Morrison Company - Engineered Handling Systems

Material Handling BIZ
Providing Tactics to Outpace Your Competition.

August 2004

Providing a Flawless Material Handling System

Partnership With Material Handling Equipment Firm Seamless to Clients
In business, success and winning have to be defined from the clients’ perspective. Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz shares with his players, “we cannot win unless everybody wins!” Many times a client’s material handling needs involve both equipment and storage systems. The material handling industry has its share of suppliers who are providing equipment and systems. Is that the right approach for the client?

Probably not, in fact operating these two businesses can be more problematic because the business plan for each runs contrary to each other. Additionally the decision-maker for an equipment purchase is very different than the individual making a decision on how to layout their manufacturing, assembly or distribution facility. What solution makes the most sense for the customer?

An integrated material handling solution provided through a partnership of equipment and storage system companies delivers the kind of solution coach Holtz professes. Using this approach enables each partnering firm to focus on the value their business plan creates. For example, a material handling equipment company provides most of their value added services after the sale. Once the purchase decision is made, they can provide finance options, parts and service technicians, even a fleet maintenance program.

Contrast this to a material handling systems integrator whose value add largely takes place before the sale is made. Beginning with needs assessment a team of design engineers along with the sales professional will specify a solution to meet the storage goals of their facility. Once the system is installed, typically the integrated solution works well for the client until their needs change.

Many times the individual making the equipment and storage solution are different. Regardless if the storage need has resulted from an expansion or new construction project, the assessment of storage needs may take many months of evaluation considering facility throughput, building codes, and the integration of related contractors. An experienced material handling integrator has the engineers and project management personnel needed to partner with the client’s management team so the best-engineered solution can be provided.

Morrison Company has developed a partnership with a material handling equipment company that is providing their client’s a true winning solution. With over 120 years of combined experience, this partnership can take the stress and pressure involved in determining the best solution for your manufacturing, assembly or distribution needs. Please indicate the area of interest.

You Do That?

Modular Shelving Drawer Systems from Stanley Vidmar and Western Pacific Storage Systems
Does your operation have a high concentration of items that need to be stored systematically in a small area? Would improving retrieval times and reducing restocking cycles be an important goal for you? If you could provide an economical storage system from two of the strongest names in storage – Western Pacific Storage Systems and Stanley Vidmar would you want to hear more?

A modular storage drawer cabinet and industrial shelving solution is now available in a flexible economical system. Stanley, the leader in industrial storage cabinets, is now available from the largest shelving provider. Western Pacific Storage Systems, the recognized leader in industrial storage systems, has integrated their shelving pre-configured drawer modules.

Interchangeable with existing Stnaley Vidmar cabinets, this modular shelving solution allows for multiple shelf, door and drawer combinations. Drawer heights range from 2-1/2 to 13- ¼ inches inside a 30” by 30” shelf. Adjustable shelving with 500 lbs. Per shelf load capacity make this realistic for almost any industrial application. A heavy-duty roller bearing carriage supports a per drawer capacity of 400 lbs. A lock bar and hinged door options can be added for additional security.

This solution has many applications from a parts crib on an assembly line to a modular picking area for high-volume small components. Although the solution is elegant and flexible, integrating it into an overall manufacturing/distribution plan should be done with the assistance of an experienced material-handling professional.

Thousands of applications have been assessed and served by Morrison Company’s experienced sales professionals. Considering an evaluation of your facility? Contact us for a no obligation review.

Test Your Knowledge

Do People Buy Based on Value or Price?
Whether you have a product or service. The customer is only interested in getting to most for the lowest possible price. They recognize that the middleman only adds to the cost and provide little value. If you think that is correct, vote yes. If you think the customer values how his needs can be solved, vote no.

Simply pitching products no longer works. The successful sales professional must become an expert at identifying the customer’s needs from the customer’s point of view. This important yet seldom-used step is called needs analysis.

Most salespeople have not yet internalized a fundamental rule of selling: the customer never needs your product. Setting oneself apart from the competition cannot be accomplished at the product and price levels. Real value must be added. Assessing value that transcends product and price is how value is linked to the customer’s needs.

Quotes, contracts and other product-focused documents neglect the total value a sales professional offer, while drawing attention to price. Top-producing sales professionals have opted out of the product/price trap by using customer-focused proposals that parallel identified customer needs with solutions.

Good times often camouflage poor performance. The threat of “grow to go” comes not from management, but from today’s marketplace. A proactive time management methodology of achieving top individual performance is available. To receive more information on how you or your sales team can win more deals. Click more details.

What Has 75 Years Taught Morrison Company?

Experience, Quality and Service are Not Just Words, it Represents our Commitment
In 1929, little did anyone think someday Morrison Company would be celebrating its 75th anniversary. In 1929, more important events captured the headlines like: penicillin is first used to fight an infection; the NYSE crashes on “Black Thursday and color television pictures were transmitted in New York. Learning how to succeed in those early years set in place a culture that exists to this day. Three credos shape every activity at Morrison Company.

Experience only is relevant if the customer sees the value in it. Morrison Company personnel have customer-centered experience. Every team member involved in implementing a client project has had onsite experience. Customers appreciate this because they realize we are sensitive to their time pressures.

Quality is of primary importance. Quality means delivering a integrated solution that meets the customer’s expectations. To insure Morrison Company’s opportunity to deliver a quality solution, the product lines represented are among the finest in their industry. In most cases the product is the top brand and has the best reputation year after year.

Service is the result of experience and quality. Considerable time and effort goes into making sure the end result of a project is a satisfied client. To insure the long-term satisfaction, a program was recently introduced that places a member of the project management and engineering team at the disposal of a Morrison Company sales executive. Regular calls are made to the operational staff at the client’s facility with the goal of anticipating future needs. The Partner Service Program is another demonstration to Morrison Company’s commitment to servicing client needs.

Do your plans include a renovation or expansion of your manufacturing, assembly or distribution facilities? If so you qualify for a no obligation assessment.

Project Management Expertise Compresses Time Schedule

Morrison Helps Sub-Contractors Get Along and Put the Client’s Schedule First
Bad weather caused significant delays in the overall implementation schedule for Cherokee, Inc. This leading provider of uniforms was consolidating six regional distribution centers into a new facility in Dallas, TX.

Even though Morrison Company was not responsible for the overall timeframe, the client asked that the schedule be compressed so the nearly month delay could be made up out of Morrison portion of the project.

Cherokee, Inc.’s specification contained the requirements for all product and supplies storage systems to be installed throughout the facility. The systems were three (3) equipment configurations: single deep selective pallet rack, decked rack and a pick module. Weather delayed the initial building construction leaving the sub-contractors hoping Morrison Company could compress the timeline on their portion of the project.

To accomplish the project Morrison Company’s Sr. Project Manager was able to coordinate the installation with the many sub-contractors at the jobsite. Beginning with the architect and general contractor, work schedules from fire protection, roofing, dock door, electricians, warehouse management system, plumbers, and conveyor contractors were integrated so the client’s deadline was met.

Working closely with all of the subcontractors, Morrison Company was able to compress their portion of the project leaving extra time for the subcontractors to complete their work.

Bob Pierpoint, CFO of Strategic Partners, Inc., indicated “Morrison Company was super to work with and a great partner.’ ‘I would use them again and recommend Morrison Company to anyone!”

Does your anticipated project seem to have a challenging schedule? Contact Morrison Company for an assessment.

Acquiring a WMS

The following article is submitted by Sedlak—providing independent, client-focused supply chain consulting services. Find out more at www.jasedlak.com.
Caveat emptor! Buyer beware. Words to the wise professional charged with acquiring a new WMS (warehouse management system) for his or her company.

It’s easy to lose sight of your basic business needs and become enamored with technology when hearing about the features of various WMS suppliers’ systems. “Don’t let your lust for the latest and greatest technology overwhelm basic business principles,” advises one consultant. To make the right decision about which WMS to acquire, you must first answer:

What do we do well now?

What needs improvement?

What should we be doing that we’re not doing currently?

What are we doing that isn’t necessary?

The answers to these questions will provide a foundation for functional specifications for the new WMS.

Far in advance of conversing with the first on the list of potential WMS suppliers, your needs should be defined and recorded. Think details, details—and write them all down. Ask yourself questions such as “How will we handle the definitions and separation requirements of multi-brands or multi-businesses?” and “What’s our peak period and how will it impact the timing of our system implementation?”

Acquisition decisions should not be made in a vacuum. To avoid potentially disastrous surprises after acquisition, a team of decision makers should be assembled from critical areas of the company, such as: finance, customer service, engineering, IT, operations, human resources, and training. Involving individuals from various fields will help you understand and gain consensus about issues such as hardware requirements, future technical support needs, and the importance of product supplier compliance.

Inviting established material handling equipment and information technology vendors might add additional value to the process, as they will provide insight on system integration issues.

Your multifaceted team will be positioned to realize the importance and deal effectively with the complexity of the work plan. Bottom line: planning is the name of the game. The greater the preparation in advance of acquiring a WMS, the greater your chance of project success.