Lean principles reduce empty reefer inspections from 40 to just 4 minutes at APM Terminals Moin

Via a new reefer inspection express lane at APM Terminals Moin, trucks now pass through a finely tuned and fast inspection process for empty reefers exiting the terminal for delivery directly to farms. Due to the improved process, there are almost zero waiting times, no reworks and transportation costs are considerably improved.

With hundreds of employees trained in Lean principles such as process mapping, standardization and Kaizen (Continuous Improvement) it was only a matter of time before the 40-minute inspection time for reefers exiting the terminal came under scrutiny by Ricardo Alexis Alvarado Ruiz, supervisor at APM Terminals Moin.

Further inspired by his passion for Formula One, where every second counts, he was convinced he could reduce the 40 minutes that truck drivers had to wait for every reefer inspection. By removing ‘wasted time’ from the process and implementing a drive-in drive-out express inspection lane, congestion at the terminal has been reduced considerably.

The newly located express lane allows trucks to drive in forwards, with no sharp turns that have the potential to hinder other traffic. Reducing unnecessary truck manoevres has saved both time and improved safety.

Currently processing up to around 120 transactions per week, feedback from external truck drivers has only been positive, citing the reduced waiting times the fact that they no longer have to carry out difficult manoeuvres in limited space.