quality vs production

goetface

Well-Known Member
obviously the quality of packages is below meeting production, as is safety when it comes to ups. I guess they figure real quality comes in 95% of packages undamaged vs the 5% they can just afford to reimburse, yet suffer by customer word of mouth. "dont quote me on the percentages just a example". For instance yesterday, I use the load stand in my trailer ,because the trailer is so poorly loaded "+production" I take one box off the top and the whole wall comes falling back on me with me nearly slipping off the load stand (-safety), packages are damaged (-quality). Today I'm unloading my last trailer in my unload with another guy, sup starts trying to pump us up, of course other guy goes full blast, I try to do the same but cant help dodging boxes, and all sorts of hazards, sup just cheerleads us and all of this is to make him look good. Meanwhile, on the floor is a bunch of slippery flyers im almost slipping on my butt from, and I mention it to him. He gives me the same line Loss prevention gave me in orientation, "we have very good lawyers, and you will lose", and that gentlemen is whats wrong with this country in terms of lobbying, the legal system, government, unions, and corporations. The end result is, YOU DONT MEAN JACK DIDDLY YOUR JUST A NUMBER!
 

Returntosender

Well-Known Member
I see lot damages packages also. To get around it they're are employees that do repacks on some packages. The customers don't know how much damage the package/contents took while in transit. The final delivery the package looks undamage, it's all smoke and mirrors.
 
Very good post. UPS is willing to accept a certain number of damages because they know they'll still make money. As far as injuries go, they will just blame the person who was injured, no matter what happened. It does not matter that the person injured was forced to work in an unsafe environment. It is still that person's fault.
 

menotyou

bella amicizia
That's why I say to HelloWorld that making a 500 pph loading a trailer isn't a good thing. You are making it impossible to unload safely.
 

goetface

Well-Known Member
That's why I say to HelloWorld that making a 500 pph loading a trailer isn't a good thing. You are making it impossible to unload safely.
very good point in regards to load side, and I experienced it last night. I unloaded a ful 53 by myself, the 53 had about 65-75% packages that were 35-50 lb small packages. Mind you these were not on the bottom, but rather all mixed up in the bunch with alot of top, then knowing how physics works, the load shifts in transit and all the packages are leaning toward the nose of the trailer and its INSANELY tiring overextending to pull these sons of turds out. Then after that, i get to do a shorty, Im thinking yea this should be bad, I barely touch the load bar, a box off the top just falls right down on my steal toed shoes and crushes my foot, and it HURT like crap. Continuing, because this trailer was so poorly loaded, packages consistently just rolled out fell of the top without any manipulaation from me right. So i been down real quick and WACK! a heavy package hits me int he back of the head and my vision goes blury, at that point I was SOOOOO PISSED off, I was ready to punch any cheerleading sup that walked by who dared to say "step it up".
 

iowa boy

Well-Known Member
Your check is just numbers too!
That is a healthy way to look at the relationship - numbers.
Que sera, sera - it is what it is.

But you know as well as I do, that UPS never used to be like this. Service was more important than numbers, but that's all changed now.
 

moreluck

golden ticket member
A common sight today is the highly publicized events in which a celebrity or executive from a corporation stands behind the NYSE podium and pushes the button that signals the bells to ring. Many consider the act of ringing the bells to be quite an honor and a symbol of a lifetime of achievement. Furthermore, due to the amount of coverage that the opening/closing bells receive, many companies coordinate new product launches and other marketing-related events to start on the same day as when the company's representatives ring the bell. This daily tradition wasn't always this highly publicized either. In fact, it was only in 1995 that the NYSE began having special guests ring the bells on a regular basis. Prior to that, ringing the bells was usually the responsibility of the exchange's floor managers

Read more: http://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/06/openingclosingbell.asp#ixzz1WFRpaGm9
 

upsyo

Well-Known Member
The load quality of the trailers has gotten so bad. So many packages are crushed, open or completely destroyed.

BACK TO THE BASICS UPS! TEACH PEOPLE HOW TO LOAD TRAILERS!!!!!!

I think the people that load the trailers should make a couple bucks more an hour than an unloader. Its a lot tougher than it looks and it takes some sense. Also, it would keep a few of our good loaders that we have around longer.
 

DorkHead

Well-Known Member
But you know as well as I do, that UPS never used to be like this. Service was more important than numbers, but that's all changed now.

Bull s*%#!. I have been with this company for 27 years and it ALWAYS has been and ALWAYS will be about numbers! Specifically $$$$$$$ numbers. Alot of people, including myself, here on this site complain. Back in the 80`s we always worked till 9:00pm every night. A 9 hr dispatch was like a gift that we saw maybe once a month, MAYBE. Our center managers would swear and cuss us out daily. The center manager`s would also do the same to the on car supes. Everyone was held accountable. Once the competition became a real threat, then service crept into the picture, but it was never more important than the numbers.
 

goetface

Well-Known Member
and of course unloaders like me would just love having a nicely loaded trailer to unload, then perhaps when my sup tells me 30min on this trailer I wont have to lie to him when i say okay.
 

728ups

All Trash No Trailer
Bull s*%#!. I have been with this company for 27 years and it ALWAYS has been and ALWAYS will be about numbers! Specifically $$$$$$$ numbers. Alot of people, including myself, here on this site complain. Back in the 80`s we always worked till 9:00pm every night. A 9 hr dispatch was like a gift that we saw maybe once a month, MAYBE. Our center managers would swear and cuss us out daily. The center manager`s would also do the same to the on car supes. Everyone was held accountable. Once the competition became a real threat, then service crept into the picture, but it was never more important than the numbers.

I couldnt agree more with this post. I went from preload to driving in 1985 and NEVER got off before 830 my first 5 or 6 years as there was no such thing as 'excessive overtime' . During Peak it was routine to work until 11-1130 Pm. I remember being verbally abused and cursed at on a regular basis by management.The center was a kingdom and the center manager was the king( this was during the Mathis family was running the show for the union and the union was very weak.there was no such thing as 'harassment' grievances ) We were expected to have our air off by noon,and you better not have any missed business stops or you were assured a warning letter at the very least the next morning. I dont have very fond memories of 'the good old days' either
 

Catatonic

Nine Lives
But you know as well as I do, that UPS never used to be like this. Service was more important than numbers, but that's all changed now.
That's not my experience and remembrance of the last 38 years. UPS has always been about production (numbers) and service (quality)if it could be measured but production was what you got calls about and chewed out about.

My experience in the last 17 years has been the opposite ... quality has been measured more than it was my first 21 years. I should point out that the first 21 years was operations and the last 17 has been technology related.

I don't challenge your remembrance of your experience, mine was different.

On a related note, every time I see this thread I wonder what you meant by quality. To me, quality is adherence and compliance with a defined set of specifications. As UPS has had to tighten up on what we spend over the last 15 or so years, I have noticed that those specifications have changed.
So, what does that mean? UPS can do less than we did 15 years ago but quality has gone up (as measured) and the reason is that the specifications of a product or service have changed.

I remember back in '83 when we went to driver release, there was a lot of uproar that we were reducing the quality of our service. Now, this is accepted as fine and our customers (consignees anyway) would consider it a decrease in quality if we got rid of DR.
 

CharleyHustle

Well-Known Member
While I don't remember too many "good old days" either, there does seem to be more pushing for production, maybe because hourly push back more than in the past. "Work ethic" certainly is not what it used to be in any and all work places including management, as compared to 20-30 years ago. As for damages, shippers new and old seems to be using suspect practices in packaging their goods. For big shippers a little less packing here and a little less tape there can add up to sizable cost savings.
 

Byrath

New Member
Absolutely right, I'd say easily 50%, probably more, of damages and fallouts that I deal with are due to poor packaging. Prime example being 40-50 pound boxes of books being taped with one strip of non-reinforced tape per side. Perhaps UPS could do more to push notoriously bad shippers to use better packaging techniques, but they're probably afraid of losing customers if they push them.
I also agree that quality is pushed more nowadays than 15 years ago, at least in the outbound in my location. When I was loading I would've been hassled constantly if my speed was comparable to most of the loaders now, but on the flipside, they have to worry about using load stands, loading to the top, write-ups for misloads etc., whereas the only refrain back then was 'get that **** loaded'.
 

pretzel_man

Well-Known Member
Answering the "Quality vs. Production" question is a trick box I have stayed away from..... The answer is that I expect Quality AND Production.

You would not accept the question from someone you hired at your house. "Do you want a good price or quality work?" You want both.

Of course, Management has as much or more responsibliltiy in this matter as the employee. If you are trying to load, and packages are jammed, falling off belts and rollers, quality AND performance will both be impacted.

I expect quality and performance. That means that both management and hourly must do their job. A proper job setup, proper training, proper feedback and accountability.

As Hoax said, I have not seen a greater emphasis on performance now as compared to the past. There are many more quality metrics today then before.

Service is part of management's incentive program today. That didn't used to be that way.
 
Haha that's what I say. Laugh at them when they tell u to step it up. Ur passed ur 30 days right? So tell them to leave u alone. I tell my sup's in the hub what to do half the time. Granted I have been there longer than any of them anyways. Last night my sup came by and asked me where to go in case of a hurricane. I said "I'm going he friend* home!" and he said ok and asked the next person. I'm in the union and I work my ass off and don't call in EVER so I pretty much do whatever I want. If I want to slack off for a night then I do.
 

bottomups

Bad Moon Risen'
Production must always trump quality when loading a TP60. Never know what I am going to get when I open the door. Usually the packages are just thrown in the trailer with no resemblance of even trying to form a tier. Spend about 10-15 minutes every morning taping up chrushed or open parcels, trying to make them look presentable before loading in my package car.
 
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