The Cape center was the first expansion for HWI. Their home office and main warehouse was located in Fort Wayne In. Their ware house workers and truck drivers were union. This may seem a little odd but as I understand it their union was the meat cutters union. I don’t know the reason behind that.
Obviously, 43 years ago the computer systems were somewhat different from todays. The first computer that was in the main office was huge, and they used punch cards to control the computer. Punch cards were also used to enter data. The process was something like this;
Paper POs were placed in folders alphabetically, in a file drawer in the receiving office. Each page of a PO could have as many as 25 SKUs (Stock Keeping Units) and POs could have 15 or more pages.
Product arrived on a trailer, the unloader would verify that all the pieces were there and sign the freight waybill.
The signed freight bill was attached to the PO.
A checker would take the PO and check all the product in. The checker would make hash marks and write numbers or notes on the paper PO. When the checker verified it as being all there, a check mark was placed by the quantity ordered. If the quantity received was different from that ordered, the quantity received was written by the qty. ordered.
The checker initialed the PO.
POs were taken to the front office where the office staff would enter the data into the computer. Each line of data was actually punched into a card. When all the receipts were punched, these cards were placed in a hopper and each one went through a card reader and data was entered into the computer.
There was no way to see what was on hand (in inventory) locally, we would need to call Fort Wayne.
Each item in the center had its own home location. Originally, all the home locations at Cape had to be in the same as the home location in Fort Wayne. Since the Fort Wayne warehouse was old, small and laid out less efficiently, this system was less than optimal for Cape.
Progress made at Cape.
I was the lead person in receiving and I unloader trailers just like all the other receivers. One day I decided to do something different from the normal process. I decided to unload, check and haul each shipment from my trailer that day.
For most shipments the process was to;
1. Unload and verify piece counts, sign the freight bill,
2. Place the merchandise in an area to be checked,
3. A checker would check in the merchandise and attach a routing slip, Routing slip went with the merchandise to the stock person. when stock was put away the slip would be turned in verifying that the shipment had been put away and it was ok to enter the product into the computer).
4. A hauler (person on a fork lift) would take the product to the stocking department,
5. Stock person would put merchandise away and turn in the routing slip.
I was successful in my attempt to unload, check and haul each shipment. I was doing something different and that made me happy. The manager came by and I had to brag about what I had just done. He said he liked that idea and asked if I could do it on another trailer load. I responded with no problem but it takes a little longer than just unloading.
After proving that most of the product could be unloaded, checked and hauled it became a time saving process that we all used.
Back in those days a driver stayed with the load and helped unload. We were not charged for the driver’s time at the dock, and the drivers would rather be helping us unload than somewhere else possibly working harder.
Thanks for reading, I will have more stories later.
Don Ford
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