February 28

Today Christina and myself worked together with our community partners at the E-waste recycling center. They had us go through several shelves of electronics to find any devices that were not marked with a tag. Our objective was to determine the device’s operating capabilities to determine if it was suitable for sale. Immediately, I spotted a bank note counting machine on the shelf and decided to test the device. Since neither Christina nor myself had ever operated this type of machine before, our community partners let us use their computer to do research on the device. We found a Youtube video as well as a user manual, which we used for reference. We quickly discovered there was an error with the machine which rejects certain bills for an undetermined reason. We were able to get the machine to work to a small degree and tagged the device with the discrepancies we found before returning it to the shelf. Next, we decided to work on another bank note counting machine. We determined that the machine worked properly, tagged the device, then placed it back on the shelf for sale. Before leaving we meet with a staff member named Cole, who was working in the back of the faculty. He explained to us the process he uses to sort parts into different bins so they can be sold to a larger recycle center. In this area we had an opportunity to see the process they use and saw potential on ways to improve this process.  

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March 14

Working with our community partners at the e-waste facility again, we were assigned to working in the testing area. I spent the bulk of my time trying to repair an espresso machine that had recently been brought in. What made this task extremely challenging was the fact that most of the tools that I needed to repair the machine was either difficult to find, or they simply did not have it. An area that we could work on that may help improve the workflow would be to better organize the drawers and bins containing the tools and supplies for testing. Although the bins were labeled, there did not seem to be any apparent order for deciding which bins the tools should be stored in. It seemed very haphazard and random. A way that we could improve this is by reorganizing the bins, so that similar tools are located in the same general area or perhaps have them stored by alphabetical order. We could also create a chart that lists all of the tools with their locations clearly posted at each work bench or near the bins. We could also include the quantities of each tool, so that they can maintain a proper inventory for all of the tools in the testing area. We could also create a logbook or electronic system (either excel spreadsheet or similar program) to check out any equipment or tools if they will be leaving the testing area. This will give accountability for all the tools and alert testing area staff if there are any tools missing. Another reason for creating an inventory system would be to give staff an overview of which tools are already in the shop and what tools they may need to add. The inventory system can also be used to catalog devices and better track the status of each device in the testing area. The inventory can include information such as the date it was brought in, manufacturer name, model number, inspection date, inspector name, status (operable, partially-operable, parts only, etc), suggested sale price, additional comments, and check out date. Due to the nature of the testing area, the only things I can think of what we could design for them would be a combination of IE in the actual workspace and a computer app for their inventory system.

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March 21

Today I went alone to the e-waste center. Upon arrival, I notified Matt that I wanted to work in different areas of the shop so that I could get a better sense of the flow of the center. I began the day at the front counter greeting several customers as they came in to drop off old electronics. I found out that they give the customers two options when donating electronic devices. They have the option of receiving a receipt which may be used when filing any itemized tax deductions. To receive a receipt the customer simply fills out an electronic form with their information as well as some information about the device they are donating. Alternatively, the customer could opt to simply drop off the device without a receipt. One customer brought in two old style tube televisions and a VCR. Matt and I took them to the back and cut the cords off and put them into bins. He told me that old electronics like that are not worth much and are better to be recycled instead of being resold. Next Arthur had me work with a part-time student staff member named Lucas. Arthur explained to me that often times they receive so many of the same type of electronic and do not have the manpower or time to test each and everyone in a timely manner. This causes the center to have an excess stock that makes it difficult to sell. In these instances, they do a annual blowout sale where they mark down their products by 50%. He mentioned that they were in the process of setting up for their next sale, scheduled to happen within the next few weeks. Working with Lucas, we removed the hard drives from used laptops and then priced them based on the type of core processors they had. Lucas gave very clear instructions, making this a very easy task. Next, I had an opportunity to explore the storefront area for a few minutes. I noticed that it was much different than my previous impression of the shop. Many of the items being sold were organized in a simple manner, grouping like devices with one another. This made navigating the store very easy and customer friendly making the shopping experience quite enjoyable from a customer’s perspective. After exploring the store I went to work with David in the testing area. I was able to find out a little more about how they process equipment. He told me that after receiving the device they have to test the device and tag them. They had an area with tagged and untagged equipment. However, since they are all just thrown in the same area this made it difficult to quickly determine if the device was tagged and ready for the next step. Once the device is tagged, the next step is taking a photograph of the device then posting it on ebay. They have a separate area where they keep all of the electronics that have been posted on ebay. The main issue I saw with this was that other than ebay, they do not keep any sort of record or inventory of what they have listed. Another concern I had was that all of the electronics were just sort of pushed into a corner of the testing area. This creates two problems, the first being that the device is not in the store, meaning a person cannot physically walk into the store and purchase the device, their only option would be through ebay. This greatly limits their customers to either only online purchases or in store purchases. I feel that with a better system, they could generate more revenue by offering the same device both online and in store, increasing the potential to sale the device. They would just have to have a good way to track the purchases and remember to remove the post if the item is sold in store. The second issue with how they are currently storing the electronics posted on ebay is that they are all just sort of shoved in a corner without any organization. So, even if they do make a sale through ebay, a staff member will have to rummage through the pile searching for the device so it can be shipped to the buyer. This disorganization creates a lot of wasted man hours simply looking for the item and I see a lot of remove for improvement in this area. Overall I did notice a huge change with the testing area as a whole. They now have computers setup at each work station and seemed to have much better organization with the tools and cleaning supplies than the last time I went.

 

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March 29

Today Daniel, Danielle, and I went to the E-waste center today to conduct interviews. The first person we interviewed was a part-time student employee named Lucas. During the interview we learned that his biggest concern was organization and efficiency. Lucas primarily works in the testing lab and he noted that at this time they do not have a designed location for the various cables needed to test certain electronic devices. He stated that it can be frustrating when he wastes so much time looking for a part rather than working on fixing the device. Next we spoke with the Assistant Supervisor Danny. He commented that many of their staff meetings have to deal with improving efficiency throughout the center. He told us that currently they do not have an inventory system because he felt that it would be a lot of work to implement and that it was not very practical due to the nature of their business. He did, however, mention that they have a big issue with keeping track of the products they have as well as a need for a way to track their tools and equipment needed for everyday tasks in the center. We also had the opportunity to interview a customer that was there. The customer told us that he felt the store was well organized and that he found it easy to navigate and find anything he was looking for. He commented how he felt that the center needed a lot more exposure. The customer told us that he happened to find it through seer chance because he wanted to recycle an electronic device. He was also unaware that they had begun selling products online. A good idea may to post signs in the store area letting customers know they can also shop online.