Friction Friday: The Hidden Operational Forces That Quietly Limit Your Facility

Operational friction doesn’t show up as a dramatic failure. It shows up as small constraints that quietly limit throughput, increase labor pressure, and cap performance — especially during peak production windows. In fruit packing and tree nut processing facilities, that friction often lives at the end of the line. The final stage of palletizing can determine whether a season runs smoothly or becomes reactive. Understanding where friction lives is the first step to removing it.