Point-of-Use Storage for a Bander and Band Supplies on the Forklift
Give the bander and bands a fixed home on the forklift so loading never requires a trip back inside.
- Creator
TheAMEConnect- Improvement date
- June 16, 2024
- Company
Southwest Steel Buildings- Wastes
The bander and its band supplies lived inside the building, so during loading the operator had to leave the forklift and walk back in to fetch them, breaking the flow of the job.
The team created standard, dedicated locations for the bander and the bands directly on the forklift. Each has its own spot: available when needed and out of the way when not.
Store tools at the point of use with a fixed home for every item.
What is a Point-of-Use Storage for a Bander and Band Supplies on the Forklift?
This is point-of-use storage combined with a home location for each tool. Instead of keeping the bander and bands in a central spot inside the building, they are mounted on the forklift where the work of loading and banding actually happens.
A home location means each item has one agreed place. The bander has its spot and the bands have theirs. Anyone can see whether the tool is present and can return it to the same place every time.
By standardizing where these supplies ride on the forklift, the operator never has to guess or hunt, and the loading task can be finished without leaving the machine.
Why it works
Fixing the location of the bander and bands turns a personal habit into a visible, repeatable standard that anyone can use.
- A defined spot makes the right way obvious and hard to get wrong.
- Every operator inherits the same setup instead of relearning where tools go.
- Missing supplies are spotted at a glance because each item has a known home.
- Keeping tools out of the way when idle prevents clutter and misplacement.
Evidence: The operator states it cut down on the amount of time spent and calls it a complete improvement because the tools are there when needed and not in the way when not.
How to create this idea
- 1Identify the tools used during the task
List what the operator must have on hand to complete loading, such as the bander and the band supplies.
- 2Move them to the point of use
Mount storage for these items directly on the forklift so they travel with the work.
- 3Assign a fixed spot for each item
Give the bander one location and the bands another so each has its own home.
- 4Keep spots out of the operator's way
Position holders so tools are reachable when needed but do not interfere during driving or loading.
- 5Standardize and share the layout
Make the arrangement the agreed standard so any operator using the forklift follows the same setup.
Best used when
- mobile equipment
- loading and banding tasks
- tools left inside building
- repeated fetch trips
Less useful when
- one-time tasks
- tools shared across many stations
- no stable equipment to mount on
Products and tools mentioned
- banding machine: Machine that applies straps to secure bundles or palletized loads.
- banding straps: Plastic or steel straps used to bundle and secure loads.
- forklift: Powered truck used to lift and move palletized loads around the facility.
Tags
- Problem
- wasted tripstool huntingclutter
- Lean methods
- point of usehome location5S
- Application
- forkliftloadingbanding
Captured from TheAMEConnect at Southwest Steel Buildings in the video "AME 2 Second Lean Tour: Southwest Steel Buildings", at 00:22:26. On Lean Toolbox. Watch the original video on YouTube ↗
