witzshared

                                                                                    

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.” – Aristotle

This month, If You’re Finger Pointing, It’s Too Late, 2.  When it comes to workplace safety, prevention is the key to avoid accidents.  In this article we also review accidents that have made the news.  Were they all preventable?

THANK YOU ALL for reading “The Secret Killer In Your Warehouse” and making it the most read article, (WE BROKE 1000!) since I began doing this blog back in July of 2012.  In fact, you readers set new records on total hits on WitzShared blog, well beyond my expectations.  It seems the article touched a nerve and that’s my intent, to spotlight issues like safety and hopefully motivate people to engage in the discussion, to share tips, spark ideas and let you know that you’re not alone in this issue.  Managing a warehouse is nothing like it was 25 years ago, but even with latest warehouse management systems, RF tools,  apps, and other electronic gear, the main issues still remain the safety of your staff while balancing the expectations of the customers while coming in under budget and retain talented employees.

One thing I have developed a strong opinion on in 25 years is that you can’t manage people with your head in the sand.  No matter how much real time data you’re being fed on your gizmo, the best thing to do is go for a walk.  It’s healthy for you first of all.  It gives you a chance to get the blood flowing and bathe your brain in oxygen.  It’s also a great time to observe and catch someone doing correctly, and let them know it with a very strong, thank you.  Being on the floor also makes your ear available to staff for listening.  Say there is a roadblock they face everyday and this may be the chance to show it to you.  Give them time and be patient as they explain it to you.  “The walk is also a leadership process in which a manager walks through his or her areas of responsibility in order to gain a better understanding of how the operation is running,” this is a Gemba walk as described by Gotta Go Lean blog by Velaction a good resource.  To tell you the truth, you can call your walk any thing you want!  Walk about or my stroll come to mind.  I happen to think Gemba walk sounds cool.  Either way, Just do it.  So remember don’t be an Ostrich and bury your head in the sand.  Preach safety and keep the discussion going.  Together we can be a force to be reckoned with.  Thank you all again.

WitzShared is a Blog chock full of tips and articles on Warehouse activities related to safety, sanitation, operations and leadership derived from my 25+ years of experience.  Lets begin the discussion to get you thinking with eyes wide open, and the ideas flowing.

A TIP FOR YOU (you can tell the boss it was your idea):  If you haven’t done so in the last year, now’s a great time to do an evacuation drill so your designated emergency response teams can practice their skills.  Make sure everyone knows what to do and where to be.  

WitzShared is the Blog associated with WarehouseFlow Consulting.  We’re on Facebook!                                                             Where we can provide services to help you identify opportunities to maximize your warehouses potential.  We will help guide your team towards the habit of Excellence through coaching continuous improvement, review audits, evaluations, training and motivation.

Phillip Mendelowitz has worked and managed warehouses of all types from storing memory chips in a vault to managing over 700,000 square feet of  coolers,  freezers and dry racking.   Along this journey of over 25 years he also performed every warehouse job function.  He has extensive experience with warehouse layout, slotting, cross docking, inventory control, safety, employee retention and value added services that can make your operation stand out.  Phillip completed his Six Sigma Green Belt certificate from Villanova University in 2010 and he can help you get the flow back into your warehouse for increased productivity and lower operational costs.

Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort.” ~Paul Meyer

Our clients favorite – THE WAREHOUSE REVIEW.  We look at your whole operation from receiving to storage to order picking and shipping.  See where you can save steps, increase productivity and reduce costs.  We also include a safety and housekeeping audit as well as looking at the warehouse layout.

We can tailor training for your staff, either basic or refresher, in the areas of forklift recertification,  housekeeping and sanitation, GMP, HACCP, and AIB/ASI audits.

Common sense is instinct. Enough of it is genius. – GB Shaw

We speak your language and are fluent in several methods of continuous improvement:  Six Sigma, Lean, Deming, Kaizen and SWOT.  However our favorite method is Phil’sosophy which is a north american variation of common sense.

You can find us on Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn,  and Twitter or Call now or click on the Contact us icon.

MEET THE STAFF - Introducing Sara Salamanda from our marketing department.  Unless you’ve read about it you wouldn’t know she comes from a famous acting family, and like her famous cousin, Gecko Liz’ard, Sara has lots of talent but her’s leans towards the area of graphic design and the creative arts.  She has a flair for using colors to capture your attention and her bold design makes you think at the same time.  Sara spent several years studying art and entomology while traveling through Europe after graduating from Carnegie Mellon.  She was instrumental in helping restore many european art classics.   Ciao Sara!!

Sara Salamanda enjoying the sun at lunch.

Communication is vital to the survival of any business today, especially keeping up with the latest apps and trends in social media. With that in mind we’d like to introduce our Corporate Communications Manager, Sage Jaye this month.  He makes sure the word is spread out there and keeps WarehouseFlow on everyone’s mind.  Thanks to Sage’s talents he is not limited to 140 characters on twitter or even the internet, but goes old school and puts in hours of face to face verbal communication. You know it’s the early bird that gets the worm.  So next time you hear that squark, it’s just Sage saying hi, how’s your warehouse flow?

Darla Chihuahua, is our newest employee.  She was hired in June 2012 as our new chief of security.  She has many years of experience and is a nose ahead of everyone else.  She was recently employed as an airport explosives sniffing expert and previously worked under cover in Mexico for ATF.  Next time you see Darla on patrol be sure to give her a big HOLA!

RJ Squirrel, employee number 3 for WarehouseFlow consulting.  RJ had a  brief but glorious career in television only to fall on hard times when it abruptly ended. He had developed a dependency on alcohol and acorns and after several arrests for tree squatting and several stints in rehab our RJ didn’t give up.  He has been sober 5+ years and graduated Whatsamatter U with a degree in Marketing.  After beginning with us as a intern he has worked his way into the VP position due to his special branding techniques.

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

This years company picnic, Aug 2012.

Elwood and Ms. Sow at this years company picnic. Elwood is employee #2 and Ms. Sow is a recent hire.