Your work on display

Let’s face it. When you’re neat, lean and clean, you’re more successful. I know–"Who am I to talk?," right? I ain’t any of those things. And admit it, if I were those things, what kind of cartoon character would I be? You need someone like me for contrast to neat, lean and clean. Sloppy, fat and messy make for a great anti-role-model–especially for materials handlers. Do the opposite of what I do, and your plant or distribution center will be in good shape.

Neat, lean and clean ain’t funny, but they’re good for success. A friend of Modern’s, Patrick Burnson, who also happens to be an editor for our sister publication, Logistics Management, just returned from Germany where he attended SSI Schaefer’s “Retail Forum 08.” Most of the invited speakers focused on the theme “Think Globally, Act Locallly,” but one speaker talked about how important packaging is to sending a universal message about your product. He used Apple Computer as an example. What impressed Patrick is, the guy who was impressed by Apple was in the grocery business.

Patrick says this guy, Peter Niggemeier, project leader for the REWE Group – one of Germany’s grocery retailing giants–raved about the emotional bond Apple brings to the buying experience. A lot of it has to do with the way Apple’s products are packaged and displayed on the store floor. Because of that, this guy says, profit-per-square-foot outpaced that of high-end luxury goods and electronics stores by a huge margin.

Sounds like this guy was suggesting that clean, lean, efficient packaging does the same job a clean, lean, efficient appearance does for you and me–well, you, anyway. Well, for a package or display to look clean, lean and efficient in the store, it has to start out that way in the manufacturer’s plant and distribution center. Materials handling processes set products up for success by being clean, lean and efficient themselves. If a grocery guy can be inspired by what a computer manufacturer’s doing in his supply chain, that tells me some materials handling experts in Germany are doing a great job leading by example.

That’s one way to do it. I’ll keep on being the anti-hero. Say, what’s that on the floor, a banana peeeeeeeel??!!!