GPI 123 – Do you know what is going on at your receiving dock? Most likely you do not.

You think you know what is happening in the entrance to your facility but you most likely do not.  Why is this important?  The dollar value of all of the incoming items purchased by agents and buyers, who never see any of what they buy, is huge.  Your receiving people are supposed to do this, you think.  If you do not know what the procedures are at your facility find out.  Start asking today.

Interview your receiving people.  You may have very good people.  If that is the case, this is good.  If you do not, you need to review your hiring policies and training for these vulnerable positions.

Restrict receiving to the trained personnel who do not hesitate to report discrepancies.  Restrict receiving products or services to a very few highly-trained personnel who know what to look for and what errors lazy truck drivers make every day.  The dollars at stake are worth it.

Questions to ask receiving dock personnel:

• Are you aware of the receipt of wrong sized replacement belts for company machinery?
• Do you know if the company received out of specification components, painting, finishing or packaging?
• Did the company order and receive incomplete or inadequate outside services (i.e.  Painting, coating, finishing, lawn care, roof repair, AC service, duct cleaning, plumbing repair, etc.)?  Do you know the procedure to report missing work, job discrepancies, incomplete work or anything else that the company paid for but did not receive?
• Are you aware of any vendor that missed our company’s mandated shipment deadlines on purchased parts or supplies?  Did you report the missed deadline?  Were you instructed not to say anything?  Do you know who to inform in Purchasing?
• Are you aware of any receipt of incorrect sized pallets or wrong size boxes and wrapping packages that cannot contain our product or do not fit into the storage racks in the warehouse?
• Are you aware of any receipt of wrong raw materials delivered in wrong sizes or types or grades?
• Are you aware of the company receiving wrong chemicals and wrong quantities?
• Did our firm order and receive expired products billed as new or fresh and current?
• Did our company order and subsequently receive, leaking or punctured bags of chemicals, materials or other items damaged originally by the vendors’ drivers before they arrived at the plant?  Why did you happen to know they were leaking when they arrived at the plant yet not report it?
• Did our company incur damage to employee automobiles by sloppy lawn care personnel (i.e. lawn mowers throwing rocks)?
• Were any of our facilities hit, damaged or backed into by onsite contractors’ trucks or vehicles?  Did you get the vendor’s name?  If not, did you get a license plate number?  Who handles this?
• Did our company have any parking lot damage incurred by outside truck drivers?  Did they do any damage to cars or trucks or company buildings, sidewalk railings and fire hydrants stemming from careless driving they did not report?
• Are you aware of any delivery men leaving prematurely and missing parts of the scheduled delivery still remaining on the truck?
• Are you aware of any delivery men leaving without obtaining authorizing signatures of receipt and recording accurate dates that product was actually dropped off and received at the company?
• What companies drop off goods and ask for no signature?
• Are you aware of a receipt of bad or faulty shipping supplies?
• Are you aware of an incorrect or deficient load of quality control, laboratory or testing supplies or equipment?
• Are you aware of a shortage or incomplete shipment of welding rods, metal and other various supplies?
• Are you aware of a receipt of faulty cleaning agents or an incorrect shipment of cleaning rags, wrong uniforms or industrial gases?
• Are you aware of a short shipment of screws, nuts, bolts, wood, plastic parts or metal fasteners?
• Are you aware of the receipt of incorrect maintenance equipment and replacement parts?  Do you know how to report them?
• Do you document your outside vendor problems and demand restitution?  Do you know the procedure?  If you do not do this, who is assigned to this task?