Job Titles & Task don’t always match…

Warehouse and Operations as a Career

Marty here, and thanks for listening in to Warehouse and Operations as a Career again this week. Let’s see, I’ve only taken a few notes for today’s show but I’m sure we can put something together. I just noticed that this will be episode 286. We’re getting close to that 300 mark! I originally planned on doing 50 episodes!

OK, where’s my notes. Oh, I do want to mention that last Thursday and Friday I had the opportunity to participate in a Recruiters Retreat! I gave one of the 5 presentations they sat in on. I really enjoyed presenting and they seemed to have a great time while in Dallas. All 7 of the attendees are light industrial recruiters. They fill positions like warehouse general labor, sanitation, utility positions as well as unloaders, loaders, order selectors and order pickers, reach lift fork operators, put away and replenishment forklift drivers, cherry pickers, let’s see what else did they mention. Oh, warehouse admins and clerks, receivers and a few specialty positions like inventory control and recoup or return tasks. And I’m sure there’s others but that’s what I can remember off the top of my head. I spoke for a couple of minutes on leadership with them. If you’re a long-term listener you’ll know that I think every position we accept comes with a spoon full of leadership responsibilities, even if that responsibility is just taking care of ourselves!

One question that was brought up on the last day was the differences, and there are many differences, in the job descriptions of order selectors, order pickers, and most of the forklift positions. I can see how, from a recruiter or hiring agents’ point of view that could be a very confusing. They had spoken about a few resumes that clearly stated a young man or woman had worked for a few years as an order selector only to have their operations or warehouse management take a hard pass on their candidate. I’ve never thought about it. I think because I know why. I’ve not understood why I couldn’t promote or hire someone before. Hiring is in their world. They are the pros. Those rules and regulations are in their wheelhouse.

Let’s look at the differences in order selecting as an example.

I know of a facility where the “selectors” are actually what I would call pickers. There’s a conveyor system that runs the length of the aisle where 6 “pickers” are spread out up and down the aisle picking their items, labeling each case and placing them on the conveyor belt. Each case will be read by a scanner and raked by a robotic arm and directed to its load or door to be palletized, loaded and delivered by the transportation department. The only equipment these “selectors” use is a wrist mounted computer, a finger trigger and a belt worn label printer. No PIT equipment or Powered Industrial Trucks like rider pallet jacks or forklifts. Their company does call them order selectors though. And technically they are, I guess. However, they posse a different skill set than, say, a broadline order selector using an electric rider pallet jack, that could be pulling three pallets and 160 or 180 cube of product!

While we’re talking about the triple pallet jack let’s talk about its productivity, or how large quantities of freight can be moved with them and be moved quickly! Or not so quickly.

The broadline foodservice order selector will receive a batch, meaning all the cases he or she will be selecting for the customers within the truck drivers route. A full trailer load of stops may consist of anywhere from 2 to 5 batches or more runs through the warehouse. This group of order selectors may, more often than not, be paid off of an incentive plan, or activity based pay program, some type of a piece and pallet selected program and rate. In my experience, these associates are selecting upwards of 200 cases an hour plus. Their paid well. Accuracy is important. Safety is their priority one. But so is their cases per hour. I refer to these types of positions as High Productivity Order Selectors.

I know of another type of order selector, using the same type of pallet jack, maybe even the same type of selection equipment. Something like a wrist mount scanner or a speak to text or speak to pick and print system. The most important there, next to safety of course, is accuracy. The batches are smaller because the product is fragile, glass bottles containing syrups and liquids. The selector can even be doing a little packing, protecting the product as he or she tracks through the aisles and warehouse. Working here it’s more like safety, accuracy and then cases per hour. Such a facility may have a case per hour quota of much less than the above, could be something like 80 cases an hour.

Now the pay rate will be much less here. Probably an hourly rate. However, I feel these facilities are great learning opportunities for a person that can operate an electric rider jack safely and feels comfortable on one. After working in such a facility for a year we’ll now possess the skills needed to operate at a high productivity facility.

Sticking with the electric rider pallet jack and order selector operations, I want to talk about the produce warehouses and the specialty houses like meats and cheeses.

We could again be using all the same equipment as above and we’d find the productivity or cases per hour would fall somewhere between the other two.

In these worlds we’ll be responsible for checking quality, packaging, maybe even sorting or repacking cases with bad fruit or vegetables and leaking packages of meats or open containers of cheese. Maybe something like 90 CPH to 140 CPH.

Now lets talk about order pickers. Not like our first example but truly pickers.

I’ve spoken about my days working at a meter company before. It was a large work area where we’d pick up a pick sheet which would tell us what to select for each order or customer. Then I’d walk up and down tables and bins where I’d be grabbing o rings, springs, tiny screws, small face plates, valves and such. Some parts would be so small I’d have to weigh them to know how many I was shipping!

These are great tasks for the individual that is new to warehousing and does not have any equipment experience just yet.

So before we leave Order Selection let’s discuss the experience levels necessary for each type of job.

High Productivity Order Selector. This associate will have to be very proficient with his or her powered industrial truck. I’d like to see them with at least 3 years of experience on the jack. Someone that demonstrates high energy and a strong work ethic. There is no room for attendance issues on these shifts. It’s a commitment!

Low productivity order selector. Now I think these are great get your foot in the door regarding order selecting. I recommend at least 6 months on the electric rider jack and a focus on one’s job. Again, attendance and safety are paramount. I’ll call it a commitment to the job again.

Now, the specialty houses. I really like these proving grounds. Yes, we’ll need a little more electric rider jack experience that, maybe a year or a little more but at the 90 to 140 CPH level we can really hone our skills and move into the high productivity game much easier and quicker. Again, this job is a commitment. Safety, Attendance and Quality is going to be important.

Lets see, I had a question about forklifts, what was it. OK here it is. I guess her concern covered several types of powered industrial equipment. She asked “You can operate, and I think you are certified, to operate everything except the turret truck” What should I start out with? Is there a natural step from equipment to equipment?”

Awe, she’s a long-term listener! Of course it’s all going to depend on our job. Our company is going to train us to their needs. I can share what I believe to be the easiest transitions. First I’d like to state that the only reason I have been exposed to so many different pieces of powered industrial trucks is that I am still in the industry. And I have been in it a long time!

The first piece of equipment I was exposed to was the counterbalance forklift. That’s a sit-down model and I was trained how to operate the clamp attachment at the same time. My next piece of equipment was a single electric rider pallet jack, then I was taught to operate the Cherry Picker. My next piece was the reach lift, I still enjoy the reach today! I think I then learned the push pull or slip sheet attachment on the standup forklift. Then on to the double and triple electric rider jacks. In there somewhere came the floor sweepers, scrubbers, scissor lifts, dock stockers, floor stripers and hoist cranes!

Again, you’ll be taught the equipment and tools needed to perform our tasks.

If you are seeking employment and target the career you’d like to have just have a plan. Find a place that uses the equipment you want to operate, get your foot in the door as g/l or some entry level job, after about 3 months of being that employee, the one on time and following directions, we’ll go to our boss and let them know that we want to be trained on whatever it is. It’s just that simple!

Very few people I know can safely operate more than 3 types of equipment. Really only us more mature warehouse associates, or trainers that work on several pieces of equipment will be proficient on more that 3 or 4 types of equipment. I happen to fall in both of those categories!

A few thoughts I have about equipment though would be:

I think it’s easier to go from a single rider jack to the double and triple. People that learn on the double and triple seem to struggle going to the quicker a less stable single jack. Those little things have some torque!

In my opinion a standup forklift operator can transition to the reach lift easier than going from the reach to the standard stand up. The outriggers are usually different. I see people struggle with getting closer to the racks without the reach features.

Lastly, for me, it’s easier to train the individual that has standup or reach experience to operate the sitdown or counterbalance lift. Going the other way, I see those sitdown operator’s struggle. I think it’s the standing, and maybe to positioning of the lift, how you have to look through the mask a lot more.

Well, I gotta get back to work myself! I hope we explained something today that helps you out.

Until next week, think, plan, encourage others to be safe in all that they do.