Improve Productivity Without Using Automation 6

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Looking at ways to improve productivity in everyday processes is a pastime of mine. I walked into my local Donut store the other day, looked like it had recently been refurbished. Looking forward to a nice warm glazed pastry I gave my order and waited. “We don’t have any glazed donuts at the moment sir but if you are willing to wait a few minutes we can make some for you”, said the lady behind the counter. While I’m nodding in disbelief that a donut shop has no donuts she leaves the counter and wanders behind the glass past the giant donut machine that runs the entire length of the store. Upon arriving at the other end of this monster contraption she gesticulates to the idle ”Donut Operator” who, once notified gets up from his chair and precedes to activate his multi step start up protocol. In amazement I watched as the first donut from the “production” line made it’s way through the empty machine like the first group of tourists on the Jungle water ride at Disney. I watched helplessly for fifteen minutes as the lump of dough weaved it’s way through the bowels of the mouse trap stopping at various points on it’s journey to go through a few manufacturing steps. Half way through the the trip it found it’s way onto a turntable where it circulated like an unclaimed piece of luggage at Newark Airport for what felt like an age, and after more turntables and several feet of conveyor it eventually came to rest at the base of an “off ramp” where it was soon to be smothered by the mass of other donuts crashing down on top of it. Once she noticed the “pile up” of sundries the lady behind the desk picked up a flat packed piece of cardboard from a stockpile close by, folded a shiny, expensive looking box big enough for a small computer, and then placed my solitary circle of happiness in it. I paid my dues and walked away glancing sympathetically at the growing line of customers as I went through the door.

It’s a great idea to show customers the production process but large machines like this often do not improve productivity and seldom pay for themselves as the operating costs, spares, maintenance and downtime usually dwarf the benefits. Kids love the experience and it’s cool to see the different steps that your dunker has to go through but making big batches of one type of donut at a time during the day shift when you have customers waiting is a recipe for disaster. The customer that followed me was ok if they ordered the same as I did but if their desire was for Boston Creme instead of Glazed then they were in for a long wait. You see claiming “fresh warm donuts for sale” is a great marketing angle but you need to be able to do it efficiently for it to make sense. Turning a monster machine like this on and off intermittently is wasteful on so many levels.

Smaller batches much more often is the answer and never ever ever make more than your anticipated demand at any time during the day. This requires an ability to change from one donut type to another quickly but it’s the only way to deliver “fresh and hot” without wasting inventory and losing your customers. With respect to the packaging, donuts should be in cardboard boxes only when order quantities merit that expense, otherwise present them in a napkin. The amount of cardboard waste is simply horrific even for a non tree hugging stalwart like me. So Donut Company please plan your work in advance, make smaller batches, cut back on the packaging and while you are at it dump the monster machine for something more cost efficient.

Well, that’s today’s chat, hopefully it strikes a chord with someone, somewhere!

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