60 Seconds with Russ Meller, VP of solution design, research and development

Russ Meller

Title: Vice president, solution design and research and development, Fortna Inc.

Location: Louisville, Colo.

Modern: You’ve recently been elected to the National Academy of Engineering. Tell us a little about the recognition and what the academy does.

Meller: First, it’s not something you know about in advance. I had an inkling that it might happen because I got a call from someone associated with the academy and was asked some very pointed questions about my work and career. But, it wasn’t a typical nomination process. I was later notified by e-mail that I was going to be one of 87 new members and 18 international members. It was in recognition for contributions to large-scale distribution center design and operation. New members are inducted every two years, and this year’s induction ceremony is scheduled for October 4 in Washington.

Modern: What does the academy do?

Meller: It’s part of what is now called the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The National Academy of Sciences was set up in 1863 during Abraham Lincoln’s first administration, and he thought it would be great to have a group of independent scientists who could advise the government on important matters. The original charter called for academy members to investigate, examine, experiment and report on any subject of science or art when called upon by a department or agency of the government. That charter is still operational today. In the 1960s, the name was expanded and the three academies were established. We’re called upon to take on the research challenges of the day. I’m sure there is a working group right now looking at Covid-19. After October, I’ll be part of that.

Modern: What does this recognition mean?

Meller: What’s gratifying to me is that the academy spans all of the engineering disciplines, and not just the field of materials handling. And, I have to say that I’ve been blessed with lots of opportunities in my life, and I feel very grateful.

Modern: Let’s take a step back: How long have you been in the industry?

Meller: I started working for a consulting company back in 1988, and, well, you can do the math from there.

Modern: What have been the most significant changes you’ve seen over the last 32 years?

Meller: There are two, and they’re related. The first is that labor is an absolute constraint on growth and the ability to meet service level requirements. The second is that there are vastly higher service level agreements, and some companies make it even harder on themselves during peak. One of the first questions we ask at the start of an engagement is: What’s the promise you’ve made to your customers or retail stores?

The fact is a company can’t look at labor alone to add the capacity it needs to keep those promises, but labor alone may not be enough to justify a system and meet financial goals. So, companies are getting creative in the way they justify automation. It could be that they can make better utilization of space and improve the ROI, or generate more revenue. Companies are making decisions like adding a sorter that is only used for shipping part of the year, but maybe they can use it for other processes the rest of the year. They’re sharing the automation across the DC. That’s a change.

Modern: We both just came back from Modex, where a lot of emerging technologies were on display. What are you watching?

Meller: Piece picking robots. We’ve made a lot of advances, and this is exactly the application for artificial intelligence and machine learning in the materials handling space. We’re not yet at the phase where enough clients are willing to implement piece picking robots, but it’s coming. And, I think the next area will be to put a piece picking arm on a mobile robot that can move around easily. We’re pushing the frontiers on this, and it’s where my attention is at right now.