Exclusive! Layoffs in Lapland

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} The current economic crisis has hit jobs all over the world, and our Lapland correspondent exclusively reports that S. Claus Distribution is no exception, as thousands of elves have been laid off in the lead-up to Christmas.  ÔÇ£ItÔÇÖs a sad situation,ÔÇØ said company president Nicholas Claus, ÔÇ£but volumes are well down on last year, and after our lean supply chain initiatives, we just donÔÇÖt need as many elves as we have done in the past.ÔÇØ The number of unemployed elves has now reached a fifty year record, putting the National Elfcare Service under severe strain. Nevertheless, S. Claus still has a job to do, and the night before Christmas sees an annual feat of logistics that represents the leanest supply chain in the world. ÔÇ£We still make toys, of course,ÔÇØ said Claus, ÔÇ£but with the cost of labor being what it is nowadays, we have outsourced much of our toy production to China, and that has added to the complexity of the logistics. WeÔÇÖve become much more of a distribution organization in the last few years.ÔÇØ As every transportation manager will appreciate, planning and preparation are the keys to pulling off an exercise like this. ÔÇ£With so many deliveries to make, in one night, all over the world, sequencing is crucial,ÔÇØ said the chief information elf. On time delivery is what made this organization famous, and all the elves say how wonderful the new warehouse management system is. The introduction of RFID tagging, in particular, has revolutionized order accuracy. Elf associates participated in kaizen events during 2008, resulting in dynamic cost savings in wrapping and labeling presents, which are then loaded onto sleighs according to delivery sequence. The cost of fuel is an issue for most distribution organizations, but S. Claus has had this under control for generations, with its unique system of public refueling stations. ÔÇ£Naturally, with all the toys on board the sleigh we canÔÇÖt carry enough reindeer food for the whole journey around the world,ÔÇØ said the chief procurement elf, ÔÇ£but the generous donation of carrots by the general public has always been enough.ÔÇØ So what challenges, if any, remain to be overcome? ÔÇ£Well, some of the childrenÔÇÖs handwriting can be a problem,ÔÇØ said one of the order input elves, ÔÇ£but we have seen a huge increase in online ordering since we launched our new website. We can also take orders by text message now, so our marketing department is working hard on promoting that.ÔÇØ And you thought it was magic! *┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á *┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á *