The Warehouse Underground Podcast with Ben Hopkins: real conversations with and for warehouse, DC and supply-chain leaders at every level
Hot off the mic.
You as a business owner, you have to protect your margins because operators are the backbone of the business.
57New episode
Cathleen Turner
Founder & CEO, Margin · Start-up spotlight
Billing cycle issues and cash flow sagas are common thorns in the side of 3PLs — but they don’t have to be part of doing business. Cathleen has seen it from both sides of the fence, and shares what it’s really like being an entrepreneur.
Recent episodes.
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56Software & Tech
Wes Coleman
Industry Principal for Warehousing, Zebra Technologies
36 years in and around the industry, and a lot to say about real operational excellence.
- User acceptance now sits above throughput, quality and efficiency. Retention changed the math.
- Bolting good tech onto a bad process only makes things worse. Fix the process first.
- You don’t have to fully automate — augment one small piece of a process at a time.
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55Safety
Brian Fielkow
EVP, Acrisure · former CEO, Jetco Delivery · author of “Making Safety Happen”
- Why safety should never be a “priority” — priorities shift, core values don’t.
- How the C-suite sets the tone for safety culture (and why they can’t delegate it).
- The football helmet analogy: PPE is your last line of defense, not your first.
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54Leadership
Ben Green
COO, TrailPath Workplace Solutions
Technology and leadership are often treated as two separate things. That’s shifting. Floor leads gotta know:
- Who needs my attention, and where should I focus?
- When should I coach — and when should I step back?
- Habits shape behavior. Behavior shapes results.
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53Robotics
Pete Allen
Managing Partner, Birch Advisors
Many companies seek Pete out for strategies on integrating and growing robotics and automation.
- Robotics and humans: an “either/or” or an “and also”?
- What ops leaders should focus on to build the warehouse of the future.
- Which operations get the most from robotics — and how to minimize the risk.
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52Robotics
Mike Bearman
Chief Legal & Safety Officer, Vecna Robotics
Robotics are everywhere in distribution. But what do you really need to know about whether they’re right for your operation?
- Why many warehouse automation projects fail to deliver on their original expectations.
- Key do’s and don’ts — and why AI should never be responsible alone for warehouse safety.
- The “inside scoop” questions to ask a possible vendor.
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51On the road
Mike Field
Chief Operations Officer, Toyota Material Handling North America
The Warehouse Underground hit the road for the opening of Toyota Material Handling North America’s new 295,000 sq ft manufacturing facility in Columbus, Indiana — a $100M investment bringing 140 new jobs. More than 1 in 3 forklifts sold in the US is made by them.
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