For the past ten months, we have been testing a new warehousing system to make processes more seamless and efficient at JANS, with the aim of pooling inventories and capacities and, in doing so, saving valuable storage space.
All for one and one for all: central warehousing at JANS
The warehouse is one of the pillars of day-to-day operations at JANS. If the right materials aren’t at the right building sites at the right time, everything comes to a standstill.
Our warehouse specialists and procurement managers work tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure that all the necessary construction and installation materials are ready to go. In this article, we introduce three key members of our new central warehousing team: Angélique Asselborn, Benjamin Pottier and Patrick Carvalho.
Keeping order
A strong and competent team is the key to achieving these aims. Our central procurement manager, Angélique Asselborn, is part of that team, responsible for negotiating with suppliers and managing the JANS Groupe inventory management system.
“I came to JANS to contribute my expertise to this new department,” says Asselborn, who previously worked in the construction sector and therefore has valuable experience of the industry. “It’s great to be able to work in such a relaxed, friendly atmosphere. My colleague Patrick and I have restructured the warehouse, digitalized inventories and streamlined inventory processes.”
Keen on trucks
Besides procurement, our employee Patrick Carvalho is also responsible for construction machinery at JANS. The procurement manager and logistics expert plans and coordinates when and where machinery is deployed.
“My job is to take care of truck logistics, including route planning and managing leased vehicles,” Carvalho says. “Thanks to my love of all things truck related, I am perfectly positioned to ensure that everything runs smoothly with transportation and site logistics.”
Keeping an eye on things
The third key member of the team is our procurement manager Benjamin Pottier, who is also responsible for a fleet of machines. His area of speciality is the smaller equipment required on the building site, from power drills to vibration plates.
Pottier’s job is to ensure that all the necessary tools are ordered in good time when required on the building site. Maintenance and repair work also falls under his remit.
“What motivates me is that JANS is such a positive place to work,” says Pottier. “I am also fascinated by the wide variety of building materials and products. Every project brings with it new challenges and opportunities.”
Pulling together
In the past, each trade at JANS had its own warehouse and ordered its own materials, whereas now central warehouse management allows us to pool together valuable resources.
“Things are all closer together and there’s a lot more clarity,” says head of department Mike Elsen, explaining the benefits of the new system. “If we have four trades, it doesn’t have to be the case that each trade has its own cupboard full of screws. Each of them can share materials with the others.”
The plan for the future is to enable equipment orders to be entered directly into the system from the building site. This will give the assembly teams and technicians a clear idea of what JANS already has available, what other trades might have in stock and what needs to be ordered from suppliers, allowing storage space to be used even more efficiently.
Although we’re not quite there yet, with the latest testing we are already well on the way to achieving our goals – backed by a strong team that makes sure everything is at the right place at the right time day in day out.
