My Daily Maths Challenge

1. My Daily Maths Challenge (Steve Butler)

2. Forecast FiguresBasic Goods In • I am due to receive 16 Containers within my 8 Hr Shift • I am forecast a Pallet Yield of 49.5 for the week • I have 3 Hrs to tip each container before I incur costs • I have to plan for a variance of 5% to forecast either way • My required rate is 7 Pallets per man hour What would be the minimum amount of staff that I would require to run my goods in Dept efficiently for this day?

3. The Maths • First thing I would need to know is when to schedule the containers in over an 8 Hr shift that would tell me the minimum amount of teams I would need to run with. • If I had 8 Containers at 0600, and then another 8 at 0900 I would be finished by 1200 and have 2 hours left of shift without work • If I had 6 at 0600, another 6 at 0900 and the last 4 at 1200 would I be able to cope? • For the answer to this I would need to know about the number of pallets and the required rate. • If each container yields 50 pallets on average and I need to run at 7 pallets per hour I need approx 7 Man Hrs per container • With this in mind the answer would be yes I could cope with booking my containers in waves of 6, 6 & 4.

4. Getting Deeper • Based on the previous calculation I should be happy with 6 teams normally of 3 men • But will I hit rate? • I need to know how many pallets I am forecast to create and the amount of man hours that I am going to use. • Pallets is easy, 16 Containers at average yield of 50 = 800 Pallets ( not forgetting the possible 5% = 840) • 6 teams of 3 men = 18 @7.5Hrs each = 135 • Potential rate = 840/135 = 6.2 (FAIL)

5. Solutions • 3 teams of 3 and 3 teams of 2, would this work? • To complete 6 containers = 315Pallets (50 each +5%) at a rate of 7 pallets per hour we would need, 45 Man hours • This would be 15 staff at 3Hrs each therefore teams of 3 x 3 + 3 x 2 would be perfect for the first two waves. • The third wave would be 4 containers = 210 pallets (50 each +5%) at a rate of 7 pallets per hour we would need = 30 hours again a perfect scenario. This is a basic solution and does not include the other day to day variances that can be added to make solving this problem more complex such as including clerks and non productive hours into the daily rate. This solution only works if all 15 members of staff work for the entire 8 Hrs shift without a break which in reality does not work.

6. Spatial awareness • Basic figures: ( all metric figures approx) • Each container is 40” long (= 12.20m) • Each container is 10” high (=3.05m) • Each container is 8” wide (=2.45m) • A Container contains microwave ovens that come in a box: 0.8m x 0.4m x 0.4m. How many Microwave ovens will be in a container?

7. The Maths • A simple equation is used by my staff: • How many can we get across? 2.45 / 0.4 = 6.125 • How high can they go? 3.05 / 0.4 = 7.62 • How many in a row? 6 x 7 = 42 • How many rows? 12.2 / 0.7 = 17.42 • How many in a container = 42 x 17 = 714 I have to build pallets to as close to the following specifications as possible:1.6M high by 1.2M by 1M (NB the pallet is 0.2M high), how many microwaves per pallet and what is my Ti Hi? (Ti Hi = Qty per Tier x Number of Tiers)

8. More Maths • Similar to before – how many on a tier? • Basic ground space available is 1M X 1.2M • How many can I get across 1.2M / 0.4 = 3 • How many can I get across1M / 0.4 = 2 • How many can I get on a Tier = 3 X 2 = 6 • How many Tiers can I make? 1.4M / 0.7 = 2 • Microwaves on a Pallet 2 Tiers of 6 = 12 • TI HI would be : 6 x 2 How many pallets would this container Yield?

9. And Finally on Goods in • 714 Microwaves on the container • 12 Microwaves on a pallet • Yield = 714 / 12 = 59.5 • We would therefore create 59 pallets of 12 and one pallet of 6 items

10. More Complex • Would there be any unproductive time for my staff? • How would including a clerks hours effect the rate? • How much dead space is in the container? • How much dead space is there on the pallet? • Could the pallet be built any other way? • Will the pallet yield effect the plan? • What happens if the variance to forecast is bigger than 5% either way?

11. Much Much More • These are basic problems that we have discussed with the school as using as real life examples to show pupils how the maths that they are being taught today is actually used in the ‘real world’ • I have spoken only of a small section of where I work, the possibilities are not endless but vast, On a daily basis I make calculations on warehouse occupancy which is basic pallet spaces available against those used. To add complexity a bulk pallet will take 1.5Pallet spaces but the .5 of a space cannot be used so the % of bulk in the racking changes the space availability. • I have many different pieces of Mechanical handling equipment (Fork Lift Tricks) that all have their own speeds so therefore have different productivities, I may be able to load 30 pallets per man hour but do I have the equipment to get the pallets to the despatch bay.

12. Benefits to me and my team • I feel that since we have had our partnership with Bishop Stopford School it has made my staff, my managers and myself a bit more conscious about the amount of basic and more complex maths we do each and every day. • In some cases it has surprised the staff, if you had asked them a few months ago if they used maths at work they would have said no I empty containers and build pallets it is now a different story • If by our partnership we help one child to realise his or her potential because we raise their understanding of the importance of of what they are learning now and how that may be used later in life then I for one believe that any time my team or I give is time well spent • To see the guys on my shop floor smile when they are called mathematicians is fantastic.