Intro to Warehouse Operations Management

One of the customary things an employee receives is a walkthrough of the entire warehouse, which is what I had to go through during summer mentorship (unfortunately for me, that additional post should have been made last month.) To start things off, I'd like to just show you what Unical Aviation is and what it looks like. Considering I've never been to an actual warehouse other than a Costco, Unical was definitely different than what one would expect at a distribution warehouse.

Unical Aviation Inc., offers a number of amenities to it’s employees, ranging from a wall of microwaves in the lunchroom or even a yoga studio on the front side of the . It’s important to consider that the environment plays a role in promoting morale of the workplace. Personally, my favorite part of these above amenities is the eating area. Aside from the owner being a Marvel fan, the figures also serve as symbolic motivators for the endurability of the company. 

Unical is a surplus aircraft distributor. What does that mean? A surplus aircraft distributor is a facility that buys or sells aircraft parts domestically and internationally; airlines represented range from American Airlines (US), Cathay Pacific Airlines (Asia), and Lufthansa Airlines (Europe). As such, Unical is also responsible for keeping expendable parts and major components of airplanes in it’s inventory. 

You would read the above shelving as:

2 - warehouse 2; warehouse 1 is Unical’s previous location

AB - refers to the aisles; aisles go as far back as ZE

10 - refers to the bay or section

D - level on the shelf, i.e. level A, B…

4 - 5 - basket number

F - refers to front of the warehouse; R refers to rear of the

     warehouse

The warehouse of Unical is arranged in rows upon rows of shelves, each containing baskets filled with bags of similar parts, which could be nuts, bolts, washers, and other expendable products. The rest of the warehouse includes bigger parts, “major components”, which range from engines, main frames, and landing gear.

This is a very general overview of Unical; the warehouse itself is made up of many different components and departments, which all circulate around the warehouse. One of the first things you have to learn in the warehouse is how to organize and read the labels. Sure, it sounds like an easy task, however, as you can imagine, that's a good number of things to understand. Knowing how to read a consignment code, let's say for example, JAL-MI137, is just as important as knowing how to read a basket label. This is another story for another day, so stay tuned!

Blog 6: Second Interview Questions

1.) Who is your mentor and where do they work?

My mentor is Brice Cocjin and he works at Unical Aviation, Inc., located in the City of Industry.

2.) What five questions (or more) will you ask them about their background?

• What types of skill are required to reach the position of operations management?
• What was your first management experience? At Costco Wholese? At Unical?
• Whom would you consider influence(s) in your managerial career? Rather, who has created an impact in how you conduct your work?
• How did you become employed at Unical?
• How had prior managing experience and Costco and leading teams prepare you for your current position at Unical? Were there any new skills you needed to pick up on the way?
• Were these qualities you had to learn over time or ones you’ve always had?
• How has Unical Aviation Inc., become the commercial business it is today? Did it have humble beginnings?
• What do you believe has made Unical a successful organization?
• Has warehouse management and the role of a leader created a lasting effect on yourself and your character?
• Have you ever had to overcome a weakness in leadership positions? How did you overcome these shortcomings?
• What strengths do you possess that have made you successful in your career? 

I plan on using all of these questions, unless I decide to replace or eliminate any. 

Blog 5: Project Reflection and Working EQ

The Pentagon:

1.) Positive Statement: What positive thing happen as a result of what you have completed so far?

One of the positive things that I learned during mentorship and conducting research is that management of any kind cannot be simply broken into just working a computer or holding a title. With anything, there are many components to what makes it whole. I found that in warehouse distribution management, there are quite a few things involved than just keeping cycle counts of inventory. I consider the leadership required for the job one of the most difficult but fundamental aspects of this job.

2.) EQ Content: Pick a piece of research or your interview.  How has it helped you improve your understanding of your topic?

The most influential piece of research I’ve gathered thus far has been the book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. Despite having been in so many groups during my time at iPoly, I can’t admit that any them were as successful as they could have been; points were made on a consensus basis and things were done because they had to. This book is written in a fictional setting where there is a dysfunctional team led by one, single influential character. In this book, I learned that reaching a consensus isn’t necessarily a good thing and conflict amongst the group is healthy for a successful team.

3.) What has worked for you so far in the senior project?

As of late, I feel that what has worked out the most for me is going with my dad for mentorship on Saturdays. I’ve been to the building enough times, but walking through the warehouse offers breadth on how much happens in a single day. This way, I get a lot of perspective on what a operations manager deals with, i.e. when there is a missing part (which has happened twice already) or when a bin needs to be located.

4.) What hasn’t worked so far?

What hasn’t worked so far is how and what other research I can find. The first articles and books I picked up helped wonders, but there is only so much reliable information I can find online. Many of the articles on warehouse management has do with the technology involved and little else on the actual managerial part involved. A few books I’ve been reading are more self-help oriented and less about application into a warehouse.

5.) What is a potential question you would like to study this year? (Working EQ)

“What qualities make for a successful operations manager?” / “What factor determines successful warehouse operations management?

What do you plan to do for mentorship? If you haven’t found a mentor yet, then discuss where you are currently looking and who you are talking to to find it.

I plan to continue my mentorship at Unical Aviation with my dad and possibly  with a few other managers working in the same department.