Having spent some time in transportation and working with some great partners to increase my education in the space, I find myself traveling down that path again with Branch Messenger (“Branch”) as it relates to fulfillment and distribution centers. This is an important part of supply chain logistics and the overall economy in the ever-growing world of retail and eCommerce. There’s a great deal of technology that helps companies determine placement of distribution centers and efficient routing, but Branch is very specifically focusing on the operational efficiencies of the workforce within these facilities.
In my past life everything centered around the package and delivery, but little attention was given to one of the largest operational expenses – the labor pool. We achieved some operational improvements and cost savings around automation and data insights, but we never specifically addressed the operational challenges around the hourly and shift workers within the supply chain. The truth be told, the whole supply chain comes to a screeching halt without the hourly and shift workers that staff these facilities. Through technology we could reduce and/or reallocate headcount to drive some cost savings, but we never addressed challenges with the individual hourly or shift worker. There is a significant amount of leakage within the hourly and shift workforce due to poor shift management, retention/churn, and lack of a shared labor pool across locations.
Different than a WMS or TMS system, Branch is addressing the individual hourly and shift worker with technology. The one thing in common with almost all workers is that they have access to a mobile device. Where mobile devices are not allowed, Branch provides tablets on location allowing workers to interact with the platform just as they would with their own mobile device. Branch allows workers to view their schedules, swap shifts, and collaborate with their teams within an easy-to-use mobile app. On the admin side, Branch provides managers actionable insights, reports, and KPIs allowing them to keep their finger on the pulse of their labor operations. Why is this important to distribution and fulfillment centers? The Branch platform reduces absenteeism by an average of 61%. On average it saves 4-hours per week per manager in managerial approvals of schedules and shift changes. It improves retention by 25% and an overall improvement in recruiting by 30%. The Branch platform increases productivity within your workforce and keeps your operation working like a well-oiled machine. The hourly and shift worker is the engine that allows everything else to flow.
For more information on Branch, please visit https://www.branchmessenger.com. If you’re a vendor providing solutions in supply chain logistics and and interested in partnering with Branch, please visit https://www.branchmessenger.com/partners or send an email to partners@branchmessenger.com.