Charitable Redistribution Center — Facility Revamp
Reimagined layout, safety practices, and volunteer workflows for a donation-based nonprofit to move more goods to families faster.
Situation
A Houston-area charitable organization receives thousands of donated household items from the public each month. Rapid growth overwhelmed its warehouse, producing congested aisles, unclear safety ownership, and inconsistent volunteer training. Processing time ballooned and floor space for staging outbound deliveries disappeared, limiting the nonprofit’s ability to serve partner agencies.
Approach
ROI Consulting led a hands-on kaizen that blended flow redesign, safety remediation, and standard work creation. We captured inbound-to-outbound cycle data, traced material from donation door to dispatch, and engaged volunteer leads to surface hazards. Layout simulations prioritized clear egress and ergonomic sort stations, while a 6S blitz freed high-value square footage. Parallel workstreams authored safety SOPs, lockout/tagout checklists, and role-based training modules to sustain the new flow.
- Implemented color-coded lanes, pallet specs, and visual triggers that keep donations moving without rehandling.
- Established takt-based volunteer staffing guides and shift huddles to keep sort, repair, and load-out synchronized.
- Closed OSHA-recordable risks with guarded mezzanine storage, anti-slip surfaces, and updated material handling equipment inspections.
Results
The nonprofit reclaimed over 1,800 square feet of usable space, reduced donation processing time by nearly a third, and delivered a safer environment for staff and volunteers. With standardized flow and daily management routines, the team can stage more goods for community partners while maintaining compliance and morale.
Transformation Milestones
- Week 1–3Documented inbound/outbound donation flow, safety incidents, and storage saturation; mapped volunteer work cells and priority constraints.
- Week 4–6Redesigned floor plan with dedicated sort, repair, and staging zones; executed 6S event to clear obsolete inventory and open egress paths.
- Week 7–9Authored safety, material handling, and volunteer training SOPs; launched visual controls and standard work cadences.
- Week 10–12Stabilized new process metrics, completed safety remediation checklist, and coached leadership on sustaining audits and continuous improvement loops.
Impact Dashboard
Why It Worked
Continuous engagement with volunteers, leadership, and safety officers ensured every improvement served mission outcomes. Visual controls, ownership matrices, and cadence-based management aligned resources to real donation demand, making the gains resilient even as volunteer rosters change week to week.