Standardization of workflow in a large distribution center
Name
1119388595-MIT.pdf
Size
11.23 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
00ca5d8627ca3ff2ba50a63723dfcb61
Author(s)
Greenlee, Stephen Michael.
Advisor(s)
Stephen Graves and Maria Yang.
Date Issued
2019
2019
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
The retail industry is shifting to enable companies to respond faster to consumer demand and expectations. For any retail company, this requires speed in their supply chain from new product generation to final order delivery. Companies that store product in centralized distribution centers must shorten the time it takes to ship a product from when an order is placed. This thesis describes the detailed operations within a large distribution center and uses it as a basis for improving delivery time of a product or order within the four walls of the building. The current system is subjected to increased variability in workflows from work planning to work completion, causing delays within sequential work functions and a longer overall delivery time. These effects are magnified by the inherent tradeoffs in the work process format and the work behaviors of the employees. A new system of work was developed to standardize the workflow at a large distribution center and decrease observed order delivery times. This solution was a work scheduling system that established clear expectations for work completion as well as tools needed to reduce the variability in the system. Under this new system, the average order delivery time is expected to decrease to a third of its current cycle time. This research was conducted in partnership with Nike Inc.
Description
Thesis: M.B.A., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, 2019, In conjunction with the Leaders for Global Operations Program at MIT
Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 2019, In conjunction with the Leaders for Global Operations Program at MIT
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (page 91).
Subjects
Sloan School of Management.
Mechanical Engineering.
Leaders for Global Operations Program.
MIT Department
Sloan School of Management
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
Leaders for Global Operations Program
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