There’s much more to a warehouse position than just stocking items. Windsor Windows and Doors President Mark Rieser found that out first-hand when he spent a day on the job with Warehouse Manager David Sheesley in June.
With more than 25 years of warehouse experience and increasing responsibility, David was drawn to Windsor Windows in 2018 because he appreciated our line of products and the fact that we’re a family-owned business.
Drawing on his years of experience, David showed Mark the support process of the warehouse, step by step. They started by pulling and stocking items for the production lines, followed by transferring product. They discussed the detailed processes the team goes through when a discrepancy is found, including what groups they interact with to get the issue addressed quickly and efficiently.
Together, David and Mark also went through a complete timeline for a product once it reaches the warehouse: Receiving, warehousing, and stocking the item for production use. They reviewed the machining process for special sizes and how production schedules guarantee that the warehouse has enough lead time to kit items before final product assembly. And to cap off the day, Mark was able to check out the new racking for Windsor’s new Pre-Finish Interior line.
“I know this was a valuable experience for Mark that gave him some more insight into what warehouse employees do to support production, in addition to the normal ‘warehousing’ tasks. It also provided some context around warehouse space constraints,” David said. “And Mark’s visit helped me understand what the future of the company looks like and how we can prioritize here in the warehouse to help achieve those goals.”
After walking in David’s shoes for the day, Mark was thoroughly impressed with the level of detail and care the warehouse crew is committed to every day.
“The plants run like a finely tuned machine. Our warehouses are large and complex. There are hundreds of thousands of parts in various stages of value-add; from master sheets of Cardinal glass, to mill-finished aluminum extrusions, to raw wood parts. The warehouse team coordinates inventory movement and insures the right parts get to the right place on time. If that process breaks down, then the lines stop,” Mark said. “I’m amazed how accurately the parts finally come together on the production lines. Our people are very good at what they do — they care and it shows.”
Watch for more features in our Windows of Opportunity series, where President Mark Rieser job shadows Windsor employees to get a floor-to-ceiling view of how Windsor works.