Advertise on podcast: The Warehouse Underground Podcast

Andy Paulson, founder of Warehouse Performance Group, has been part of LMS rollouts at hundreds of distribution centers. By his count, only about 1 in 10 hit a home run. He and Ben hash it out.... what separates those sites from everyone else, and it isn’t the software. In this episode: Why an LMS is a tool, not a program, and why most rollouts stall. The foundation to fix first: supervisor roles, floor time and the “one best way.” What executives must do before handing it to the ops team (one site’s overtime goal was worth $800K a year.) The unsung KPI: direct vs. indirect hours, and the 17 minutes a day that can cost a 100-person building $250K a year. Pay for performance done right: self-funding, with a Coca-Cola bottler running 50-100% more productive. No budget? How to get real gains with your WMS data, payroll and good old Excel.

Cathleen Turner is the founder and CEO at Margin. She helps 3PLs accelerate cash flow and recover revenue by codifying billing with complexity and AI.  🔦 Whenever I get the chance, I love highlighting start-ups on the podcast. And Margin is a really sharp one for sure!  👉 Billing cycles issues and cash flow sagas are common thorns in the side of 3PLs but don't have to just be part of doing business.  Cathleen knows this well and has seen it from BOTH sides of the fence as she has a background running a 3PL herself.  This is a cool episode because not only did I get a chance to hear about how she's helping 3PLs behind the scenes, but I also got a chance to hear about Cathleen's journey and her thoughts on what it's REALLY like being an entrepreneur and not the always sunny parts we may see on social media today!

"If you gave a user a gold bar, they'd complain about how heavy it was." 😂 That's Wes Coleman, Industry Principal for Warehousing at Zebra Technologies, on change management. And he's earned the right to say it: 36 years in the industry, from UPS to FedEx Ground to running operational excellence, and now 30+ weeks a year inside customers' warehouses. Always happy to chat with folks like him that are right there on the front lines of the industry! 🔹 User acceptance now sits ABOVE throughput, quality and efficiency for a lot of companies. Retention changed the math.🔹 Your team has great tech in their pocket, car and home. They expect it at work too. If yours is good, use it as a recruiting tool.🔹 Bolting good technology onto a bad process makes things worse. Fix the process first.🔹 Bring a new hire AND a legacy employee into the decision, not just your rock star.🔹 Warehouses don't always "automate." They augment, one small piece of a process at a time. And of course this: "The biggest challenge in your DC today isn't moving pallets. It's moving data."

I sat down with Brian Fielkow, former CEO of Jetco Delivery, now EVP of Risk Resources at Acrisure, and author of the new book "Making Safety Happen". A WEALTH of knowledge in many areas but certainly safety. We got into: → Why safety should never be a "priority". Priorities compete and shift, but core values are non-negotiable. → How the C-suite sets the tone for safety culture (and why they can't delegate it!) → Why "unconditional respect" for process matters because often safety rules are written in blood. → The football helmet analogy that reframes how you think about PPE as your *last* line of defense, not your first. If you lead a warehouse, DC, or FC or in charge of those who do, this episode isn't a check box.

Technology and leadership are often treated as two separate things.  That's shifting some though. TrailPath Workplace Solutions isn’t simply putting another technology tool in the hands of ops leaders. It’s making improvement part of the work not just something that happens in a workshop and fades when everyone returns to the floor. Floor leads gotta know: Who needs my attention? Where should I focus? When should I coach? When should I step back? Experience helps answer those questions, we all know this, but new supervisors don’t have years of experience yet. Enter TrailPath!!!  They can help not by replacing leadership, but by helping leaders see what matters, build better habits, and improve every day. Habits shape behavior. Behavior shapes results. The question is: How do we help more leaders build those habits?

Pete Allen is Managing Partner at Birch Advisors. And he knows his way around the world of warehousing and distribution quite well!  MANY companies seek him out for consultations, and particularly on strategies for integrating and growing robotics and automation. ✅ What are the unique challenges both at the tactical level (warehousing problems) but also strategic level (gaining traction and adoption from the end users in the industry?) ✅ Do you see robotics as an "either or" in integrations with humans or an "and also"?  ✅ What should ops leaders be focusing on building the warehouse of the future? ✅ What type of operation is an ideal one to get the most gains from robotics and how should they explore this ahead of time to minimize risk?

Robotics are everywhere in the distribution industry (and more every year).  You see them in shows and magazines.  BUT what do you really need to know about if they are right for your operation or not? Mike Bearman, the Chief Legal & Safety Officer at Vecna Robotics, is the perfect guest to chat with about this.   Find out:  *Why many warehouse automation projects fail to deliver on their original expectations. *Common mistakes operations make before, during and after projects. *Key "do's and don'ts" plus why AI should NEVER be responsible alone for warehouse safety.*What 'inside scoop' questions should you as a possible vendor. *How will it all evolve over the next 5-10 years (employees, robotics, AI). AND MORE!

🦺I was honored to take The Warehouse Underground on the road when I was invited to the opening of Toyota Material Handling North America's new manufacturing facility in Columbus, Indiana! 🙌To say that it is impressive is a major understatement. It's big (295,000 square feet), meticulously laid out, and has a highly engaged & proud employee work force to match. 💡A $100M investment with 140 new jobs coming in and those folks will be busy with a growing emphasis on electric! Why? Because more than 1 in 3 forklifts sold in the US is manufactured by them. Got a chance to have some great chats with Mike Field (Chief Operations Officer), Tony Miller (Chief Supply Officer), and Sam Coles (Chief Sales & Marketing Officer!)

Shortfalls in operations are often very similar no matter where you go.  But NOBODY wants to just be crap, right!  So where does the gap live and how do you bridge it? Chris Hamley and The Brecham Group know how to do just that.  Through the years they've helped turn around hundreds and hundreds of distribution operations.  And they gave away some of their "secrets" on this episode.Find out: What precision supply chain operations really mean to them. What the Performance Paradox is and how to overcome it. Why a lack of proper knowledge and training can be a sure-fire cycle leading nowhere. Much more!  Great chat about the real gritty truth of operations at the floor level.  Check it out!

In massive FCs and DCs, everything moves at lightning speed. Yet, too many operations still just default to a "run until failure" mindset with some of their equipment.  Operations is always under some level of performance pressure! But..... The Reality: Catching an emerging failure early is significantly cheaper and less painful than dealing with a catastrophic breakdown mid-shift. The Solution: To maintain uptime, you have to manage with the latest tech and software. Traditional maintenance schedules just can't always keep pace with the wear and tear of modern volume. Great chat with Spencer Hirsh: Senior Business Development Manager! TinMan Systems gives industrial equipment real‑time, inside‑the‑equipment visibility into vibration, thermal behavior, acoustics, alignment, and wear — the mechanical truth that determines reliability.

John Reinke, owner / operator of executive search firm FPC Riverwood identifying top talent in Warehousing and Transportation for industry-leading companies.🦺 John has a background in operations and understands well the realities of the distribution industry. 💥 But now, he's ready to reveal some industry secrets on how to best put yourself in a position to find and sign with some of the best companies they hire for!

Warehouse racking is a foundation of almost all warehouse operations, but how do you take a lifetime of industry experience and turn it into a thriving startup? On the latest episode of the podcast, I sat down with Bryan Greenwood and Justin Sanders, the co-founders of Rhino Racking. After years on the ground, they "caught the bug", launched their own company, and are now shaking up the industrial storage space. Very cool chat: What it actually takes to optimize a modern facility. Here is a quick snapshot of what we discussed: The Genesis of Rhino Racking: What motivated Bryan and Justin to jump ship and build a growing startup from scratch? The "Cubic Volume" Problem: Why so many warehouse managers are struggling in cramped facilities when they actually have massive, untapped vertical space right above them. Who is Buying? A look at their "bread and butter" customers and why racking isn't just an ops conversation—it's a high-stakes financial decision for C-suite executives. "Strong Racking. Smart Solutions. Built for You." Why cookie-cutter layouts fail and how they engineer custom, dynamic setups to solve unique supply chain bottlenecks. The Reality of Implementation: What ops leaders need to do before the installation crew arrives to ensure a seamless, on-time deployment. The Steel Supply Chain: Navigating volatile steel prices, fluctuating lead times, and what future buyers need to know to protect their budgets. The Future of Storage: Will advanced automation, cubed storage, and VLMs completely replace traditional steel racking? (Spoiler: Standard steel isn't going anywhere). The Backstory: Who actually designed that sturdy, steady, and serious Rhino logo? If you are an operations leader, supply chain executive, or warehouse manager trying to squeeze every square inch of efficiency out of your facility, this is an episode you don't want to miss. #SupplyChain #Logistics #WarehouseManagement #MaterialHandling #StartupStory #RhinoRacking #Podcast

Are your employee's backs taking a beating from all the lifting they're doing in the distribution center? Do you have the "Must be able to lift up to 50 pounds" BLUES? Verve Motion is doing something about this and in a big way! Their SafeLift exosuit is changing the game for warehouse employees everywhere. Had a chance to chat with their CEO, Ignacio Galiana on the podcast and I love what they're doing. The product is great but it's more than just that. Check this episode out to find out how all of the below happens: Safety = BoostProductivity = BoostMorale = BoostQuality of Life = BoostLOOKING GOOD WITH COOL GEAR = Boost Body fatigue = Fade

Billy Malady has been a leader in distribution operations for over 15 years and at all levels; from the boardroom to the warehouse break room.  Always cool to chat with folks who have that full end to end perspective.  He's "fixed" a lot of operations but not in the ways you may think.  Check out his new book today "Nobody Told Me It Would Be Like This: 100 Stories from the Frontline of Operations & Customer Care." -Why is there such a perceived gap between where execs think their ops teams should be vs. where the ops team sees themselves? -In articles you've been in you state "the foundation and the fixes to problems in distribution are always the same."  Why is this? Lots of Shop Talk in this episode about operations!

Janielle Myers has done (and is doing) a lot in the supply chain space. A great example and mentor for the new generation of leaders! - Should supply chain leaders embrace "wearing many hats" or should they silo and specialize? - What about Burn Out?  Real or not?  How to mitigate. - Starting with motorcycles but now at a Space Company, Loft Orbital, and why something about space makes it one of most rewarding and inspiring things she's ever done. - What she REALLY thinks about Sales, Inventory and Operational Planning (SIOP). - How she uses skin moisturizers as an alert system to warn her, she's not setting proper boundaries (just listen; we'll explain it!)