We all have a moment of truth from time to time. For fastener distributor Winzer, that moment came when it went from a manual handling and order fulfillment system to a semi-automated one. That in itself can cause its own set of cross-currents. But as our cover story (Wizner feeds its need for speed ) explains, Winzer made the change in the same facility where it continued to fill orders. In other words – the distributor automated on the fly. Now that takes real guts.

So the obvious question is – how did they make sure it all went off without a hitch. When asked that, president John Carney and director of operations Jeff Wolfe identified four big things they did right – 1) planned in detail, 2) emphasized teamwork, 3) found the right supplier partner, and 4) had a back-up plan.

Chances are you've heard about those four, and maybe even others, from a supplier or even a consultant. But now it's coming from a company that isn't all that big ($40 million a year) that doesn't have unlimited resources and actually lived to tell the tale.

As Wolfe and Carney talked, it became clear that there were also plenty of little things they did under those four umbrellas that were just as important.

While mindful of costs, they paid extra for certain capabilities. For instance, Winzer hired a night crew to move inventory and shelving during construction so it would have the least impact on order fulfillment. New system construction was done during the day in dedicated areas separate from orderpickers.

In addition, Winzer had three weekends of what only could be called practice runs with the new system. On Friday night, the manual system that had filled orders all week was shut down and the new system (mini-load, pick-to-light, wireless terminals and warehouse software) was powered up. Workers then filled orders with the new system Saturday and Sunday, shutting it down and reverting to the manual system for the next week. Adjustments to the new system were then made during the week to fine-tune the system.

As Wolfe, says, "only when you use the new system live do you really know how it's all going to work."

And even then, Winzer didn't leave much to chance. For the first 30 days after startup, the old software continued to run, tracking activities and inventory as if it were still running the DC. "You have to have the option to go back to the familiar until you're comfortable with the new system," says Carney.

In the end, it's all about managing risk. And Winzer, which never missed an order because of the installation, managed risk better than others.