|
Jan 23
2012
|
Scopes & the Buddy System
In this article, we’re going to discuss one of my favorite topics - one that I bring up with almost every customer I talk to - Scopes. Scopes can affect your company from start to finish. What is a Scope? A Scope, in its most general terms, is just a way for users to group fittings together. In Vulcan, we break up Scopes into Drawings, Floor, System, Change Order, Pressure and two that are user defined. Scopes are used across the QuickPen portfolio. In many cases, Scopes are defined when a CAD drawing is developed, and those same Scopes are exported directly into Vulcan. At this point, Scopes take on a different life, and it’s all about visual recognition or, in most cases, colors. Why are colors so important? Well, it’s simple. It eliminates the need to read.

The above graphic shows a standard Vulcan label with scope colors applied
Throughout the manufacturing process, Scope colors allow users to keep like fittings together so that when fabrication is complete and fittings make their way to the staging area prior to shipment, multiple groups can be established instead of one big pile. At this point, I’d like you to think of Scopes like the buddy system that we were taught back in school. I know it sounds funny, but it really is a good analogy. I think it’s pretty universal that most kids were taught if they ever went on a field trip that they had to have a buddy. It didn’t always keep you from getting lost, but at least you were lost together! Now let’s apply that to fittings, and yes, we’re taking a field trip.
To keep this analogy rolling (no pun intended), let’s say we have a job that we’re producing the same supply air run for the 1st floor, 2nd floor, and 3rd floor, and you have three groups of kids from three different classes taking a field trip. When the bus was loaded, it was one class at a time. I don’t ever remember hearing a group of teachers saying, “Sure sit wherever you want.” If it’s good for kids, it should be good for fittings. You have to admit it, those teachers were smart. They knew it was a whole lot easier to keep those kids together when they got off the bus.
Now back on our truck, we have loaded each individual pile that had been grouped by floor in our staging area onto our truck and shipped to the jobsite, unloaded and sorted by the floor scope color. Easily allowing your truck driver or the person receiving the delivery to separate and regroup fittings as they are delivered greatly increases the likelihood of a fitting making it to the proper floor. Scopes can truly save your company time and money in the shop and out in the field. Now, if I could only find a way for Scopes to hold hands as you move them to the 2nd floor. I will keep you posted! Now let’s all go out there and make a teacher proud and implement Scopes!
PS: Yes, my wife is a teacher!







