Building Efficient and Quality Brick Samples for Our Marketing Partners
At Sampco, a large part of who we are as marketing partner for building material brands is working hard to find improvements that provide value. While this often involves helping our clients optimize their stocking programs or creating new ways to showcase their products, there are times where our commitment to improvement turns inward.
Over the last couple of years, our brick sample production department in Georgia has grown by three or four times. This growth promoted us to look at the current process to see what efficiencies could be made. While this is still an ongoing project, we’ve made huge strides in making this process more effective at servicing customers, reinforcing Sampco’s commitment to safety, and expanding our market offerings.
Making Our Process More Efficient for the Sampco Team
The brick department in Georgia is made up of four main areas, the outside storage for the brick products, the cutting area, our assembly department, and the inside storage where brick products are picked from. The first improvement made to our process focuses on the internal storage where brick products are picked and packed.
In the old setup, brick products were stored in racks that were lined up along the wall. Sampco team members would often have to go into these racks and come back out with the products. This system had a lot of movement built in, adding to the time it took team members to pick and pack brick for sample board assembly.
The new system replaced the dead-end hallways with long aisles to make the most out of the floor space. The pick and pack table was moved to the center of the room, which lets team members easily collect required materials while cutting down the amount of walking required for each sample board. Our handling and assembly logistics were optimized to boost production efficiency by 33%, helping customers get their samples faster than ever without sacrificing quality.
Leveling Up the Brick Sample Assembly Process
By optimizing the floor space for pick and pack, we were able to give the assembly department more room to do their best work. Before we revamped the process, team members would have their own brick sample assembly stations. With this system, each person was a little too siloed out, often requiring them to spend more time sorting materials.
With the new assembly layout, the space is better optimized for collaboration. There is a gallery of approved sample boards that can be easily seen no matter where you are on the assembly floor. This means that every team member has a clear guide to follow and makes it so their main focus is putting the board together instead of splitting their attention to find the right colors. Thanks to the improvements made in the pick and pack area, all the pieces needed to create a beautiful sample board are there.
These small-time saving aspects of the process add up and empowers team members to boost their productivity. Perhaps most importantly, this collaborative process helps everyone on the Sampco team be safer during their day-to-day responsibilities.
Our Improvement Work Isn’t Done Yet
One of the most exciting aspects of telling this story is that our efforts to improve the process aren’t done yet. We have many exciting plans that are in the works to improve the cutting and outside storage side of the process, including new technology that will boost brick sample manufacturing capacity. Be sure to stay tuned this year for a follow-up on this article on how these initiatives provide value to brick brands.
Use Sampco’s Improvements to Your Advantage
If you’re a brick brand, our new improvements made to our sample manufacturing process can be used to your advantage. Sampco can give your brand access to branded samples that are created and delivered on time. Contact the Sampco team today and learn more about the benefits of having an agile and reliable sample partner.
