Container Operation
The arrival of a container is always an important moment in the life of the Monchoix company. For one morning, the entire team comes together around the same mission: unload, check and store several tons of goods, as quickly as possible.
1- Waiting and installation.
May 11, 2022. In the Monchoix premises, everyone is at their post, but regularly watches for the truck to arrive. The long-awaited container is announced for 9 a.m. Long-awaited, because the year 2022 is marked by significant delivery delays. "This is due to the health crisis. All companies are affected," explains Arnaud Gicquel, manager of Monchoix. "A certain uncertainty has set in. We placed this order that is arriving in August 2021. We should have received it in February." The delivery man is late. Arnaud takes the opportunity to prepare the pallets for receipt of the goods. The rest of the team advances on production while waiting for the appointed time.
2- The arrival.
9:32. The truck is finally here. All hands on deck! Everyone finishes what they are doing and puts on their safety shoes. Eight people will help unload: Margot, Sarah, Sophie, Arnaud, Dolorette, Thérèse, Sylvana and Stéphanie. They all know what they have to do.
3- Unloading.
The conveyor has been installed. Dolorette and Thérèse have taken their places inside the container. Their mission: to empty the truck of its 400 or so boxes. The others receive, sort and install on pallets. “The container is not completely full this time,” explains Sophie Gicquel. “Plus, it’s textiles, so the boxes are bigger. When we receive the dishes, they are smaller and much more numerous.” Despite everything, there is no question of hanging around. “We have until noon to unload everything. After that, we pay extra.”
Sarah, a graphic designer at Monchoix, put on some music, a "cocktail" playlist. "It's to motivate us." For her part, Stéphanie points out the arrivals on the order list. "This delivery is a bit complicated because there aren't necessarily a lot of boxes but a lot of different references. Most of them are new. In addition, today, the container contains two different orders." The boxes are installed on pallets by reference. When the pallet is full or all the boxes of the same reference have been taken off the truck, Arnaud goes to store them in the warehouse, while waiting for the verification stage. Real teamwork!
10:15: “Can we see the bottom of the truck?” someone asks. Not yet. “Last time, we did the same thing in the rain,” Sophie comments. “Today, we have bright sunshine. It’s much nicer.”
4- Quality control.
Finally, the container is empty. The truck has left. Before a well-deserved break, Sophie and Margot still have one essential task to complete: quality control. Objective: to check that the products received correspond to the order placed and are not damaged. "We open a box from each pallet. We check that the barcode is correct, but also the weight and dimensions of the box, as well as the number of pieces. We make sure that the designation corresponds to the correct brand. In addition, if a product has several elements, such as a pack of 12 towels for example, we count. In the event of a problem, we carry out the same check on another box." When the check is complete, the products are stored in the warehouse or sent directly to the customer for delivery.
5- The snack.
This has become part of the company's routine. Each container unloading is followed by a moment of conviviality shared with all members of the team. An opportunity to congratulate each other on the work accomplished.
Magalogue n°06 - 2022