Download Warehouse Question 1

Now that Ato Damena is enlightened on how to better manage the company, he would have to
make some major and minor changes. Preceding actions though, Ato Damena should try to
understand his work environment. He needs to strictly differentiate the positive and negative
attributes of himself and the company he is running. While doing so he will come to find the
dissatisfaction of his subordinate Ato Zinabu. Here are some areas of improvement Ato Damena
should work on.

Working conditions
Creating a better workspace often involves common sense, tact and empathy. Seeing your
employees as humans instead of business tools is key. Ato Damena may have realized that his
company is in fact not a motivating environment for its employees. It is mentioned in the case
that the working space of Zinabu and presumably others in the company has “dim lighting, very
humid work ambience, fans making noises and has a long uninviting storeroom with chaotic
arrangements.” Therefore to address these problems Ato Damena needs to find ways to tackle
them. Some possible solutions we were able to come up with are;
Exposing working offices to natural lighting: if offices or the storeroom where Ato Zinabu sits
has access to natural lighting, you could try to have open windows, light curtains, maybe even
paint offices that will further brighten and accent the rooms( Bright colors like white, orange,
lime green, yellow, cyan and cream will not only create better exposure but also create the
illusion of having more space in the offices). If the store room does not have any access to
natural lighting, Better and brighter bulbs should be installed. Blue-enriched light bulbs may
reduce fatigue and increase happiness and work performance. In meeting or break rooms, use
warmer tones to promote calmness and relaxation. In conference rooms, use middle tones that
welcome workers while keeping them alert. In the case of Ato Zinabu’s store room bright and
better lighting bulbs are crucial.
Humid work ambiences: These working conditions may not be noticeable for someone who
walks in to an office and leaves in brief time, but for an employee that spends 7 to 8 hours a day
and 40 hours a week in the same room can be dreadful. Ato Damena has not been able to notice
this because his workspace is properly ventilated. It is mentioned that fans make noises that
distract and irritate workers. This is either because fans are not functioning well or that there is
not enough air it can suck and blow into the rooms. So Ato Damena needs to investigate the root
problem and take actions. Besides these possible solutions, giving employee’s sufficient time for
breaks, perhaps a lounge area out in the fresh would help restore the exhausted minds and body.
Chaotic arrangement of the store room: Even though proper administration and arrangement
of items that are received by the storeroom is the responsibility of Ato Zinabu himself, due to
personal and other factors he has not been able to do so. Ato Damena needs to motivate Ato
Zinabu to have better storekeeping arrangement by taking proactive measures. If some
significant costs are necessary, Ato Damena as a manager and boss needs to have a cost benefit
analysis and decide whether to have them or not. For example, the store house may need better
shelves to utilize vertical air space, better material handling tools and equipment and so on.
On a far bigger scale Ato Damena could make changes to the storerooms layout. We will get to
the layout he should utilize in a bit.

Storage Location Systems
It is stated in the case study that Ato Zinabu will routinely place incoming materials anywhere
there was space hence creating a cram in the warehouse receiving and dispensing spaces. Not
only that, but Ato Damena also has been criticized for having valuable equipment left unpacked
for several months because they were not given the proper placement. This comes to show that
the company Ato Damena is running does not have an efficient and effective storage location
system. To rectify this problem Ato Damena should meet with Ato Zinabu (storekeeper) and
other concerned individuals in the company and try to create a system of storage. It is crucial that
Ato Damena consults Ato Zinabu and his colleagues because they have the first-hand experience
regarding the issue. Finally Ato Damena together with his staff will create a system of storage
that will well serve the company’s operations.
The location system has to have a designated area for dead and slow moving materials and a
separate space for materials of popular demand. This system can facilitate smooth flow of
materials in and through the store room. Areas of storage need to be marked and given proper
identification so that the storekeeper can look and find materials with little effort. This is done by
marking shelves, aisles, floor space and other.

Storage Equipment
Ato Damena needs to investigate whether the company and the employees like Ato Zinabu
require additional equipment when handling materials. One reason for Ato Zinabu’s
dissatisfaction maybe because he has to deal with handling heavy and inconvenient materials on
a daily basis. Again it is expected from Ato Damena to identify what type of equipment the store
room will need to better its work. Will the store room need selective pallet rack, Drive through
rack, cantilever rack or will it need more bins, maybe have higher shelves and so on will be
questions that need to be answered. Note here that this decision is not made solely by Ato
Damena. As previously stated, Ato Damena is not qualified for the position he is in, but he can
inquire advice from his fellow subordinates. This will also help him realize that being the boss
does not exempt him from being involved in daily storekeeping affairs.