new 1 for 4000 goal for missorts!!

[soundwave802002]

UPS management is starting their yearly goals. We were told last night at the PCM that the goal for misloads is going up to 1 for 4000. And the packages per hour in now at 250. Personally I think this is crazy given the circumstances that loaders and sorters are given to reach these goals. Wrong shipping lables, shipping lables over shipping lables, addresses crossed off with markers and hand writen. And wrong slics on the labels. Where does UPS come up with these crazy goals. Maybe if there was an updated shipping lable that was standard and correct, we could come close.

 

[Kraetos]

My hub is small and never gives us these outrageous goals. Part-Timers aren't payed enough or have enough incentive to meet the goals, just do enough not to get fired.

 

[UPS Lifer]

I figured a couple of pictures is worth 1000 words. This is not the only time we one a contest put on by the Pacific Region. Every hub sort participated.
Picture 1 - Entire supervisor crew - I am the one kneeling - Jackets picked by supervisors and the Pacific Region paid for them
Picture 2 - Supervisor of the Year - Every month and every year I ranked the supervisors and picked Inbound and Outbound supervisors of the month. At one point I had 35 supervisors.

In December of 2002, the mistoggle frequency was 4620 and the missort frequency was 4592. When I started the frequencies were under 400. Loaders were averaging 350 plus an hour.

This can be done and it is not hard. You don't have to sacrifice performance for it. Remember - my operation hit these frequencies in DECEMBER. During peak week, volumes averaged 120,000 a day with process rates of 20K an hour.

KEY POINT - If you do things right - you get better with more volume not worse.

If you use the 21 point checklist and follow it - you can achieve remarkable results. You can get results within days of starting this process.

Key Elements -
Awareness - hold meetings with loaders -let them know the goals and how to achieve results
Methods - scan every package - don't jam packages down the loaders throats. Know their PPH and let them know what you expect them to increase to.
Sups needs to do 3 min drill every hour with each loader

Key in on the (80/20 concept) 20% destinations which are causing 80% of the problem.
Lock your loaders into the same load - test them on knowledege
Salt them randomly and daily
Make sure every loader knows what the targeted loads are for the week. You need buy in and loaders and pickoff working together to achieve the results. They are each responsible.

RECOGNIZE RESULTS - even in this economy you can do things to recognize your employees' efforts that don't cost you and arm and a leg. A simple and sincere "Thank You" goes a long long way. Create a missort club. Serve food once in awhile - let everyone see who is being recognized and why.

This stuff works - Here are a couple of pics that prove it. A good supervisor is the same as a good coach. All the same kind of processes are in play. You prepare - you drill - you get to know and RESPECT your people - and you celebrate success.

 

[UnconTROLLed]

Don't cram it down their throats? YOu are out of your mind.

I was told by the area PT sup, when loading, the FT sup wanted to make me quit, so he put me in a trailer that was the heaviest in the PD and was a two person job normally, by myself. I just let it back up - only lasted two days.

And don't blame me, this happens quite often with full-time employees in our hub.

It was either work slow and safe, or be injured by 500-600pph flow.

Sure in SOME areas management cares and does the right thing. But MOST areas that is not the case, and it is a fluffy fantasy world at UPS to think otherwise.

Lifer, sometimes I honestly believe that you worked for a different company.

 

[soberups]

UPS management is starting their yearly goals. We were told last night at the PCM that the goal for misloads is going up to 1 for 4000. And the packages per hour in now at 250. Personally I think this is crazy given the circumstances that loaders and sorters are given to reach these goals. Wrong shipping lables, shipping lables over shipping lables, addresses crossed off with markers and hand writen. And wrong slics on the labels. Where does UPS come up with these crazy goals. Maybe if there was an updated shipping lable that was standard and correct, we could come close.

Its nothing more than a "flavor of the week" memo from someone behind a desk with no clue about the reality of the operations that he/she supposedly "manages".

1 for 4000? How about 1 for 10,000? 250 PPH? Why not 500PPH? For that matter, whats wrong with 1000PPH? As long as we are pulling random numbers out of our ass, why not think big?

 

[Loufan]

UPS management is starting their yearly goals. We were told last night at the PCM that the goal for misloads is going up to 1 for 4000. And the packages per hour in now at 250. Personally I think this is crazy given the circumstances that loaders and sorters are given to reach these goals. Wrong shipping lables, shipping lables over shipping lables, addresses crossed off with markers and hand writen. And wrong slics on the labels. Where does UPS come up with these crazy goals. Maybe if there was an updated shipping lable that was standard and correct, we could come close.

Both goals mentioned are quite easy to achieve.

 

[HBGPreloader]

1 per 4000?!?!? I have a hard time with 1 per 1k.

Lifer, what the heck are you talking about? You mean there are actual standards we could be judged by?

And what about this stuff about sups and 3 minute drills? Our sups are too busy handling packages to give up 3 minutes of their time. And, yes, I've grieved it and I have another meeting with the BA and mgmt tomorrow.

Oh, and rewards/recognition? What a joke. In our center, we were promised all types of bonuses over the couple of years I've been there. And every time, they started a "reward program" it was shut down after the goals were met but before the "reward" was delivered.

The most recent program was a drawing for $100 visa gift card for loaders who had zero walked in wrong cars during peak. When I won, I was told that the program was canceled due to lack of funds, but I could order $100 worth of UPS stuff from their gift catalog. Gee, what a treat considering I sell those novelty items in my business and now how much they cost.

All of this is on top of trying mgmt trying to bone all of the p/t package car loaders by not paying overtime according to the contract terms.

Yep, it's a great place to work - if you want good benefits and a lot to laugh at.

Checkers

 

[bluehdmc]

It's nice to have goals.

 

[brownIEman]

Its nothing more than a "flavor of the week" memo from someone behind a desk with no clue about the reality of the operations that he/she supposedly "manages".

1 for 4000? How about 1 for 10,000? 250 PPH? Why not 500PPH? For that matter, whats wrong with 1000PPH? As long as we are pulling random numbers out of our ass, why not think big?

1 per 10,000? ah, heck, why not 1 per 3. Contract does not say anything about performance, so what the heck, why even make an effort to service our customers better at a more cost effective pace? Forget anything to shoot for, lets just all do as much, or as little, as we feel like in a given sort. Shoot, why not just load 47 packages total in an hour and a half, 22 of them in the wrong feeder, and then just walk out and say I will take my guarantee, thanks.

For the sake of my financial future and yours, I dearly hope your attitude stops catching on in this company.

 

[Jigawatts]

I have maybe one or two misloads a month. Work at the end of the belt where I get crushed by my own packages as well as the people in front of me. Not to mention fighting the bitter cold because they can't turn the heat on. And for all this, in 7 years I've gotten a t-shirt, a UPS water bottle, and last week I was lucky enough to receive a dollar gift certificate that I can use in one of our snack machines. Where's the incentive for me to work any harder or more attentively than anyone else?

My advice to loaders is to let it pile up. As long as you get all those packages in the CORRECT truck at the end of the day nothing else matters. They can chew you out all they want, but you're not going to get fired for working safely and conscientiously, all though they like to make you think that's exactly what will happen if you don't work at their pace.

Work at your own pace and work safely.

 

[brownIEman]

I have maybe one or two misloads a month. Work at the end of the belt where I get crushed by my own packages as well as the people in front of me. Not to mention fighting the bitter cold because they can't turn the heat on. And for all this, in 7 years I've gotten a t-shirt, a UPS water bottle, and last week I was lucky enough to receive a dollar gift certificate that I can use in one of our snack machines. Where's the incentive for me to work any harder or more attentively than anyone else?

My advice to loaders is to let it pile up. As long as you get all those packages in the CORRECT truck at the end of the day nothing else matters. They can chew you out all they want, but you're not going to get fired for working safely and conscientiously, all though they like to make you think that's exactly what will happen if you don't work at their pace.

Work at your own pace and work safely.

A t-shirt, a water bottle and one dollar worth of snacks is all the evil company has given you for 7 years hard work? I gotta tell you, I would have been gone a long time before 7 years without a paycheck...

 

[Jigawatts]

A t-shirt, a water bottle and one dollar worth of snacks is all the evil company has given you for 7 years hard work? I gotta tell you, I would have been gone a long time before 7 years without a paycheck...

I think everyone there receives a paycheck. But is there any other incentives for the people who go the extra mile? If I load 1200 pieces a day and the guy next to me loads 800 pieces a day do I get a bonus? Yeah, I know, I'm grateful I have a job, but the days of me destroying my body are over. Especially after all the deceptive rhetoric spewed out in order to keep me where I'm at.

 

[UPSBluRdg03]

250 pph? Man i remember the days of blowing a trailer the first hour with 800 pieces. Sure I was busting my ass but Ive always like to stay busy made the time fly by. Do what you want but really both of those numbers are easily achieved especially if your only doing 250 an hour!

 

[soberups]

1 per 10,000? ah, heck, why not 1 per 3. Contract does not say anything about performance, so what the heck, why even make an effort to service our customers better at a more cost effective pace? Forget anything to shoot for, lets just all do as much, or as little, as we feel like in a given sort. Shoot, why not just load 47 packages total in an hour and a half, 22 of them in the wrong feeder, and then just walk out and say I will take my guarantee, thanks.

For the sake of my financial future and yours, I dearly hope your attitude stops catching on in this company.

Here's the deal;

There arent any secrets left in running a preload operation. Its basically an assembly line-type operation that does the same thing over and over and over. Every aspect of the operation has already been measured and remeasured to death.

Do you want more PPH? Then you need to accept a higher number of misloads. Do you want fewer misloads? Then you need to slow the belt down and accept fewer PPH.

What typically happens is that you want both, and in demanding both you wind up with neither. If you take an overcrowded and poorly designed facility, then speed the belt up beyond what a normal human being can load off of safely, and combine all that with chaotic, last-minute cuts and elimination of routes 10 minutes before the drivers start time....you wind up with the train wreck that is the typical UPS preload operation.

 

[Bubblehead]

1 per 10,000? ah, heck, why not 1 per 3. Contract does not say anything about performance, so what the heck, why even make an effort to service our customers better at a more cost effective pace? Forget anything to shoot for, lets just all do as much, or as little, as we feel like in a given sort. Shoot, why not just load 47 packages total in an hour and a half, 22 of them in the wrong feeder, and then just walk out and say I will take my guarantee, thanks.

For the sake of my financial future and yours, I dearly hope your attitude stops catching on in this company.

I think he works at the Disney World Hub, where dreams really do come true.

[video=youtube;qdilScQRoYQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdilScQRoYQ[/video]

 

[SoyFish]

OMG only 250 an hour *waves white flag* Consider yourself lucky with a number that low...

& as long as you know how to read you really should not even be getting missorts so 1 for 4,000 is cake.

 

[brownIEman]

Here's the deal;

There arent any secrets left in running a preload operation. Its basically an assembly line-type operation that does the same thing over and over and over. Every aspect of the operation has already been measured and remeasured to death.

Do you want more PPH? Then you need to accept a higher number of misloads. Do you want fewer misloads? Then you need to slow the belt down and accept fewer PPH.

What typically happens is that you want both, and in demanding both you wind up with neither. If you take an overcrowded and poorly designed facility, then speed the belt up beyond what a normal human being can load off of safely, and combine all that with chaotic, last-minute cuts and elimination of routes 10 minutes before the drivers start time....you wind up with the train wreck that is the typical UPS preload operation.

Accept either a slower production or worse service, just plan to the lowest common denominator huh? And when people complain that even those goals are too much, slow down some more I suppose? I disagree.

There is a third option. Train and work with your people, ask them to put in a little effort and take a little pride in their work and strive to be just a bit better, or to reach a high level of proficiency and maintain it.

Is it really asking too much to take just a little pride in someones work? Bubble, that is just a Disneyland fantasy? I hope not...

 

[thelus]

Can I ask you my I.E. guy where the heck do you get these numbers from anyways? I think you guys pull them out of you back side personally. Since operations management is totally incompetent they would just blindly follow what numbers you give them.

 

[SoyFish]

As long as you look at every package that comes down you won't get a ton of missorts no matter what your pph is

 

[UnconTROLLed]

Accept either a slower production or worse service, just plan to the lowest common denominator huh? And when people complain that even those goals are too much, slow down some more I suppose? I disagree.

There is a third option. Train and work with your people, ask them to put in a little effort and take a little pride in their work and strive to be just a bit better, or to reach a high level of proficiency and maintain it.

Is it really asking too much to take just a little pride in someones work? Bubble, that is just a Disneyland fantasy? I hope not...

If a sort is busting their ***** and has a freq near 1/2700 with a goal near 1/3000, what good is increasing it to 1/4000? Tell me, what good does that do? It is simply a fairy-tale, made up number by someone who has no idea what they are doing or "setting as goal", period. You cannot possibly spin it any other way. Sober may not always be right-on, but he is in this case.