Will Quinn
Summary
In episode number 21 of the Warehouse Underground podcast, host Ben interviews Will Quinn, also known as the Distribution Guy. Will has over 25 years of experience in the warehousing and distribution industry and has worked at well-known companies like Coca-Cola and Granger. He started his career in logistics in the Marine Corps and has since become a sought-after public speaker and consultant. Will discusses the breadth and scope of his career, which spans from logistics in the Marine Corps to distribution at Coca-Cola, I'm trying to summarize for the best I can make out--It's an $8 trillion industry based on the importance of distribution, providing businesses a competitive advantage. As the industry evolves with technology, leadership and people skills will remain important, but there may be shifts in job roles. Consultants, like myself, base my strategies on understanding the current state and making improvements based on the people and processes.AI is like a forklift, far tool that makes processes smoother and more efficient. Data scientists can help automate inventory decisions, reducing costs, improving customer satisfaction. More specifically, AI can be applied to slotting and returns handling. Artificial tools are designed specifically to help distributors. AI is used to design layouts through digital twins, giving the ability to know how a facility will look and operate before it's even built. People tend to get attached to layouts they create and might not want to change, In this interview, Will Quinn, a distribution consultant, talks about the challenges facing distribution companies and the importance of having a flexible and modular warehouse layout. He also shares his advice for veterans looking to enter the distribution field and the best way to connect with him online. The guest on the show is Will Quinn, a supply chain and logistics expert who has worked for a variety of companies in the industry. He shares his insights on topics like the impact of technology on the industry, the importance of continuous education and learning, and the biggest challenges that companies face in supply chain management. He also provides resources for those interested in learning more about the industry and offers his thoughts on the future of supply chain and logistics. You can find out more about Will Quinn and his work
Transcription
Speaker 2
[00.00.11]
Hey what's up everyone? Thank you for tuning in for episode number 21 at the Warehouse Underground podcast, Real Talk for warehouse DC and FC professionals of all levels around the globe. I'm Ben, the host of the show, and joining me on the show today is a fantastic guest
Speaker 1
[00.00.29]
that I am super excited and honored to have on. His name is Will Quinn, better known as the distribution Guy. Now, when you carry a nickname like that in the industry, people are going to research your background just like I do all my guests before they come on the show. And will Quinn's experience and frankly, contribution to the warehousing and distribution industry is awesome. He himself has been in the industry for more than 25 years, a leader at all levels, from the floor to the boardroom to the offices and everywhere in between. He has his own consulting firm helping optimize operations around the country. He is a published author. He has almost 100 articles published on various websites about warehousing and distribution and supply chain. He is a sought after public speaker and has spoke at many well-known conferences in this space, and I know he has a couple that are coming up that I saw on his website, and he is a professor giving back to the next generation of leaders in the industry. So I'm super excited to have him on the show. Sometimes on the show, I wish I could just sit back and listen, but this time I'm the one driving the questions that I'm happy to do that for all of you and honored to have Will Quinn on the show. So with that, I will bring him on the stage.
Speaker 2
[00.01.47]
Will thank you very much for joining the Warehouse Underground podcast. It is an honor. How are you today, my friend?
Speaker 1
[00.01.54]
Uh, thanks so much for, uh, for having me. Thank you much for the for the kind introduction. Um, I'm excited to be here in the warehouse on the ground.
Speaker 2
[00.02.04]
Yeah, yeah, you got it, my friend. Now, I teased this a little bit in the intro, but when I looked at your background, it is so extensive. I mean, and I and I can't really I can't do it justice. So people have to go check it out for themselves. But just tell a little bit about to the audience about your background in your own words, kind of what led you to where you are today and and what have you done in the world of distribution?
Speaker 1
[00.02.29]
Sure. Well, I, I cut my teeth in the supply chain and logistics in the Marine Corps. So I spent 12 years for, uh, half of that on active duty and half of that in the active reserves in supply chain logistics and distribution. Um, I got my bachelor's degree. Uh, following active duty, stayed in the reserves. Did both of those? Uh, I started writing a little bit. Um, started working at Roadway Express as an LTL company and did that for, like, seven years. Um, and then I got into distribution. So I start working for a company called Coca-Cola. You may have heard of them. So I have production house management. They kind of gave me an introduction to raw materials and full goods and rotation and good manufacturing processes, all that sort of stuff. Um, setting up a warehouse, uh, making things efficient, that sort of thing. Then moved on to distribution and, uh, for Coca-Cola, getting all of the warehouse stuff and the, uh, the soda and the juices on the trucks and then delivered to the stores. So that was exciting. Uh, I spent about seven years at Coca-Cola, and I, I wanted to stay in Chicago land. Uh, so I wanted to move up. I had to move to different companies. So I, um, my next stop was at a company called Wag Electric. That was, uh, it's a zillion, uh, based motor company. So electric motors and drives, uh, that sort of thing. We had a small shop that did modifications to the motors. Um, that was that was pretty interesting. It had had a, um. And it's some, some work with three pillars supporting the sun. Glasgow, uh, buildings. So interesting seeing the three PL side, a couple 1,000,000 square foot buildings, um, a million of that was dry goods and 1,000,000ft of refrigerated with a part of that was a freezer. Largest freezer ever saw 300,000ft of free. Wow. Yeah, it was huge. I went in my, my master's degree from from Elmhurst University in, uh, supply chain, um, and then went on to work for a company called MSC Industrial Supply. So I kind of used that as capstone, took a building that had three other buildings of inventory put into it and just retooled it, relaid out everything, and, and made that thing. Huh. Um, worked at um, it sent off for a long period of time. So the clothing manufacturers, all of the, the, the, the, the shirts that, that get, um, embroidered and the hats and all kind of good stuff. And, um, I spent a couple of years a little bit at Granger. Mhm. Another company you had heard of? Inventory control? Uh, quality control. Another huge million square foot building and another, um, offsite facility. Three people. We housed a lot of inventory at. And then the last four years I spent at a company called in for a global software company. That's why I kind of, um, created the distribution guy persona. I went, I had trademarked that was a that was a process of it. And that's when I started writing and, uh, developing relationships with the, uh, the, the buying groups and the associations and then attending those events, speaking at those events, that sort of thing. That's basically been my career. And I started doing some consulting, are going to companies and, um, just taking a look at their warehouses because I did that some of that at in four. And I was just like, you know. Um, companies, they they get busy and they grow and they have a warehouse. And then the things are laid out a certain way, and then you add on a service or you add something on, there's more expansion, you add some racking, and then pretty soon it doesn't make any sense. Like, well, why would you be like, well, you know, it made sense at the time. And then the business evolved. And sometimes, you know, just having a fresh pair of eyes come and take a look. They say, well, if you do these 4 or 5 things, you're gonna you're going to make the you make the operation. That's why I do some of that now.
Speaker 2
[00.07.06]
Yeah. It's like a, it's like a Frankenstein, a Franken build. I think people think, uh, well, just make it happen now. Just make it happen now. We'll worry about it down the road. We'll worry about it down the road. And at some point down the road comes and somebody has to kind of solve in and and peel it back. I love all that. Now let me ask you this question, Will. So I mean, your background is just so vast. I mean, there's so many different things that you've done and things that you've been a part of and organizations and the like. And I, I talk about this a lot that sometimes in this industry you don't always see that. You see a lot of people that, hey, I'm a I'm a floor manager now, I'm an ops manager now, I'm a senior ops manager. And I just keep going. But it looks like for you, your career has so much breadth and scope to it. Is that something that you thought about in the beginning, when you started your career? Is something that you kind of want to design it that way, or did it just sort of happenstance? I mean, did you just sort of stumble into it because that's I wouldn't say that that's exactly the norm for what I see with, with careers in the, in the industry.
Speaker 1
[00.08.14]
Yes, it's in the I stumbled it into it into supply chain logistics because that's the job the Marine Corps gave me. Yeah, they put me into supply. Uh, I was I was undecided when I went in, and so they gave me that job. Um, and it's been a great career. Um, what I would say is. You know, had I wanted to move right, to relocate my family all over, I probably still would be with Coca-Cola if they wanted to after a certain amount of years. They wanted to promote me, move me out to Pittsburgh, uh, to be more of a regional guy running several production facilities and distribution facilities. And I just wasn't interested in that. I mean, I had I personally have went to 11 different schools as a kid and I know five and I just didn't want them to have that life. So for for my career, I if I wanted to, to, to do something different, um, I had to move. So that's, that's what, that's what happened. So and yeah but you're right. Like I would see a lot of folks going from Coca-Cola to Pepsi to ours to 7Up, and I just did it while everyone I moved, it was to something different. I mean, it's all supply chain and distribution, but it was from freight, so a pop. To Coca-Cola. To electric motors. To industrial supply. To three people. So I got a and that's what kind of really set me up for that position I had it in for or
Speaker 2
[00.09.53]
like, well, you know,
Speaker 1
[00.09.55]
we know, you know, the industry. You know, a lot of they call Mike for verticals within the industry. Um, and they, they that's why they wanted me for that, for that breadth of industry knowledge that I had.
Speaker 2
[00.10.08]
Yeah. Now, I mean, speaking of the, the industry, I mean, I, I know you travel around the country, I know you speak. I know you're in facilities all the all the time. What do you think about the state of the distribution industry now? I mean, what do you think about how things are inside of FCS and DCS, and how do you see it maybe changing over the next 5 to 10 years? Because it seems to me like things are accelerating very fast. You know, warehouse seeing may may have looked completely different 15 years, ten years ago than it looks now. So what do you think about the state of the industry now and where it's heading?
Speaker 1
[00.10.47]
Well, it's it's pretty exciting if you look at, you know, they say distribution centers now or 15 years ago, you know, if you like. A good example is if you ever been to the show Pro Mart. Yeah. I remember going to those into in the 90s and maybe seen 1 or 2, uh, robotics companies there. Right. And when you go there now there's, there's hundreds. There's, there's all these AI companies popping up and there's, there's lots of companies that are introducing robotics and automation to make things easier. Right? And make things more efficient, something that the auto industry model manufacturing industry did a long time ago. And now we're seeing that in distribution. But it's it's an $8 trillion industry employing millions and millions and millions of people. And, you know, with e-commerce booming and more and more warehouses being built all the time, it's not going anywhere anytime soon. You know, it's one of those industries that, you know, during the pandemic that was considered mandatory and necessary, folks needed. To, uh, you couldn't like when I was at Ranger at the time or the pandemic. And obviously you can't ship from the house like. Like you had to. You had to go to work. And and if you think about, you know, everything that's in your studio, that's in my house at some point went through a distributor from the clothes I'm wearing to the the electrical that's in the walls to the sheetrock, to everything went through some sort of distributor, the food that's up in the refrigerator. So, I mean, America doesn't run and we don't have the lifestyle that we have without distributors and manufacturers. Yeah. And I consume.
Speaker 2
[00.12.37]
Yeah. And I and I've, and I've said this before on other shows, other podcasts or online where if you look at the caliber of people that you find in fulfillment centers now and leadership roles, I mean, it is some of the highest hiring bar of any companies that you see out there. Maybe 20 years ago, 25 years ago, you find some really sharp people with some some high level degrees. But now everywhere you go. You know, you get all these young grads and tech and, you know, Georgia Tech and all these high end tech school, and it just seems like the dynamics and the sort of the stereotype of what it means to work in distribution has changed now because of the things that you said with, you know, the how the country relies on it, how people rely on it. Well, that creates a lot of pressure on FCS to really perform, I think, to meet that demand. And they've got to match that with high caliber people that are working in there. Not that there wasn't high caliber people in there back in, back in the old days, but I think now, uh, I think people would be I think the average American would be very surprised if they toured ten fulfillment centers around the country and just stop and talk with a lot of the leaders in there. I think they would be very surprised at how impressive and how sharp uh, they are. And, um, you know, you you're you have a front row seat for that, so it's
Speaker 1
[00.14.00]
awesome. Well, I think there's been a recognition by the C-suite that warehousing and distribution. It can be a point of differentiation, right? Competitive
Speaker 2
[00.14.14]
advantage. You're right.
Speaker 1
[00.14.15]
Yeah. So either you can you can view it as a cost center and not invest much into it and maybe not have a good customer experience. Or you can invest in the warehouse and invest in distribution and then have that, you know, have your inventory accuracy super high and your throughput high, uh, having processes documented so that you have a consistent customer experience. And you can you can use that to, to, to get more business. Yeah. And there's so much riding on it too now because information travels so fast. Word of mouth travels so fast. You get a customer with a bad experience with delivery or shipment to customers. And now that spreads to 100 just like that. Uh, and and you gotta I mean, for, for better or for worse, you just have to be understanding and receptive of that. I think if you are a leader. But let me ask this question. I mean, speaking of the people, I mean, in the industry, and you mentioned pro Matt. Hey, if you go to pro Matt, it's robotics everywhere. Automation is the buzzword. Robotics is the buzzword. AI is coming on strong. But we'll get into that a little bit later in the show. But for the employees that are working out there in the distribution centers or the fulfillment centers of the warehouse, I mean, they hear all that, they hear that these are the things that are coming down the pipe and it's, oh, it's not going to replace your job and the whole thing. But there's still a little bit apprehensive about it. But where do you see it? I mean, now that all these high tech things are coming down the pipe and coming down the pipe quickly, where does pure
Speaker 2
[00.15.54]
ability and pure skill and pure leadership rank? I mean, is that is that shifted below, has that has that dropped a couple of notches on the totem pole in terms of importance, or do you think maybe it's it's gone up a little bit with the frontline employees that are out there running and leading.
Speaker 1
[00.16.12]
Well, your ability to lead, teach and coach is going to differentiate, right? I mean, as long as there's people in the warehouse in these distribution centers, you're going to need leaders and it's going to be more important than ever. Right. You're, you know, being able to cook, counsel and coach and teach and lead. It will continue to be important. Now there are some facilities that are 100% robots, right. It's dark. Do you need. Do you need to lead, teach and cultural box? No, I don't know. There's other there's other positions. Uh, you know, the robots don't take care of themselves. Yeah, right. Um, so there's there's other roles and other positions that will come that are that these, that those robots will be replacing. I mean, it's just the cycle of technology, right? I mean, if then you go back, you know, a little bit in time where, you know, everybody, uh, got around on horses and in these big cities, there was tens of thousands of people employed to go around and and shovel horse, horse poo from the streets. That was a job. Now, when, when, when cars came through, you lost all those jobs. But then we got better jobs making cars. So what? You know what the next jobs are going to be? That when the when robots are doing just about everything. I'm not sure. But I'm sure that's going to be something. But. So your question about leadership and leading people. That's, that's that's always going to be, uh, that's always going to be a great skill that's needed.
Speaker 2
[00.17.55]
Yeah. And I think to I mean, and and maybe I'm sure you agree with me on this, that if you go to a big distribution center or fulfillment center anywhere in the United States that has a lot of staff, it is going to be one of the most diverse group, one of the most diverse labor forces that you'll find anywhere. I mean, warehouses in DC have people from all colors, creeds, walks of life, demographic, you name it in there. And so I've always felt like the leaders that are leading inside fulfillment centers need to be some of the best, because they have this huge range of the type and caliber of people that they're leading. And that's, um, that's not something that naturally, naturally comes to people. So yeah, you're right. Yes. Okay. There are some fully dark operations out there, but they're for that to be the mainstay. That's still a little bit away. You know, I think and I've said this before on the show too, like, yeah, I understand that self-driving cars is the rage and everybody talk about them. But when I drive on the road, most of the cars that I see is a Toyota Camry, you know? And I think you kind of see that in warehouses too, like, yeah, the technology and the robots get all the hype. But if you go to. Pick 25 random warehouses. It's going to. They're going to have a little bit of that, but they're still relying heavily on the people and their ability to lead. Um, and even more so now because of just how much diversity there is in there, which I think is great. You know, I think is is is awesome. I think that's a point of pride, in my opinion, for people that work in this industry. So
Speaker 1
[00.19.32]
that's one of the reasons why it was it was an easy and natural transition coming out of the military and then into the industry. That's that's what the military looked like. And that's what, you know, warehouses, districts and distribution centers are
Speaker 2
[00.19.46]
like. Yep, that's one of the that's one of the beautiful things about the military. I'm sure everyone can can agree on that. So now let me transition a little bit. So you you're a consultant or you've done a lot of consulting I know you have a website and I'll put the website, um, to your a link to your website, up on, on my website when people come check out the podcast. But I always ask this question to people that do this, that consultants because you, you travel around from all these different sites. I mean, when you do that, do you like what's your mindset when you go into a facility for the first time? I mean, do you do you ever, ever carry biases with you that you're not aware of? Because I work at this facility and I'm, I'm, I'm plugging them into the same box as what I used to or or do you. Do you not do that? And how do you how do you go about formulating your plan of attack and your strategy for when a facility hires you as a consultant to come in and really help them out? Walk us through, uh, what, a day in the life or a month in the life? A month in the life is like when you. When you go for that.
Speaker 1
[00.20.52]
Sure. Well, I think my time in the military kind of helped primed me for this because, you know, you move from duty station to the duty station and you get a fresh start and everything's different. And so and then moving from company to company, this, uh, earlier in my career was the same thing. Yeah. I mean, if you look at warehousing, um. From its basic standpoint, there's not a whole lot of difference between, uh, managing a warehouse full of Coca-Cola and managing a warehouse full of motors. Is rotation more important with the. Yeah. What is it, demand planning? Is it inventory control? Is it rotation? Is it shipping? Is it all those kind of things are the same. There's just there's some subtle changes between the different micro verticals. But the big difference is in the people and what happened beforehand. So I think it's really important when you first go into a facility, take a step back and say, listen, you know, whoever was in here running this before, get it to the best of their ability based on the information, the knowledge and experience they had. Right. So what you could do is go in and just start doing all over what has been done right, wrong or different. Because again, you're dealing with people, right? If if it was robots, what are you getting to say. Well how they're doing that that doesn't make any sense. But you're dealing with people that have worked in a facility for years and they just don't know any better. Or they again, it's just over time it turned into Frankenstein. You know, they, they they sometimes they're just doing the best they can to try to get orders out and that, that, that higher level of planning and, and doing spaghetti diagrams and those kind of things just kind of gets left off to the wayside. So it's really important that what I do is I as I talk to folks, I sit down and say, you know, um, what do you like? Well, what are you doing? Like if you were in charge or what, what difference? What things would you do differently and why? And, you know, they'll tell the story and then you can see what happens. And then I've just found that approach. It's much more well received, uh, because sometimes, you know, just like when people are apprehensive about, um, automation or AI, the same way can happen when, when when a consultant comes in. Oh, this guy's just coming to see who he can get fired. Most of the time that's not the case. Do some people do that? Sure. But most of the times companies want to make it get better. They want to be able to increase their throughput without just saying everybody work faster. So I think that's that's the approach that I take. That makes sense. Yeah.
Speaker 2
[00.23.53]
Yeah, absolutely I think so. And it's great to get that perspective because not everybody gets the chance to do this, to go around and see all different facilities and everything. And so I think when somebody has that vantage point, it's really it's really valuable because most people are just sort of pigeonholed in the area that that they work now. Let me ask you this. So I, I know you've written articles about this and I've read your articles about this, but AI. Right. So AI is very hot, uh, you know, uh, coming on like a tidal wave. And people, I think, need to understand that you can't just put your head in the sand and pretend like it's not just because you don't understand it or you don't want it to be. It is. It's coming on like a tidal wave. But for distribution, you know, supply chain distribution, what do they need to know? And your mind about AI, I mean, what should they internalize about it. What should be there to take away?
Speaker 1
[00.24.49]
So the first thing I will say is. AI is just a tool, right? I think about it. You know, I put it in service instance. It's a forklift, right? Am I able to move more inventory around using a forklift or a pallet? Obviously with a forklift I can move more stuff around. Same thing with artificial intelligence and machine learning, right? It allows you to use the data that the distributor has to make decisions and give you that information so that you can make decisions faster and easier. Right. It's it's it's it's all things. One of the things I was doing with it in four was working with our, our artificial intelligence teams, the, the data scientists, because they knew how to program all that. That's not me. That's not my work. I don't know how to do that, but I do not want a distribution centers. So we would work or I would work with the AI folks and say, listen, you know, how can we use this in a warehouse? And so I'll give you the good examples when you go on to Amazon and you go to purchase something down towards the bottom, they'll say, well, people who bought this also, you know, this or this. You say, okay, well, how could you use that in a warehouse? Like why why is that important? Like, well, if 50% of the time they're purchasing item A, they also item by item B, well, maybe y'all can slot those two items. Yes. Each other. Right. So going through and finding those those those matches which, you know, you can intuitively say, well, you know, if someone's buying a toilet, they're going to buy the bowl, they're going to buy the tank, they're probably going to buy a toilet seat. I can probably slot those next to that. But there's a lot of other stuff that you would intuitively think that would go next to each other, that you can use that in slot. So that's the kind of work I was doing with the, uh, the data scientists to put real use cases to make artificial intelligence useful in a warehouse.
Speaker 2
[00.27.01]
Yeah. And I've told that to some work to some warehouse leaders out there. I mean, warehouse leaders are notorious for complaining about forecasts, right? The sales forecast, the actual sales didn't match the forecast. And so we didn't know how to staff and everything. And I say, well, that's what AI is helping with that. I mean, it is doing a better job at predicting what people are going to do with at a level that humans just, just cannot do. So why why wouldn't you want that? You would definitely want that. You would be able to run a much leaner operation. It would be much better for you. So I think I think you're right. I think I think we're just starting to scratch the surface of how AI can be used in the supply chain, and I know it's being used heavily on the heavier on the on the front end, on the procurement end and the purchasing end. But I think that's going to start in the DCS. You will see the, the the downstream effects of that. And the slotting is is a perfect example of how that of how that could come. So I totally see that
Speaker 1
[00.28.01]
now. Yeah. I'll just add um distribution strategy groups. Applying for AI for distribution. Conference. It's. It's the only conference in the United States dedicated to. AI for distribution. And there was dozens and dozens of companies, um, having artificial tools specifically to help distributors. Right. Yeah. I mean, the big one is, was, was, uh, a company that, um, that deals in returns like, oh, I hated returns. I couldn't stand dealing with returns when I was running to DC, you know, because they didn't they didn't add value right now, they were just. They were just a cost. Um, I wasn't, I was I didn't see either that I was helping a customer ship and order out. No, but that's important. That handle how you handle returns is an important part of that customer's experience. So if you can have artificial intelligence help you manage those returns and those warranties and things like that. You're going to make your customers happy. So.
Speaker 2
[00.29.08]
Yep. And I and I, there's some companies out there and some people that I'm trying to bring on to the podcast. I mean, there there's AI that's design and layouts. I mean, I've seen that AI design and layouts of facilities and racking and aisles and and changing it and the whole thing. And so I don't know how it's doing that. I don't know the logic behind that. I'm curious to learn more, but but I know that that's out there.
Speaker 1
[00.29.30]
So with the digital twin. Yep. Right. So you've got you've got, um, even before you build the facility, you can build it in, in, in, uh, in cyberspace and start and start messing with the client. This is where my my,
Speaker 2
[00.29.48]
um, you know, bottleneck here. Yeah. Acer's is going to AR. Asus is going to go this is where my, uh, conveyor is going to go. I'm going to receive through here. Um,
Speaker 1
[00.30.00]
this is where my quality sets are. It's going to flow through all that stuff and see how it goes. Instead of, you know, that basically you're doing an electronic spaghetti diagram before you even build it. If the green, uh, with the, uh, on, uh, green, you know,
Speaker 2
[00.30.18]
the greenfield.
Speaker 1
[00.30.19]
Greenfield. Yeah, that's a whole brownfield. Thank
Speaker 2
[00.30.22]
you. Well, I mean, and like, when you when you get up, when you talk about. And we'll get into the question here in a second about layout and design and we'll talk about modular design because I love your thoughts on that. But I mean, if it's to the point where you can just hit enter on a program type thing and it spits out different scenarios and different models, I would totally be for that. Because, you know, I know a lot of people when they are talking about layout of the facility, they they tend to they tend to fall in love with the one that they create. You know what I mean? Like, I like this layout and this is my thing. And then it's very hard to budge them off of that. But I don't understand why people get so possessive of that. I mean, I do sort of understand, but really to the operators that are out there running the floor, which is really the people that matter. They couldn't give two craps about what the layout is. They just want the one that's going to operate the best for them, that's going to allow them to achieve the best throughput and the best safety and all that, no matter what it is. And so if the AI can accomplish that and oh, by the way, it might change over time. I think that's a big win for operators out there.
Speaker 1
[00.31.32]
So. Well you are dealing with people. Yeah. Nobody wants to hear that their baby is ugly. Um, but again, yeah, I told you at the time it might have been a great layout. What what businesses changed? They evolved. You add more of value added services. You, uh, parts of the business grown, you know. So over time, it's not something you want to just start hearing your DC apart every 3 or 4 months.
Speaker 2
[00.32.03]
Yeah. And to use a sports analogy, Will, because I know you're a bears fan because I see the Brian Urlacher jersey, uh, back there. But in sports, the teams, the football teams that struggle are the ones that can't make adjustments fast enough. You know, like I we have our this is the plays that we're going to run and this is our strategy. Well if the defense or the offense is is changing, you have to be willing to adjust and to change that. And if you get stuck in the mud of nope, this is our strategy. This is what we do. Okay, well, you're going to lose in the NFL. The teams that win adjust and change and are modular to that level. And I think in the warehousing world, I think they should take a page from, you know, how how NFL teams are run either on offense or defense always change. Always change.
Speaker 1
[00.32.48]
How hard was that? If if you're the OC and you're married to a specific offensive strategy, but it doesn't match your players abilities, it's not going to be successful?
Speaker 2
[00.33.02]
No. And especially now, I mean, like customer, yeah, we have more algorithms and everything, but the customer expectation is different. They're ordering way more things. And yeah, you got to be you got to be flexible. I mean you got to be modular. You have to be willing to adjust to that. And some of these old archaic Warehouses will, I think are supposed to be a tool for the operators. But the but they're really they're really more of like a statute and they, they really find themselves I think the operators find themselves working around it more so than they are working inside it. And it's not working, not working for them. They're working against it. So, um, but let me ask this question. Right. So you you I have talked about this, I've seen this with modular warehouse
Speaker 1
[00.33.47]
layouts, which I love.
Speaker 2
[00.33.49]
So how did you arrive at that? Because the old way of thinking is this is what we build. These are our racks. They're planted to the ground and we go. But it seems like, you know, mobile stack racks and things that can shift around the warehouse are growing out there. And you see warehouse designs that are modular now much more than a statue. How did you arrive at that? Because I, I love that philosophy. I love that that thought process that you have
Speaker 1
[00.34.15]
behind. Yeah, it really depends on the business model. Right. Yeah. So if you've got 4 or 5 widgets that you bring in your facility and you ship them out and it's always the same, well, there's no need to change. But if you're a three PL and you have different customers, especially within the same four walls, being able to adjust. How you store things, how you manage, how you move the inventory through, um, is super important so that you can deliver value whilst also making money. Right. So that that's that the again, it's it really depends on, on what you're doing and what kind of inventory, what kind of value added services is going to drive that need to, uh, to modulate and be able to to move your facility around without having to pull up permanently? Uh, store items?
Speaker 2
[00.35.16]
Yeah. No, I agree with you 100% on that. And so I think that's the wave of the other future. I mean, goods to person is probably the next wave. I know there's a lot of things behind that, but that doesn't always apply to every product. Some products don't work well for goods to person. So but I think modular is the way so all right. Well so you you're you're a vet. You're a marine Corps vet I'm a Air Force veteran. This is a little special part of the show really just for uh, vets that are in the service now or transitioning. So what do you tell what what do you say to vets who are in service right now and considering a career and distribution and vice versa? I mean, what would you say to companies out there considering considering hiring them?
Speaker 1
[00.35.58]
Uh, I'd say, you know, you're you're going to bring in somebody that has leadership and, and can it can work with people. Um, and then as a career, it's a great career. I mean, it's so diverse. I mean, you know, I believe I've worked for a couple of companies, but you said it's it's pretty, pretty broad in, um, and it's so and, and again and everything that that goes. It's in my house or in your studio had went through a distributor. It's $8 trillion, 6 million plus people. So going there and the so there's there's tons and tons of opportunity and it's not really something that you that you see in school. Uh, you know, nobody goes up and says, you know, I want to grow and I want to be an inventory analyst. Yeah. Doctor, lawyer, policeman, firefighter, the military, that sort of thing. But there's so many different jobs that can be done supporting distributors and manufacturers. So I would say I would encourage everybody to take a look at it. And there's a lot of, a lot of, uh, programs now that are offering undergrads with specialization in supply chain and masters and, uh, programs and supply chain management.
Speaker 2
[00.37.14]
Yeah I agree and I, and I say this that that sometimes too. There's no, there's no, uh, there's no SOP for how to have a successful distribution career. I mean, there's no really sop to how to be a leader inside of a fulfillment center or a distribution center. A lot of it is can you you just figure out your own way? You know, you take the traits about you that work best, you apply them, they're probably going to work, and then you learn the rest. You learn what you need to know, and I think that's a great part about it. But sometimes in the military there's, there's a there's a manual, there's a three one in the Air Force. There's things that you follow. But I tell people out here, you know, there are some things and some things are coming online. But outside of that, though, it is a it is a big wide runway to have a successful career in. And they already have the hardest part to learn, I think, which is the leadership and the ability to troubleshoot and problem solve and think on their feet and prioritize. That's what you do every day in a in a fulfillment center. So, uh, I love that. I love that message that you're passing out to that. So I think I might post some of this on some veteran, uh, transition pages on LinkedIn, uh, and see if I can get that out there to the benefit some of the folks. So all right, so now we get to the most important. Oh, no, go ahead, go
Speaker 1
[00.38.26]
ahead. What I would add to that is I think the base is having a genuine care, uh, for people and wanting to see them succeed. Right? I mean, that's something I struggle with early in my career is like, well, I just saw people in the warehouse as a as a way to get things done. I'm following orders. This is your. And I'll go do it. Not everybody works like that. So that's one of the I mean, that's that was something I had to work on was my communication style. You know, not everybody likes that direct ad got into that in my latest article, but not everybody likes that direct communication. Uh, so being able to communicate with people so that they, they understand and respect you and that you respect them again, you see, you're you're you're you're starting off as a, as a premises that you genuinely care for the people that you work with. And, and that's when I saw my career really kind of started to take off, um, was what would you do that and, and, you know, that's something that you can learn in the military, but it's just it's a different type of leadership. It is,
Speaker 2
[00.39.34]
it is. I say that to like the the spectrum, the diversity spectrum that you manage in the military is
Speaker 1
[00.39.43]
narrow, call it as compared to what it is inside of a fulfillment center or DC. And so in some ways it's even more of a leadership challenge, not in other ways, but in some ways it's more of a leadership challenge. I think leading inside of a fulfillment, fulfillment or a distribution center than it is in the military. Not. All right. I'm not I'm not equating the two. But, uh, some make it make it more challenging, at least for me.
Speaker 2
[00.40.06]
All right. Let me ask this question, will.
Speaker 1
[00.40.08]
So you I follow you on LinkedIn. And by the way, if you're listening to the show and you don't follow Will Quinn on LinkedIn and you are following me and somehow not him, you definitely should do that right away. Like, stop the show and go, go follow him. Because the stuff coming out of him is just incredible. The wisdom and the knowledge and the expertise is is all for all free. What's on LinkedIn? A wealth of knowledge. But I do have to ask you one question though, and that is when you when you post the AI generated superheroes of of yourself. Right. And they, they look they're like a 60% copy of you. How many do you go through? I want to know this. How many do you go through before you get to the final one? Because I have I use AI generated images on my website and for the posters of my show and and you and you. And it doesn't usually spit out something that you like on that very first try. You got to keep putting it in there. So how many, how many do you go through before you actually post the, the uh,
Speaker 2
[00.41.07]
the top the top guy
Speaker 1
[00.41.08]
online? Oh that's funny. Um. Yeah. You know, I I'll be interested in this. You know, it's just been in the last couple of months that, um, that OpenAI and ChatGPT four zero have really kind of got their images. So they're there because a lot, you know, just it wasn't fingers and six, six, six, 6 to 8 months ago. Yeah. Yeah. The extra fingers. Words were misspelled. Yeah. And it just was a mess. And when they kind of, they changed it to where it was kind of again. It went to Lowe's. Now it just comes from the top and goes down and it's making everything perfect. And now they're great. So when I'm adding when I'm doing the that's that's my Friday Fun Friday Fun with AI segment. I like it. I'll follow up. I'm adding in that that prompt. I'm also saying, you know, use this picture. I'm attaching a picture of myself. So it has a typically my LinkedIn profile picture. So I'm saying okay create the superhero. Here. Based on me. Here's a picture of me. And then usually the time around, it's. It's fine, but do you go? I
Speaker 2
[00.42.20]
mean, do you go in there and go? Oh, no, the abs need to be much more cut. Yeah. I would like the abs to be more cut. On, on
Speaker 1
[00.42.27]
on the, on the back. I would like the ants to be cut right now. But that was, you know, 25 years ago when I was in the service. So. No, no, I actually, you know, it's a, it's, it's, it's, it's, uh, it's pretty fun. It just, it just usually the first time around, whatever, you know, just I'll go with whatever it gives me. And it's usually pretty. I mean, you've seen they're they're pretty fun. They're
Speaker 2
[00.42.51]
good. Yeah. No they're good I,
Speaker 1
[00.42.52]
I, I was talking to you tomorrow
Speaker 2
[00.42.55]
I look forward I look forward to them. I'm I'm jealous. I'm jealous. Well, that's what I'm trying to say. I'm jealous of them. This is a this is a long winded way to say that. All right. So so where can people find out more about you? I mean, Will, you're you're like you're all over the place online. You've got your own website. I know you contribute to other websites and your conferences if people want to get more of you and work with you, and where do they go? I mean, where do you direct people to, to to to go to? How can they how can they help support you and what you're trying to do? Well,
Speaker 1
[00.43.23]
the first thing I say is, you know, everybody who's who's listening or watching that is following me and is not following you, follow you. Right. So you've got your own website? Yeah. I have a distribution guide. Um, you have my LinkedIn profile. That's that's where you can find me. Um, and if you've got questions, happy to, uh, happy to help and and, uh, answer those questions again. Where are you getting them? A lot.
Speaker 2
[00.43.53]
I bet. Where are you speaking at next?
Speaker 1
[00.43.55]
So my next speaking engagement will be at, um, the third stage consulting stratosphere 2025, later this month in Denver, Colorado. So Thursday consulting. They are a tech agnostic. Um, technology selector and implementer. So what they do is they don't take money, um, from the different software companies and they can come in, take a look at your business and say, based on your operation, we think this ERP, uh, or this UMS or IMS or, or Ms. or whatever it is you're looking for with better suit your operation and then they can help you with the implementation or the change management or, or whatever the case, so that there's a successful implementation of whatever software you're looking for.
Speaker 2
[00.44.53]
I gotcha that sounds that sounds really cool. Awesome. Well, man, we'll, uh, thank you again for coming on the show. Like, this is great. You know, I mean, uh, you're a wealth of knowledge. Uh, I'm honored to to speak with you and and have you on here. And I hope that I hope that you have great success in your career. And I appreciate and respect. I really do all of the contributions that you've made to the industry and continue to make so, uh, very respectable that thank you very much again,
Speaker 1
[00.45.21]
thank you so much for having me. And and I love what you're doing here with the warehouse on the ground.
Speaker 2
[00.45.25]
Awesome. Thank you. Take care. Well, I appreciate it, man. Good. Go. Bears. Right.
Speaker 1
[00.45.30]
Go, bears.
Speaker 2
[00.45.32]
Take care of my friend. See it?
Speaker 1
[00.45.37]
All right, guys, that concludes today's show. Thank you again, Will Quinn, for coming on to talk about incredible stuff like, I mean, what I say, if you don't follow him online, you should follow him online. He's a fantastic resource. Again, I'm honored to have him on the show. And I'm going to be sending Will some, some, some special gifts for appreciation for coming on the show. So as the Warehouse Underground goes, that concludes this episode. Remember, sign up for the community if you have not already done so. I think we have 178 members of the community now. Cool stuff going on in their message boards and networking and information share and some live events. And so you're not part of the community to do that. Check out the Tiger team. Uh, episode number five should be coming out in a couple of weeks. Uh, and that's a show with wit, uh, humor and sarcasm, which is a little bit different from this show, but I think you guys will like it if you haven't checked that out. And as today goes, thank you again for tuning in and I will see you next week for episode number 22. Thank you. God bless.
