7 Wastes Costing You Money Every Day

In the first two articles of this series, we discussed Job Sequencing and Property Flow Mapping. Job Sequencing helps crews understand what tasks should be completed and in what order. Property Flow Mapping helps employees move through a property efficiently.

Now let’s tackle the next opportunity for improving productivity and profitability: eliminating waste.

When most owners think about improving production, they immediately focus on working faster. However, the biggest gains often come from removing activities that add no value to the customer.

In Lean Manufacturing, these activities are called “waste.” While landscaping, lawn care, and tree care are service businesses rather than manufacturing businesses, the concept applies perfectly.

Every day, crews lose productive time to activities that customers are unwilling to pay for.

The objective isn’t to make employees work harder. It’s to remove the obstacles that prevent them from doing productive work.

Waste #1: Excess Motion

Motion waste occurs whenever employees make unnecessary movements.

Examples include:

  • Walking back to the truck multiple times.
  • Searching for tools.
  • Retrieving materials that should have been staged.
  • Crossing the property repeatedly.

This is one of the most common forms of waste in landscape operations.

The solution is proper vehicle organization, equipment staging, and property flow mapping.

Waste #2: Waiting

Waiting occurs whenever employees are standing around because something else isn’t ready.

Examples include:

  • Waiting for another crew member to finish.
  • Waiting for equipment repairs.
  • Waiting for materials to arrive.
  • Waiting for management decisions.

Employees on the clock but unable to work represent pure lost productivity.

The best companies focus on preparation, communication, and planning to reduce waiting time.

Waste #3: Transportation

Transportation waste involves moving equipment, materials, or products more times than necessary.

Examples include:

  • Loading and unloading materials multiple times.
  • Transporting equipment from one side of a property to another unnecessarily.
  • Poor truck organization creating extra handling.

Every time something is moved, labor is consumed without adding value.

The goal is to handle equipment and materials as few times as possible.

Waste #4: Overprocessing

Overprocessing occurs when work exceeds customer expectations without increasing customer value.

Examples include:

  • Excessive trimming where it isn’t visible.
  • Reworking completed tasks.
  • Performing unnecessary inspections.
  • Applying procedures that add little benefit.

Quality is important. Perfection that customers neither notice nor value is expensive.

Train crews to understand service standards and focus on delivering the agreed-upon scope of work.

Waste #5: Defects and Rework

Nothing destroys productivity faster than doing the same work twice.

Examples include:

  • Missed mowing areas.
  • Improper fertilizer applications.
  • Misdiagnosed tree issues.
  • Customer callbacks.
  • Quality control failures.

Every callback costs labor, fuel, equipment usage, scheduling flexibility, and customer confidence.

The most profitable companies focus on getting the work right the first time.

Waste #6: Excess Inventory

Many companies don’t think inventory applies to service businesses, but it absolutely does.

Examples include:

  • Excess chemicals on trucks.
  • Duplicate tools.
  • Overstocked irrigation parts.
  • Materials purchased too far in advance.

Inventory ties up cash and often creates organization problems.

Carry what crews need and maintain proper inventory controls.

Waste #7: Underutilized Talent

This may be the most expensive waste of all.

Too many companies hire smart people and then fail to use their ideas.

Examples include:

  • Technicians identifying problems that management never hears about.
  • Crew leaders excluded from process improvement discussions.
  • Employees who see inefficiencies but aren’t encouraged to speak up.

The people closest to the work often have the best ideas for improving it.

Your field employees can be one of your greatest sources of innovation if you give them the opportunity.

A “Waste Walk” Exercise

One of the best exercises a manager can perform is a “Waste Walk.”

Spend a day observing technicians and crews…ask yourself:

  • What are employees waiting for?
  • What are they searching for?
  • What unnecessary movements are occurring?
  • What is being done twice?
  • Where are bottlenecks occurring?
  • What frustrations are employees experiencing?

You will likely identify dozens of opportunities to improve productivity without purchasing a single piece of equipment.

The Competitive Advantage of Continuous Improvement

Most companies focus on increasing sales to improve profitability.

The best companies improve profitability by becoming more efficient.

When you combine:

  • Effective Job Sequencing
  • Property Flow Mapping
  • Waste Elimination

You create a production system that consistently delivers higher productivity, better quality, and improved customer satisfaction.

The result isn’t employees working harder.

The result is employees accomplishing more because you’ve removed the obstacles that stand in their way…                                                                                                                    

            …And in today’s labor market, that may be the greatest competitive advantage a lawn, landscape, or tree care company can build.

Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.

Fred

To Learn More Contact Fred at TrueWinds Consulting

[email protected] (619) 665-7854