A bulk medical oxygen provider told me recently about the lines of drivers they have many mornings waiting to get their truck-mounted vessels filled for that day’s delivery runs. Several others confirmed that it is such a trend that a lot of the homecare delivery drivers have purchased personal DVD players to watch movies while they wait in line.
One of the main costs Lean Methods focuses on is “Waiting Time” waste. This situation is amazing if you consider an average work year of about 200 delivery days and the cost not only of waiting, but also getting to the plant, filling and then actually getting out to respiratory oxygen patients. This adds Process, Transportation, and Talent wastes and instantly begs the question of how others might be avoiding or limiting these costs. There were some interesting answers that we’ll explore in greater depth in future posts. They include:
-Use larger cryogenic tanks in trucks to cut down the number of fills required annually;
-Install bulk tanks at depot facilities to avoid going to vendors;
-Acquire larger portable tanks to use for remote depot and field filling;
-Outsource filling services;
Please share other ideas if you have them and we’ll work more on this and a couple of related issues over the next few days.
One of the main costs Lean Methods focuses on is “Waiting Time” waste. This situation is amazing if you consider an average work year of about 200 delivery days and the cost not only of waiting, but also getting to the plant, filling and then actually getting out to respiratory oxygen patients. This adds Process, Transportation, and Talent wastes and instantly begs the question of how others might be avoiding or limiting these costs. There were some interesting answers that we’ll explore in greater depth in future posts. They include:
-Use larger cryogenic tanks in trucks to cut down the number of fills required annually;
-Install bulk tanks at depot facilities to avoid going to vendors;
-Acquire larger portable tanks to use for remote depot and field filling;
-Outsource filling services;
Please share other ideas if you have them and we’ll work more on this and a couple of related issues over the next few days.
Posts
