Morning MADNESS!

Our work is scheduled a week in advance.

I am VERY happy we have a safe yard, and the local police to patrol there every hour or so @ night. I couldnt imagine loading all those mats, dollies, saws, etc etc on and off the truck every night!

we have a full time stump grinding crew, thats all they do. Really makes it easier on the crew, keep them making money not watching another guy grind stumps.

The manager should take the foreman aside and brief him, if need be. Most jobs are clear and to the piont, we grab the jobs and go. While this briefing is going on ground guys should be cleaning the trucks, shaping up saws/gas/oil, unloading un-needed gear, and making sure trucks are ready.

Guys should show up with breakfast in belly or in hand, we dont stop! We usually have saws running on site and chipping by 8 a.m. Coming to work to drop a deuce, grab coffee and get to work at your leisure is BS!

You guys are too soft, its you not your guys. Crack the whip a bit, and lead by example. Its a tough habit to break though I know! And your guys will resist.
 
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Our work is scheduled a week in advance.

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Wow. That is unbelievable to me, what with all the varibles (weather, job delays, job increases, illness, etc.) That would make a good thread by itself. BTW, having two huge AT cranes, and a new 100 tonner (or whatever it is) is unbelievable to me too, so I imagine there's alot going on at Maier that would be new to me....

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we have a full time stump grinding crew, thats all they do.

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Do they bring a tractor etc and a chip truck to cleanup the grindings?
 
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Do they bring a tractor etc and a chip truck to cleanup the grindings?

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When needed. Most customers just keep the grindings on site. We use barrles, bobcats, etc to move grinding when the job is sold that way though.
 
Hey bull thanks!! For the most part we are close!! We do schedule out work etc.Crew knows where there goin most days.I am just trying to establish what is exeptable, I feel like my bar is set real high for productivity and I need to make sure im not nuts?Some mornings it just seems to drag out and im not really sure what the hold up is.Im tryin to work on a systems approach to solving some key frustrations.I think we will get there . Ill keep you in the loop!
how many guys fuel trucks at the shop vs. going to a station?
 
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Do they bring a tractor etc and a chip truck to cleanup the grindings?

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When needed. Most customers just keep the grindings on site. We use barrles, bobcats, etc to move grinding when the job is sold that way though.

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95% of my customers want it cleaned up.
 
How about instead of everyone rushing home at the end of the day, you brief the crew on the next days work and have them be ready for it.

You need to at least know what you are doing 1 day in advance though.
If you don't know that then you've got bigger problems.

Have them load/unload gear to suit, make it a rule truck is always emptied of mulch at end of day, not next morning. Fuel/oil, tools all onboard ready.

That only leaves personal stuff. Personal stuff happens on personal time.
Let em know toilet, breakfast, uniforms work boots/pants has to all be taken care of prior to starting work. If you start paying guys from 7am they should be rolling out at 7:05-7:10 unless you are having meetings etc. If personal stuff keeps eating in to time start changing their timecards to reflect what time they really start. You dont pay them to poop!

If they turn up late, have the truck leave without them. They will soon learn when it costs them money to drive around themself following it from job to job all day. Start their time at the beginning of the 1st job (not travel) and knock them off at the end of last job (no travel time as they go straight home)

You must set the rules, if you don't they will set their own. Theirs will serve them best, not the company/
 
Our guys roll in at 7:30 and are out by 8:00. Everyone has a morning job (fueler, greaser, chainsaw tech, etc) and a morning responsibility (foreman has looked over job ticket, second-in-command makes sure all gear is on trucks, etc). But, I also encourage the guys to talk in the morning, to approach the day in a peaceful, non-rushed manner. In this way, the guys get to be cordial with one another and some useful information gets passed between everyone. In between those "Morning! What did you do last night?", are such comments as "Oh, by the way, did you ever put the polesaw back?". So while we do have expectations about when to leave in the morning and which tasks are to be completed, we do not micro-manage. The risk of not completing your morning job is the irritation of your crew, not your boss.
Just my 2 cents.
 
I agree that we as bosses are always treading a fine line between big picture,ensuring productivity and profit so that we can all continue to make a living w our respective jobs,and having everyone so wound up they become miserable.
The ideal situation would be everyone doing his or her job in a highly productive way stopping short or rushing around like a lunatic and hurting someone??!! Its the same on a job site is it not? a crew that is clicking certainly does not appear hurried but puts the wood on the ground quick none-the-less. I believe time is made/lost not in how fast someone works,but what occurs in the gaps between tasks.Doddling,idle chatter w nothing getting done,walking back and forth to the truck for God knows what! Or, take your break while planning your next task,and then git er done!! I am not talking about the tight fisted management of time just smooth and efficient time management.....like a Swiss watch!
 
Hello Paul! It has been awhile. Let me tell you that ur yard might not be as bad as u think. Everyone (every good business person) would like to improve and this is definately an area that many need improving. I have found that lists help me. It also seems to me that being alone without the distraction of conversation makes it way easier to concentrate. By the time the other crew members get to the yard everything but perhaps something heavy is loaded. I grease what needs to be greased, gas and oil the saws so that when we get to the job we can start working, sharpen the saws etc. You r 100% correct, time lost is usually something b/t tasks. This is a constant stuggle. Stay in motion and the job gets done. In my experience the more men we the less "small" things that get done, the other guy will do it attitude runs amuck.
 
Would it help to have default roles in the morning, also forcing people to be punctual.

One person will attend to loading XX.
Another will grind chains from the dull pile and place into another pile.
Another might check vehicle fluids, tires, etc.

Everyone has a specific job to come into the shop and start with.

Just an idea that would surely have to be tweaked to fit.
 
What would you consider a long time to get the crew out? I personally try for leaving the shop at 7:15. Any later you start hitting the traffic around here.
 
Also not switching people from crew to crew helps. Trading gear from truck to truck is a pain but its still do able if you know what your doing ahead of time. That is by far the best time saver is letting your foreman or even whole crew know whats up the next day.

Also after a 12 hour day I know not much gets done for prep work. I'd avoid doing long days back to back if you could because the motivation to dump/fuel/stock the truck isn't very high.

Just throwing it out there but you might be able to give them a nice incentive for leaving the shop by 7:15 everyday at the end of the month. A few drinks at the local bar or a gift card for food or movies. I'm not sure it would work out in the end money wise but its a nice gesture.

Save 15 mins per person everyday x 3 people per crew = 45 mins everyday x 20 days in the work week = 900 mins / 60 = 15 hours. So if you can save 15 mins everyday you can cut 15 hours out of the month.

Do you account for safety meetings in the morning?
 
to be completly transparent I have been slacking here of late!! When we are on our game we normally do one schedule from the tailgate safety book,and on either discussing a near miss eventor ill pull a scenario from the awakenings post to discuss!!
 
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