Confessions of a materials handling guy

I confess. I am a materials handling guy.

I actually look forward to visiting the facilities Modern features on its covers each month and watching conveyors, sortation systems and order pickers in action. I enjoy talking up warehouse management systems with software geeks, and learning about the latest developments in bar codes and RFID. I’ve got the dates for NA2008 in Cleveland circled on my calendar in red.

I’ve been writing about the industry for Modern since 1985, but my connection to the industry goes way back. In fact, materials handling is in my genes.

My dad was in the industrial packaging business for more 30 years, manufacturing and selling pallets and stretch wrap systems. I spent summers on sales, seeing the country through the back end of plants and warehouses in factory towns like Buffalo, Ft. Wayne, Louisville, Steubenville and Ashtabula. While other kids were visiting Disney, my younger brother and I were touring auto parts factories. After college, I spent three years running a pallet plant, and another three years on the road in sales before becoming a magazine writer. If you were buying pallets in Chicago, Memphis or Baton Rouge in the early 80s, you might still have my card. 

After nearly 30 years hanging around the industry, I am still fascinated by the level of ingenuity and inventiveness in the industry. You’d think that all DCs or factories would look alike, since they’re all solving the same basic problems of receiving, putaway, picking and shipping. Yet no two facilities look alike or operate the same.

Ingenuity, inventiveness and trends are what this blog will be about. For the last seven months, I’ve been writing briefings, based on short conversations with systems integrators, software vendors, consultants and industry analysts about what they’re seeing in the marketplace when they talk to their customers. I’ve covered everything from the green supply chain to labor management. That’s what I’ll continue to do in this space. If you’re a materials handling guy or gal, and would like to talk about what you’re seeing in your niche of the business, contact me at Robert.trebilcock@verizon.net.