Going Paperless: Mannok’s New App Eliminates 30,000 Pieces of Paper Annually

Mannok has developed a new digital solution which has made the picking and packing process of customer orders in its consumer packaging facilities paperless. The new app for picking and packing customer orders has removed around 30,000 pieces of paper per year from the process and is saving up to 400 hours of non-value-add activity.

The new Paperless Picking App, which was developed in-house by Mannok’s Business Change team in collaboration with order picking and administration personnel, has streamlined the process of pallet loading to fulfil customer orders, ensuring greater efficiency.

The digital solution provides access to real time order status and live communication between teams in the warehouse and the despatch office, with the app installed on handheld devices and forklifts for any time access. Eliminating the need for frequent office visits for paperwork and administration and ensuring a seamless flow of information, has saved 400-man hours annually and helped increase productivity in order fulfilment.

Commenting on the success of this digital initiative for the Mannok packaging plant, General Manager, Mark McKenna, said,

“It was our ambition to improve the process within our warehouse function through the framework of our Leading Excellence Programme, which focuses on adopting Lean and Continuous Improvement principles to not only improve operational efficiency, but also aims to ensure we operate in a more sustainable way.

The Programme commits to examining every process, every task and every role and challenging ourselves to improve it through the core principles of teamwork, problem solving, innovation and leadership.

The development of the Paperless Picking App is a prime example of how this framework can help us achieve operational excellence and reduce our impact on the environment.

It has also been very rewarding to have one of our Ulster University placement students, Jodi Curtis, recognised for her work on the app’s development in the University’s Innovation in Placement awards.

We now look forward to analysing and enhancing more of our processes to ensure our whole business is operating as efficiently and sustainably as possible.”   

Mannok’s Leading Excellence Programme provides a transferable framework based on four core pillars of Lean, Sustainability, Skills and Development and Continuous Improvement. The multi-faceted programme focuses on embedding these elements in everyday work throughout the organisation to support the long-term sustainability of the business whilst ensuring optimum efficiency and added value for customers.