We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
  • INDUSTRY PRESS ROOM
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • MEDIA FILE
  • Create Account
  • Sign In
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Free Newsletters
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC
    • Podcast
    • Webcasts
    • Blogs
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Global Logistics and Risk
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • CSCMP EDGE 2023
    • Upload Your Video
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC
    • Podcast
    • Webcasts
    • Blogs
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Global Logistics and Risk
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • CSCMP EDGE 2023
    • Upload Your Video
Home » A new way to look at DC performance
big picture

A new way to look at DC performance

March 28, 2012
Peter Bradley
No Comments

Shortly after we launched DC Velocity in January 2003, we initiated our first important research effort, one that looked at the performance metrics used in the nation's distribution centers. Our goal was twofold: to compile data that would offer readers benchmarks for evaluating their own operations' performance and to begin to build a database that would show how performance improved (we assumed) over time.

Since that beginning, the research has evolved and expanded. In addition to our original partner, Karl Manrodt of Georgia Southern University, who first proposed the idea, our partners now include the Warehousing Education and Research Council (WERC) and the consulting firm Supply Chain Visions.

The annual metrics report has become one of the highlights of WERC's annual conference, and we expect it will be so again when the group meets in Atlanta in early May. But over time, we've begun to understand that something was missing from those measures, something that underlies how success in improving performance actually occurs. And that's what we might call the "soft side" of logistics.

Now, don't misunderstand. This isn't some throwback to 1960s encounter groups. It is an argument to look beyond such "hard" measures as on-time shipments or order picking accuracy to factors that are perhaps tougher to quantify but equally important. As the authors of our upcoming survey report write, "Simply put, the interpersonal skills that promote and nurture strong relationships—the ability to communicate well, interact effectively with others, make mutually beneficial decisions, solve problems jointly, and collaborate—can have as direct an impact on warehouse and DC performance as do the operational aspects of a business."

As it happens, our April issue Thought Leader, Tracy Maylett, CEO of the consulting firm DecisionWise, is one of the leading proponents of managing the "soft side" of logistics performance. He and Kate Vitasek, founder of Supply Chain Visions and a faculty member at the University of Tennessee Center for Executive Education, recently penned a more extensive look at the importance of this soft side for our sister publication, CSCMP's Supply Chain Quarterly.

In an interview with DC Velocity, Maylett discusses why focusing strictly on what got done in a DC without consideration of how it got done can potentially damage supply chains in a number of ways. He explains that the soft metrics include such things as customer retention, employee retention, and employee engagement—the sorts of things that are crucial to long-term success. Looking at and managing the soft side of logistics, it seems to me, are as crucial to developing sustainable supply chains as energy conservation and waste reduction.

Business Management & Finance
KEYWORDS Supply Chain Visions
    • Related Articles

      a new way to look for WERC

      A new way to spot problems in the DC

      An inside look at Jackson Family Wines' new eco-friendly DC

    Peterbradley
    Peter Bradley is an award-winning career journalist with more than three decades of experience in both newspapers and national business magazines. His credentials include seven years as the transportation and supply chain editor at Purchasing Magazine and six years as the chief editor of Logistics Management.

    Recent Articles by Peter Bradley

    From temp to management: interview with Diane Garforth

    Watching over intermodal's interests: interview with Joni Casey

    Building resilience into the supply chain: interview with Yossi Sheffi

    You must login or register in order to post a comment.

    Report Abusive Comment

    Most Popular Articles

    • Warehouse renters could see “significant” rate increases in 2024, Prologis says

    • MercuryGate acquires cross-border customs clearance specialist ITS

    • A new outlook that’s a lot like the old outlook

    • DHL Supply Chain to add five more AS/RS installations from AutoStore

    • Yes, your SMB can afford AMRs

    Now Playing on DCV-TV

    9cdfb17d c221 47fc 9019 0c776954de15

    Silmid Utilizing Automation with a Human Touch

    DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    Join us in this insightful overview as we explore how Lucas Systems, with its cutting-edge AI technology and expertise, transformed Silmid, a leading aerospace and aviation chemical consumables distributor. Silmid, a key player for 40 years, faced challenges in order fulfillment speed and accuracy, threatening to...

    FEATURED WHITE PAPERS

    • Exploring Forklift Energy Solutions for Maximum ROI

    • Identifying How Sortation Automation Can Address Challenges for Parcel Processors

    • Unlocking efficiency and growth

    • Quarterly Freight Data Report: Q3 2023

    View More

    Subscribe to DC Velocity Magazine

    GET YOUR FREE SUBSCRIPTION
    • SUBSCRIBE
    • NEWSLETTERS
    • ADVERTISING
    • CUSTOMER CARE
    • CONTACT
    • ABOUT
    • STAFF
    • PRIVACY POLICY

    Copyright ©2023. All Rights ReservedDesign, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing