Event Recap

Event Recap – LIVESTRONG Sporting Complex Tour & Networking

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$200 Million! That’s how much it cost to build Livestrong Sporting Park and the KCIIE chapter had a unique opportunity to tour this amazing facility on July 12th and get a behind the scenes look at the operations. The complex was truly built with the customer experience in mind – from the “fast taps” that can drain a full keg in 15 minutes to the 25’ x 84’, 16mm video screen, which is the largest 16mm screen in the world. Videos are also taken and reviewed before, during, and after the game to monitor the flows at the concession stands, clubs, and parking, so that adjustments can be made. The stadium can accommodate soccer, football, and rugby games, as well as concerts – recently they laid 110,000 square feet of raised decking on the field for a concert, complete with a sub air system.

The seating on each side of the stadium has its own pitch and three sides are level with the field. It’s also designed for future expansion – the roof on the sides can be lifted so that 8000 seats can be added. The technology is also quite impressive – an HD lighting system, 120 HD security cameras, and 250 wifi hotspots. Even in case of an emergency, each TV will display evacuation procedures and directions from the point of that TV.

The technology also extends to the locker room. Those 120 cameras….well, they also capture the action on the field and that can later be accessed on a smart board in the locker room, so that plays can be reviewed. Even the players each wear heart rate monitors at all times, so that their nutrients can be checked. They then each have their own “recipe” and schedule for the shakes they drink to maintain their nutrition!

Thank you to Chris Wyche, Executive Vice President of Operations and our tour guide!

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Harvester’s Recap

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Beans, Meats, Soups, Meals, Tuna, and Peanut Butter!!
For those who attended the May 8th meeting at Harvesters, those 6 foods have great meaning.  For 90 minutes we helped sort the  “proteins” for Harvesters. Whether it was by the pound or by the count, we completed several pallets of food that will be sent out to area food pantries.  In addition to the IIE members, this was an excellent opportunity for a few of the kids to help out as well.  Working the tape gun was my son’s favorite part, but whether it was taping boxes, sorting foods, counting or weighing cans, they definitely we able to lend a hand.

The final 30 minutes included an informative tour of the volunteer sort area, storage warehouse, and both the refrigerated and freezer warehouses.  It’s very interesting to see the various ways the food arrives to the warehouse, is handled, and then distributed to those who need it most.  Thanks to all those attending!

Coleman Distribution recap

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In April we toured the (fairly) new Coleman distribution center in Gardner, KS. We had 7 members and 2 non-members participate on the tour.

The 1 million sq ft facility opened in October 2009 and is the first tenant in the new Midwest Commerce Center near the New Century Airport. The facility runs 24/7 for picking and shipping operations, with a standard 8/5 shift for receiving. On the receiving dock they primarily build the merchandise to stacking frames which are then stretch wrapped, scanned into inventory and set aside for putaway. Tickets are run at the end of each day and merchandise is picked and delivered to the shipping lanes, where loads are built per customer preference. Some customers use a center-point model where the merchandise is delivered in bulk to a few DC’s and then they distribute further within their network, while others prefer direct to store distribution. They also offer a few value added services of some of the product, such as specialized packaging or repricing. They also do all the walmart.com order fulfillment for their products.

Thanks again to the Coleman team for providing the tour!

Please let us know if you have a particular facility you would like to tour. Email us: kansascityiie-at-gmail-dot-com.

1st Quarter Meeting Recaps

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January Meeting Recap:
Pure Fishing Tour – Joint meeting with ASQ
In January, Kansas City IIE and the Kansas City chapter of American Society for Quality held a tour of the Pure Fishing distribution center. We had 10 IIE members, 10 ASQ members and and 4 non-members participate in the tour.

Pure Fishing’s 400,000 sq. ft. facility opened its doors in Kansas City in Oct 2008. The Kansas City DC is the primary DC for durables distribution for North America. Durables include rods, reels, and tools and accessories. The two-shift facility has approximately 37,000 pallet locations and supports both B2B and B2C business. Within the building, there are approximately 3000 SKUs. Pure Fishing uses SAP for its WMS, MagicLogic for cartonization and ConnectShip is used for all shipment rating and routing.

Our tour was led by one of our KC IIE members, Jason Duncan. We would like to extend our thanks to Jason and the rest of the Pure Fishing team that assisted with our tour! Thank you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

February Meeting Recap:
Innovation Engineering Overview and Roundtable

Our February meeting was held on February 29 on Innovation Engineering. Our presenter was MAMTC’s Mark Chalfant from the Manhattan, KS Office. A small group of 8 people met at the Pizza Maker in Lenexa and learned about the basics
of an Innovation Engineering Management System (IEMS). The meeting concluded with a roundtable discussion about IEMS and how it may apply at the various companies or organizations present at the meeting.