So the embroidery process has been honed to perfection; though I am working at least eleven hours a day in the studio cutting and preparing silks and making up the button brooches and mirrors; I can just about keep up with the demand but this leaves little time for all the other essential tasks such as the cataloging of orders on the database, admin, filing &c; to be honest I haven't even started an orders sheet for October (and we're half way through it already, so I know what I'll be doing this Sunday afternoon). We also have a situation on the output side also, six or 7 orders are waiting to be packed, wrapped and dispatched which is not good.
So, the lessons we have learned here is that we can't improve productivity in just one area of the business without addressing the relative effects on the other parts. Today we need to discuss and develop a way to pack and ship orders more quickly; it's going to be challenging but we have to do it. I know I could transfer some hours from embroidery to packing but I really don't want to do this; the first task will be to examine what we are doing now (packing-wize), a bit of time and motion study, and determine if there is room for improvement; I don't know at the moment, it is one area of the business that I have had relatively little input to... Probably because I know it is going to be a challenge. But now the time has come to face the problem.
Whilst making-up and packing hundreds of brooches each day, it's amazing how your mind works to cope with the repetition; whilst packing this order I suddenly noticed that I was coordinating my packing - shoes an dresses, tea & knitting, handbags and cocktails &c. We know how to have fun!
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