Original Date: 07/20/1998
Revision Date: 01/18/2007

Due to a change in SIAD’s mission, a new receiving process for incoming material has been implemented for the different types of material being received and the increased number of line items being processed. The new method has decreased processing times, improved accountability and accuracy, and improved communication among all personnel involved in the process.

The prior method of receiving required that all trucks report to one building. Quality Assurance (QA) personnel were called from another building to come and perform their receiving inspections. A Receipt Control Number (RCN) was then assigned, information was entered into the database, and copies of the forms were made at the receiving building. Damage In Transit (DIT) inspections were then performed by QA. An advance copy of the paperwork was then sent to receiving personnel in another building, and the original paperwork was given to field personnel. The field personnel recorded the final storage location of the material. The original documents, with the final storage location, were then returned to the central receiving building. The RCN slip was attached to the original receipt documents, and the documents were forwarded to the receiving personnel located in another building where the material was posted to record. The entire process took six to ten days to complete depending on the type of material and the research required for new items being received. Several times, the original paperwork was lost or misplaced and the inventory accuracy and accountability were not adequate. A customer had also requested that the receipt process be improved.

The new method, as shown in Figure 2-4, has all trucks arriving at the central receiving building where the Receiving Clerk, Storage Planner, Transportation, and QA Inspector have been centrally located. The DIT inspection is performed by QA in the receiving building, a storage building location is assigned, the material is stored, and the receipt is posted. By having all personnel who are involved in the process located in the central receiving building, communication among the personnel has improved. The receiving time has been reduced by 80% to two days maximum. Inventory accuracy and accountability have also been dramatically improved. A local database is maintained for serial number control for unique customers who require it. Additional improvements include the use of the Sierra Total Asset Tracking System, incorporation of bar coding and reduction of the receiving process time by an additional 50%.

For more information see the Point of Contact for this survey.