Snow Business, Mar/Apr 2012
SALT MANAGEMENT ICE GUIDE 2012 Worth its salt Creating a formal management program paves the path for better operational success Continued on page 30 www GoPlow com MARCH APRIL 2012 SNOW BUSINESS 29 BY MICHAEL MERRILL Contributor A re you really going to make us watch a documentary about salt Sounds like a punishment doesnt it That was the exact intention when this sentence was handed down to the misbehaving children on the TV show Malcolm in the Middle The subject matter is viewed by most as boring at best but for snow ice management professionals how they manage the purchase and use of salt and other deicing materials can make or break a company Why you need a program The procurement and proper use of salt is viewed by many companies as an afterthought or knee jerk decision made on the fly The lack of a formal salt management program creates a myriad of operational managerial and environmental challenges that you are tasked with solving A formal salt management program will help a company Control its deicer supply price and related transportation costs through proper gram planning thus protecting its bottom line Enhance customer service Improve site conditions by ensuring deicing product is always available A trickle down benefit of a formal salt management program is the ability to use it as a marketing tool and to differentiate yourself from your competitors A companys ability to honestly make a claim that it stockpiles an entire seasons salt supply or to say it has 33 of its yearly deicer in stock at all times is reassuring to clients Building a program There are several aspects that go into formulating a salt management program This isnt something you can knock out in a few days but now is a great time to start to ensure that when next winter arrives your company is prepared How much do you need If you read Mike Rories Building with Benchmarking article in the January February issue of Snow Business you may have identified your salt management program as a benchmarking target If your program does not yet exist it is time to gather accurate current and historical data A good starting point is the prior years salt invoices to calculate budget Storage and appropriate supply are two of the many components that go into creating a comprehensive salt management program Michael Merrill PHOTOS COURTESY OF MICHAEL MERRILL NORTH COUNTRY SNOW ICE MANAGEMENT
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