CognitOps Insights
Modern Throughput Visibility for Modern Operators
DC Operators: Will you hit your throughput goal today?
The last 18-months altered DC operations.
Every morning DC Operators wake up, grab their coffee, and deal with challenges they’ve never (or rarely) faced in their careers. It’s a fundamentally different supply chain today. As DCs become the “shock absorbers” of the supply chain, decisions at the DC affect strategic outcomes like never before.
- Will we deliver this week’s large shipment on time with 20% less staff?
- Do we risk team morale by requiring mandatory overtime yet again?
- Will we hit quarterly revenue goals with inventory stuck at the port?
- How do we retain experienced ops leaders given steep competition?
These are age-old questions, but they have a new twist (and much higher stakes). Unfortunately, this seems to be the new normal. This new reality is here to stay.
Higher Expectations
As the world expects more of supply chains, we expect more of Warehouse Operations tools.
We’re tired of operators getting stuck with tools that don’t match the modern demands being put on them. We came from the world of warehouse systems, design, and consulting. We know the power of automation, software, and design. We implemented 100s of these projects at past companies. And we know their limits too.
Modern operators need modern tools.
They need tools that quickly offer clarity and context. They need alerts that things are going wrong, before they actually go wrong. They need to drive decision velocity, team empowerment and a superior worker experience.
For those that share this perspective, you’ll be excited to hear about the Predictive Throughput capabilities that CognitOps operators now have access to.
A Small Chart with Big Implications
After collaborating with forward-looking operations teams, we’ve developed a Predictive Throughput Dashboard to answer the all-important question:
| Are we on track to hit our goal?
Simple questions can be the hardest to answer. This is one of them.
It’s historically been a challenge because staffing levels vary, shift schedules change, orders fluctuate, turnover erodes predictability, and data remains siloed in different systems. Existing tools and reports generally leave operators empty-handed (or with a lot of manual data work).
By contrast, CognitOps operators get instant access to three important pieces of information:
- Real-Time Throughput Visibility – How much work has been completed so far?
- Typical Performance – How do we typically perform on days like today?
- Throughput Forecast – How are we forecasted to perform throughout the day?
CognitOps operators know where they are now and where they’ll be in the future.
When they’re behind, they work proactively with leaders to make adjustments. When they’re ahead, they stay focused on strategic efforts, while their teams execute on the day’s work.
Culturally, these types of dashboards also build a more empowered workforce that gives everyone in the building visibility to “how we’re doing.” Leaders and team members alike can work proactively, making appropriate adjustments to ensure things get back on track before leadership even needs to get involved.
We get excited about features like this, not for their own sake, but because they show that modern tools for modern operators is a reality. Predictive Throughput Visibility is one proof point.
This movement isn’t slowing down. We’re excited for all the ways that operators will thrive in this next generation of warehouse management. We hope you will join us for the journey.
Find the resiliency your operation needs with CognitOps. Get in touch here.
