METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DERIVING PRODUCTIVITY METRICS FROM VEHICLE USE

• US 20140278828A1
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Easy Metrics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Easy Metrics, Inc.
• Inventors: Dorcas, Dean
• Application Number:
  US13/827,520
• Publication Number:
  US 20140278828A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7.42
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06398 Performance of employee with respect to a job function
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates

Abstract

A system and method distributes incentive payments to employees performing warehouse tasks to reward productivity. Time-stamped data from sensors on a vehicle having a vehicle code is periodically retrieved to provide trip onset and trip conclusion events and an employee code associated an operator. The data includes a vehicle code trip distance; and any lift events. Job onset and job conclusion events and the employee code associated with each job code as well as time clock events including clock in and clock out data are used to provide segments in a timeline, the segments bounded by trip onset events. Lift time within a segment is derived by adding a fork lowering time equal to any fork raising time to a laden time present within the segment. Aggregating time and movement within a segment to produce a utilization percentage of the segment. A tracked time ratio includes segments within an interval.

Claims

1. A computer-assisted method for distributing incentive payments to employees performing warehouse tasks, the payments to reward productivity, the method comprising, each under the control of a computer system:

receiving, from sensors on a vehicle having a vehicle code, data including time-stamped event data memorializing;

trip onset and trip conclusion events associated a vehicle code; and

lift events, laden time, and trip distance associated with the vehicle code;

deriving a utilization percentage based upon the received trip onset, and trip conclusion events, lift events, and laden time associated with the trip;

receiving job code, and job onset and job conclusion events together defining the segment;

deriving a performance score relative to a labor standard for that job code for each segment based upon job code, job onset, job conclusion and the utilization percentage;

retrieving an employee code associated with each job code and time clock events including clock in and clock out data associated with the employee code; and

aggregating performance scores of each employee, in each segment, according to clock in and clock out data.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising drafting a check for each employee to include a bonus based upon the aggregated performance score.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the drafting a check includes aggregating all performance scores within an employee pay period.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein aggregating performance scores for each employee includes publishing the performance score to at least one employee.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein deriving a performance score includes:

calculating a tracked time ratio for all segments within each interval bounded by clock in and clock out events associated with the employee code within the interval.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving lift events includes doubling lift time in order to include time for lowering the lift and therewith to develop a lift percentage within each segment.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein deriving a utilization percentage includes:

aggregating lift percentage and movement percentage.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein deriving a performance score includes:

aggregating laden time and movement within a segment to produce a utilization time for the segment; and

aggregating the utilization time bounded by for all segments bounded by clock in and clock out events associated with the employee code within the interval for each segment.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving job code, and job onset and job conclusion events includes:

receiving information from a warehouse management system (WMS) indicating movement of identified goods from a first location to a second location; and

temporally locating the movement within a segment.

10. The method of claim 9, further including:

defining such new segments as necessary to bracket movement of identified goods not conforming with received job codes, job onset and job conclusion data.

11. A system to derive incentive payments to employees of a warehouse based upon performance of warehouse tasks, the system comprising:

one or more processing units including, among them, at least one tangible computer readable medium including computer readable program code logic to command the one or more processing units according to said computer readable program code logic, when executing, to perform the following;

receiving, from sensors on a vehicle having a vehicle code, data including time-stamped event data memorializing;

trip onset and trip conclusion events associated a vehicle code; and

lift events, and laden time associated with the vehicle code;

deriving a utilization percentage based upon the received trip onset, and trip conclusion events, lift events, and laden time;

receiving job code, and job onset and job conclusion events together defining the segment;

deriving a performance score relative to a labor standard for that job code for each segment based upon job code, job onset, job conclusion and the utilization percentage;

retrieving an employee code associated with each job code and time clock events including clock in and clock out data associated with the employee code; and

aggregating performance scores of each employee, in each segment, according to clock in and clock out data.

12. The system of claim 11, further configured to perform:

drafting a check for each employee to include a bonus based upon the aggregated performance score.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the drafting a check includes aggregating all performance scores within an employee pay period.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein aggregating performance scores for each employee includes publishing the performance score to a at least one employee.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein deriving a performance score includes:

calculating a tracked time ratio for all segments within each interval bounded by clock in and clock out events associated with the employee code within the interval.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein:

receiving lift events includes doubling lift time in order to include time for lowering the lift and therewith to develop a lift percentage within each segment.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein deriving a utilization percentage includes:

aggregating lift percentage and movement percentage.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein deriving a performance score includes:

aggregating laden time and movement within a segment to produce a utilization time for the segment; and

aggregating the utilization time bounded by for all segments bounded by clock in and clock out events associated with the employee code within the interval for each segment.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein receiving job code, and job onset and job conclusion events includes:

receiving information from a warehouse management system (WMS) indicating movement of identified goods from a first location to a second location; and

temporally locating the movement within a segment.

20. The system of claim 19, further including:

defining such new segments as necessary to bracket movement of identified goods not conforming with received job codes, job onset and job conclusion data.