Why Cross-Training in Warehousing Often Fails – and What Top Operators Do Differently

Written by Staff Writer

In warehousing and distribution, cross-training fails without fundamentals. Many organizations in this space approach widespread cross-training in a way that lacks structure. This can improve initial responsiveness, but without a keen understanding of root cause analysis, organizations lose out on long-term resilience and diagnostic depth.

In this article, we’ll walk through the current status quo that warehousing & distribution organizations – along with other industries relying on very small maintenance teams – use to cross-train operators and technicians, followed by recommendations of some subtle and not-so-subtle ways to transform operations.

Adopting a structured training program that includes fundamentals, skills validation, and a systematic troubleshooting approach improves uptime and maximizes the effectiveness of maintenance operations, which should include operators for greater ownership and flexibility.

Empower Operators to Reduce Pressure on Maintenance Teams

Train operators to solve simple maintenance challenges and help balance your technicians’ work and to reduce downtime related to easy-to-solve problems. If this tactic isn’t part of your team’s toolbox, it’s a quick way to improve uptime, when applied with structure. Here’s how it works:

Train operators to complete tier 0 or 1 maintenance tasks, such as cleaning, lubrication, visual inspections, clearing jams, and basic resets. Benefits include:

• Reduces nuisance downtime
• Frees technicians and trades for skilled repairs
• Improves operator ownership of equipment
• Helps get through peak seasons

However, without the structure and theory typically included in training, this tactic can cause more downtime or missed leading indicators of a bigger problem.

Consider an Apprenticeship Program, If Time Allows

For organizations experiencing high levels of retirement within their technician ranks, it might be time to develop an apprenticeship program, another widely used tactic for cross-training, upskilling, and building a fresh labor pool. Use it for transforming operators into maintenance technicians and to add skill to current or new technicians.

For example, many existing apprenticeship programs take an adept electrical maintenance team member with potential and upskill them into multi-craft technicians. This ensures that when one person is out, there’s ample coverage for their area of expertise.

Apprenticeship programs must include on-the-job training as well as a solid theoretical foundation built through online or instructor-led training to ensure that apprentices gain a balanced education.

Indicators Your Training Program Needs Support

When leaning on operators to complete simple maintenance tasks, or focusing on OEM training or job shadowing as your primary training methods, organizations need to consider these risks:

• OEM training is equipment specific rather than based on principle. That is to say, it covers the specific machine, rather than the electrical, mechanical, or controls fundamentals behind repairs, causing struggles such as:
  • Repairing failures not covered by the manual because they’re caused by an interconnected machine or process.
  • Improper or undocumented machine modifications – completed with the best intentions – that cause confusion instead of system harmony.
• When using operators for level 1 problems, they may not identify early failure indicators, missed warning signs. Organizations could experience:
  • Greater risk of catastrophic failure
  • More downtime
  • Poor peak maintenance prioritization that leads to avoidable downtime and safety risks.
• Lack of understanding system interactivity. Knowing how to repair one machine is helpful, but when those making repairs do not understand how each machine relates to the others in concert can spell fresh challenges:
  • If team members do not understand the full electrical or mechanical system, their work can result in recurring failures on heavily used equipment like conveyors, sorters, drives.
• Job shadowing is effective but slow – use as part of your balance. However, it’s less practical – especially in a lean environment – to have on-the-job training be your whole strategy. Additional methodologies add balance and efficiency to training operations.

Add These Methodologies for Measurable Improvements

Add structured foundational and technical training in addition to on-the-job cross-training, OEM training, and basic maintenance for operators – and reach peak performance potential:

1. Balance operator repairs – Instead of always having operators complete level 0 or 1 repairs, included times at regular intervals when a technician can do the level 0/1 repairs, especially when the same repair is needed more frequently. This reduces the chance of missing out on leading indicators.
2. Toolbox Talks – give a technician the floor during pre-shift huddles to talk through a tip or best practice for repairs operators complete.
3. Acquire a shared lingo and knowledge base – use third party training to get everyone who does repairs on the same page about terminology, basic tactics, and best practices.
4. Micro learning, when part of a comprehensive training program, can improve engagement and knowledge retention. Look for bite-sized, brief online training modules that can be used for most team members.
5. Add flexible theoretical training – choose training solutions that allow team members to start and stop as many times as they need to. With maximum flexibility, it’s much easier to balance repairs and training.
6. Include gamified digital solutions: As we see increasing numbers of Gen Z and Gen Alpha joining the workforce, it’s critical that the training provided to younger workers is built how they learn. This means engaging, interactive training and with goals built in – such as faster time-to-repair, fewer parts wasted, and better root cause analysis.
7. Skills verification – testing team members before and after their training helps to demonstrate knowledge retention, ensure training is effective, and helps to track training program ROI. Plus, it’s a key tenant of code books techs follow, such as NFPA 70E and NEC.

Improve Outcomes with a Training Program from TPC & Certus

Through TPC and Certus, organizations in warehousing, distribution, and beyond see measurable improvements to machine uptime, greater job satisfaction, and team resiliency in the face of unprecedented retirements. We provide solutions that meet team members where they are and help them – and the organizations they’re part of – create a safer and more productive workplace. With industry-specific training solutions and role-based curriculum paths, we provide training Solutions that improve knowledge, skills, and confidence

Our flexible online training solutions:

• Technical skills & maintenance training for operators & those completing repairs
• Gamified simulation-based training to amplify root cause analysis and anchor skills in realistic scenarios
• Instructor-led training for teams that need an intensive seminar on a single topic – as a private group or send individuals to in-person training or a virtual seminar.
• Solutions for safety, skills verification, and much more.

Get started building a smarter, stronger workforce by requesting a meeting with a member of our team.