Budget constraints, space limitations, other considerations when relocating an in-plant

By Carmin Cristofaro and Abel De Andrade

Develop Guiding Principles

From the very beginning we established some basic principles that guided us throughout the project. Almost every time we looked at an option or a proposal, we evaluated it against these principles.

Environment: Create a safe and pleasant atmosphere.

• Corridors that are clutter-free.

• An efficient HVAC system.

• Lots of natural window light.

• Staff lounge with full kitchen.

• Obligatory use of ear protection when working with the folder or numbering machine.

• Ample space around equipment for maintenance.

• Professional-looking offices.

Logical Workflow:

• The equipment and workstations were placed to efficiently move orders through the workflow, with no doubling back.

• Openings were cut through concrete block walls to connect three rooms and facilitate this flow.

• All orders that come from the digital black-and-white and color units, as well as the offset presses, end up flowing into the finishing area, which is right next to the packing and shipping area, which, in turn, is right next to the shipping dock.

Organization: a place for everything, and everything in its place.

• The key to reducing time wasted in hunting for materials is to properly organize and identify shelves and storage areas.

• Place supplies close to the point of use.

• A central stockroom, while seemingly logical, contributes to an enormous waste of man hours as staff must travel to it several times per day to retrieve supplies.

When Your in-plant gets an opportunity to relocate its operations into new facilities, you had better make sure to do it right, for you may never get that chance again. This is when you do all the things you always wanted to do but could not, because of space limitations or budget constraints. This is when you do a lot of reading on "Lean methodology" and apply as much of it as you can.