PODCAST Episode #51-2

Sam Coles, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer at Toyota Material Handling North America was a great person to chat with to close out my trip to their new manufacturing facility in Columbus, Indiana.

✅ What is the message that a new facility like this sends to the market and their customers?
✅ Selling forklifts vs being weaved into the fabric of the rhythm of the warehouse.
✅ However impressive the facility may be to look at; the true heroes are the actual folks (at all levels) inside the organization.

Truly a first-class organization from top to bottom. Go check out the site if you get a chance!

 PODCAST Episode #51-1

I really enjoyed my time at Toyota Material Handling North America in Columbus, Indiana last week! Tony Miller is their Chief Supply Officer, and it was a pleasure chatting with him for a short stint.

Check it out below!

✅ What it was like bringing this site to fruition?
✅ Some of the amazing production numbers coming out of this place!
✅ What this truly means for not only customers, but their employees and local community too!
✅ And, don't forget that what we see with our eyes is just a portion of the overall supply chain for TMHNA!

 PODCAST Episode #51

🦺I was honored to take The Warehouse Underground on the road this week 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.

Here was one of my interviews and with Mike Field, their Chief Operations Officer.

 PODCAST Episode #49

In 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 catching an emerging failure early is way cheaper and less painful than dealing with a catastrophic breakdown mid-shift.

Great chat with Spencer Hirsch 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.

 PODCAST Episode #47

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:

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.

 PODCAST Episode #46

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:

Boost (Safety, Productivity, Morale, Quality of Life, Looking Cool!)

Fade (Body Fatigue)

 PODCAST Episode #43

Work in distribution? Then you know Raymond products. But I had the chance for a second time to learn so much more about them chatting with Derrick Miller, Senior Sales Manager.  Amazing episode to learn not just about the value they bring, but how they think like, connect with, and understand the operational realities of distribution!

-What is the feedback Raymond receives from ops leaders everywhere about what they REALLY want/need?

-How have you become so deeply engrained in ops everywhere and what solutions and services have you molded to provide the best for ops leaders?

-What do you do with the surge of data you're now able to put at the fingertips of ops leaders?

-Should everyone jump on the "robots train"?

 PODCAST Episode #35

Keith Ingels is the Director of Lean Business Development at Toyota Material Handling North America.  In this episode he explains how the famous Toyota Production System, that he has extensive training in, is intertwined with Toyota Material Handling equipment of all types.  We also have a very frank no holds barred discussion about all things Lean/Continuous Improvement in the industry...things we like, things we don't like, and some things that should just be removed from people's vocabulary all together.  There are many amazing parts about Lean but there are myths too like "Lean can be used to drive results.  No, lean is used to drive INPUTS which drive results!"  Check this episode out and hear some of the gritty truths you've come to expect from The Warehouse Underground!   

 PODCAST Episode #34

How many pallets are on Earth?  I've seen some big estimates on this (pushing 10 figures.)  They are such a critical piece of operations today but can sometimes be an afterthought, that is, until you run out.  Good operations leaders should know at least a little bit about how the pallet industry operates.  Having a great partner for this can be HUGE!  Stephen Bartalini the Director, National Sales at PalletTrader and this episode is a great place to start learning more and could be just the partner for you.  Great chat about the industry he is in, the operational realities of it ops leaders need to know, and how they best partner with their customers to ensure they check all of their boxes.

 PODCAST Episode #25

Jim Perry, Commercial Business Director at Warehouse on Wheels, joined me today!  I always enjoy chatting with anyone from this company because I'm such a huge fan of how they operate and the solutions + service they provide to many distribution leaders.  I'm talking about the leaders suffering through the heartache of running out of space in their facility!  I know what this is like first-hand.  Chatting with Jim, it's apparent that they are well intertwined with their customers.  They understand fully their pain, and they are constantly refining where they can best come in in to reduce it.  Don't accept a jam-packed facility as a reality of your operation.  No.  Let WOW be your side storage solution while you go back to focusing on mainline operations!

 PODCAST Episode #14

Running out of space in a warehouse or distribution center is the WORST!  If you have lived through this like I have you know how awful it is.  Ready for the laundry list?  Productivity down.  Safety risks up.  Inventory write off odds up.  Housekeeping down.  MORALE DOWN!  But to all the warehouse managers and DC/FC ops managers out there just know you don't have to suffer through it!  John Brooks the CEO at Warehouse On Wheels dropped in for this episode to talk about some solutions to these pain points for operations leaders.  "WOW is a family of companies specializing in solving business needs in a multitude of industries by providing storage, cartage, and over the road trailers.  We're making our customer's lives easier!  And you're getting the Ritz Carlton service at the Hampton Inn price."   Great show and check them out today as your pressure relief valve!  

 PODCAST Episode #10

Great podcast with Cliff Hardesty the VP at Bar Code Depot.  We dove into the history of Bar Code Depot, how a family legacy turned into a trusted partner for warehouses and distribution centers across the country. We also talked about exciting new partnerships, including how they're working with Nexus AMR to bring cutting-edge robotics to their customers. The conversation also touched on where they're headed next – from emerging technologies to their bold vision for the future of Bar Code Depot.  A great "go to" to have ready in your queue for tech solutions in your warehouse!

PODCAST Episode #9

Running out of space in your warehouse?  Having to store pallets of goods down the aisles just so that you can unload trucks and not pay detention?  This scenario sucks. Next? Safety risk up.  Inventory write-offs up.  Productivity down.  And what are you supposed to do about it....raise the roof higher lol!  Why yes!  I loved chatting with Matt De Vito of LIFTEX and Rob Marek of Raise The Roof Logistics (click for link) who do exactly that for industrial buildings and warehouses.  Square footage is expensive for new warehouses these days, so the best option just may be to go higher in the facility you're in.  Press play to find out more!