Now, assume that you are an Operations/Quality manager and that the information in the chart portrays some of the key performance indicators (KPIs) that you routinely monitor to assess the efficiency of your network.

For this discussion, you will review the chart and answer the prompts related to the following scenarios:

Scenario 1
Your deliveries to retail stores have not been on time lately, and neither have the departures of loaded trucks from your distribution centers. Load times are well within standards, but the trucks are just not getting on the road on time.

Additionally, while you have plenty of space in the warehouse, much of the inventory has been sitting there for much longer than you anticipated and seems to be gathering dust on the shelves.

Your vehicle fleet is reaching the end of its economic life span, and routine preventive maintenance is just barely staying ahead of repairs.

• What do you believe are the root causes of late deliveries? How would you adjust operations to improve this?
• How does the inventory situation in the warehouse contribute to the issue of late deliveries?
• What are some of the quality issues that need to be addressed?