Jensen Distribution Services Measures Success

Harnesses the Power of Warehouse Metrics

Jensen Distribution Services Case Study – Download PDF

The Power of Data

You’ve heard the saying, “You can’t manage what you can’t measure.” But what does this mean for your distribution business? Sure, your ERP tells you that you invoiced X number of customer orders last year. But how many of those orders had errors? How long did it take to pick and ship each order?

The Power of PathGuide

We’re PathGuide, warehouse management experts and creators of the Latitude Warehouse Management System. For over 15 years, customers have trusted our WMS to increase accuracy in receiving, putaway, picking, and shipping. Besides reducing inventory discrepancies and virtually eliminating picking errors, Latitude WMS focuses a spotlight on warehouse performance through a web interface practically bursting with reports, charts, and performance tracking. Our Metrics module gives you the flexibility to measure your warehouse operations and manage your staff according to your standards.

Jensen Harnesses Warehouse Metrics

Jensen Distribution Services, a trusted name in distribution and warehousing since 1883, implemented Latitude WMS in their distribution center in 2010. While Jensen has always encouraged performance efficiency, Latitude WMS shed new light on their workforce operations.

As Jim Hart, Vice President of Operations explains, “The idea of metrics wasn’t new to Jensen, but we had done everything manually before, with paper-based tracking. We never had individual metrics in receiving, either, so Latitude Metrics really exposed both the high and low performers in this work group. We were not able to track this prior to Latitude.

“Latitude Metrics has also given us more thorough information on quality issues, like who is responsible for errors.” Because Jensen’s culture has always valued setting and meeting productivity benchmarks, getting accustomed to using Latitude to track and measure performance was a breeze. “The learning curve wasn’t steep at all,” Hart explains, “We already had the mentality, so all we had to do was jump in and start tracking.” Latitude’s simple user interface allows for quick set-up of performance standards, and instant tracking of daily warehouse tasks.

Multi-Dimensional Data

Latitude WMS has both broad and deep functionality, which offers better vision into all areas of warehouse performance, with the added ability to drill down to the nitty-gritty. Latitude tracks the who, the what, and the when, giving you warehouse data in three dimensions. “Latitude has given us much more insight into both warehouse productivity and quality of operations,” says Hart. “We can now track our workforce both as a force, and as individuals. It gives people a real sense of accountability, knowing who is up to standard and who needs to work harder.”

Jensen takes a unique approach in encouraging employee productivity through weekly bonus incentives. Using Latitude metrics, they can now scale the bonuses to match the exact performance of individual employees.

“In the past,” says Hart, “all employees who received performance rewards were given the exact same bonus, but now, an employee working at 115% will get more than a person working at 105%. We also track errors in Metrics, and take those into account.”

Jensen has harnessed the power of Latitude’s insight to set benchmarks for future performance. That’s the power of data.

Find out how you can harness the power of data! Call us now at 1-888-627-9797!