Case Studies

Trane

Industry: Consumer Retail
Solution: Warehousing
GAA Company: ARD Logistics

Unique Solution:

Transitioned Warehouse Operations & Personnel During Christmas Shutdown with No Disruption to Trane Production - Quickly Exceeding Goals - On-Time Delivery 99.88%, Zero Lost-Time Accidents, Pick Accuracy 99.98% & Time Receiving 100%

Trane - a global brands with manufacturing locations in 28 countries - makes heating and cooling (HVAC) systems for commercial and residential use. Trane systems are used in some of the world's most notable locations, including the Channel Tunnel connecting England to France, the Washington Monument and the Statue of Liberty to name a few. The Trane brand demands the highest quality of work, efficiency and measured effectiveness in all of its partners.

Challenge

Trane was engaged with a 3PL that, as it turned out, had no expertise in lean processes, continuous improvement and the ability to develop a kitting process. Their existing warehouse had inadequate rack storage, undefined workspaces and was highly cluttered inside and out. Furthermore, their product was floor stored and stacked, which caused damage to containers and inventory. Their operational processes were neither clearly documented nor managed - resulting in inefficient use of resources.

When Trane raised these issues, the incumbent 3PL was not proactive in proposing solutions to improve operations and present best practices to solve these problems. Naturally, this was not acceptable, and Trane turned to ARD Logistics, part of the GAA Solutions family of companies, to offer a real solution.

As you can imagine, coming from a 3PL relationship bristling with problems, expectations were heightened and answers were needed very quickly.

Solution Highlights

ARD Logistics team was able to assess the situation quickly, formulate a creative plan for vast improvement and implement it quickly to solve the customer issues as fast as possible with quality-focused solutions, including:

  • Inventory was Moved into Storage Trailers to Allow Complete Reconfiguration of Rack Storage System with Additional Racks Added
  • The Warehouse was Thoroughly Cleaned - including Floors, Walls and Ceilings
  • All Rack Storage Locations were Bar-Code Labeled & Inventory Location was Based upon Size, Commodity and Pick Frequency
  • Complete Process Steps were Developed & All Team Members Retrained
    Established a Robust 5S Program & Data Collection/Reporting Process for Operational Metrics

Results

  • Transitioned the Warehouse Operations & Personnel During Christmas Shutdown with No Disruption to Trane Production
  • After the Stabilization Period, All Trane Performance Goals were Exceeded, including:
    • On-Time Delivery - 99.88%
    • Zero Lost-Time Accidents
    • Pick Accuracy - 99.88%
    • Time Receiving - 100% (within 24 hours)
  • Resolved Items that were QA Hold for Over 200 Days
  • Within the First Year, Moved Operations into a New Facility with Expanded Scope