SEHFA Hosts Warehouse Operations Program & Golf Outing
On Friday, June 17th, 16-20 golfers showed up for a round a golf at the Ol’ Colony Municipal Golf Course. An evening cocktail reception was hosted by Janice Coleman of the Tupelo Furniture Market, followed by a wonderful outdoor dinner at North River Yacht Club on the shores of Lake Tuscaloosa. It was a really nice evening, with over 40 dealers, reps and suppliers in attendance from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee.
On Saturday morning, about 30 people visited the Spiller Furniture warehouse for a tour and a program on optimizing warehouse operations presented by John McCloskey, President of Profitability Consulting Group. John’s presentation covered several subject areas with the potential of helping a furniture retailer save money and be more productive, including:
- Keep delivery expenses low by utilizing computer-based mapping to fill delivery trucks for customers who live close to stops already scheduled.
- Save money by investing in LED light bulbs in the showroom. One member lowered his monthly electric bill by over $4,000 with an investment of only $30,000, an amazing payback considering that the bulbs are guaranteed to last for over 6 years!
- Utilize IPads & Barcodes in the showroom to enable salespeople to provide detailed product information to customers.
- Safety issues in the warehouse, during delivery & during customer pickup.
- How to create a simple bonus plan to award good behavior & high quality standards in the warehouse on delivery.
- How to increase sales of accessories & fabric protection.
A big THANK YOU to all of our generous sponsors for this event!