Bigger Pumps, More Inventory, and New Customers

It’s no secret that GIW makes big pumps. Naturally, creating and testing these pumps requires a lot of space. That’s why we’re looking forward to the new foundry that’s coming online in October.

Scott Nutial, Scheduling Division Manager, notes that this foundry will set GIW up to take on more large-scale orders.

“This foundry is designed to build bigger, faster parts,” Scott says, “so we’re ready as the industry demands larger pumps.”

These bigger parts and pumps require more space and more complex logistics to produce. That’s the primary reason behind our distribution center expansion in Grovetown. Although this expansion won’t be complete for many months, steps are currently underway to streamline all of our shipping and receiving processes — which are already massive and only expected to grow.

A new face to lead the charge

In order to relieve congestion in our current space and stay organized through the expansion, we created a Shipping and Receiving Manager position.

We didn’t have to look far for the perfect fit: This was a natural transition for Mike Sharpton, who spent the past ten years in our Purchasing Department. With so much experience under his belt, Mike brings extended, end-to-end supply chain management knowledge to his new position.

“There’s a lot of material movement that goes on here, so we’re looking for ways to streamline that,” Mike says. “For a while, we were maxed out on the number of orders we could take just because we didn’t have the space — we had floor and crane capacity restrictions. Now we’re ready to tackle that and step up our game for our customers.”

Overseeing a complex shipping process

Customer satisfaction is highly valued at GIW, and a large part of Mike’s position focuses on getting a client’s products delivered in the safe, timely fashion they expect. However, successfully shipping our finished pumps requires a tremendous amount of oversight and coordination: After production, a large pump must be disassembled, painted, reassembled, tested in the lab, and then disassembled again before it’s crated and put on skids.

“One of the big pumps by itself may weigh 35,000-40,000 pounds, and that’s just one small piece of the package,” Scott explains.

Mike agrees, noting that there’s a lot of heavy lifting happening on the administrative side, too.

“Some of these crates and skids are just massive — but the number of documents it requires to ship a pump is unbelievable!” he says. “It’s extremely detailed.”

In addition to making sure the paperwork is in order, an intricate transportation network, including heavy-duty trucks and special escorts, must be arranged to get the pump to its final destination. And not only does the pump itself have to make it to the customer, but all of the appropriate legal paperwork, pictures, manuals, and parts — down to the most basic bolt — must arrive on the same tight deadline as well.

“At the end of the day, it’s a huge monumental project getting these things shipped out of here. It takes a lot of organization,” Scott says. “Mike has a very critical job making sure everything is done correctly.”

Prepping for the future

Of course, throughout all of this, safety is a top priority.

“We have a really good safety record,” Mike says. “Our people know we’re watching and following safety best practices — our record wouldn’t be so good if we weren’t.”

In addition to keeping that safety record intact, Mike also plans on using his Lean training and past experiences to continually improve shipping and receiving processes. He’d like to make better use of GIW’s relatively new SAP software and seek out perks, such as implementing space-saving mobile workspaces. He’ll also be placing a lot of focus on maintaining tidy operations.

“A cleaner, more organized space means less wasted time and effort — and a better work environment for everyone,” he says.

The work environment will only get better with this new state-of-the-art expansion. Inventory that is currently stored outside will be brought indoors, out of the elements, which will reduce the amount of handling and reworking that’s currently necessary. Plus, everything will be easy to find in one shared space.

“Getting all of our products under one roof will make us more efficient,” Mike says. “We’re really excited about that.”

All of these positive changes are happening before the new foundry even comes online or the Grovetown expansion is complete. With this level of organization in our current space, by the time we have our new one, we expect that moving into the expansion will be a snap!