the Smeal College of Business.  Mr. Veech earned a BA in International Relations from Western Kentucky University in 1981, and an MS in Industrial Management from Clemson University in 1992.  He is completed additional post-graduate studies in Educational and Industrial/Organizational Psychology.  Mr. Veech is married, has three children and lives in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky.

Parthis Damodaraswamy has extensive experience transforming companies in a variety of industries, most notably health care, wood products, glass products, plastics, food processing, and distribution. In each of these specialized environments, his innovative thinking has made delivering customer value the main focus while delivering exceptional financial Results.