In November we began a three-part series introducing the details of our new inventory system. First, we explained how our team identified problems and solutions to the previous system.
Now it’s time to talk about the challenges that we faced while implementing the system.
Employee Hesitation and Support
Our inventory system may run smoothly today, but it wasn’t always that simple.
“The challenges with switching to a new system are those of anything new—the infrastructure, the training, and of course, the buy-in. Getting the infrastructure and training was the easy part,” said Patrick Duff, Warehouse Manager at Jones Heartz. “Creating the buy-in with employees that had been doing this for 10-15 years was very hard.”
Like Patrick stated, the support and buy-in from our team was challenging—employees who had been working without an electronic inventory system for years were hesitant to start a new system. However, the excitement surrounding the possibility of an easier and more accurate system trumped the nerves.
Making the Switch
Implementing the new inventory system was a constant challenge during the beginning stages of the process. The first time the system went live, it did not work out the way we had planned. However, we learned from the initial issues and figured out what we needed to do to make the system successful.
“We realized that the path we were on was going to lose us customers and possibly employees,” Patrick remembered. “We know now that we may not have been as ready or as organized as we needed to be to make the system successful. This caused the buy-in to suffer the first time around.”
The initial switch to the new inventory system had its flaws—but like every project we work on, we did everything we could and spent the time and energy needed to ensure we got it right.
Fixing the Problems
After taking the system offline, our team reevaluated our view and ultimate goals for the system. This included reorganizing the warehouse and noting lessons we learned when we were live to plan out the warehouse and training for the system to ensure its success the next time around.
After taking the initial system down in September 2018, we began the reorganization and training process in October 2018. Following intense training and reviewing our progress, we went live again a year later in December 2019.
Not only has the new system made our product offerings more reliable, but it has also boosted employee spirits. “We have been using the new warehouse management system for about a year now and we have not only noticed a large increase in accuracy and customer satisfaction but an increase in productivity and general happiness of our warehouse employees as well,” Patrick said.
Contact a Denver Drywall Expert at Jones Heartz Today
Want to see first-hand how the new inventory system transformed our company? If you’re interested in learning more our products and services, contact a Denver drywall expert from our team today. We would love to tell you about our process and products —most importantly, we want to help make your drywall project a success!