The Warehouse Underground Podcast

In massive FCs and DCs, everything moves at lightning speed. Yet, too many operations still just default to a "run until failure" mindset with some of their equipment.  Operations is always under some level of performance pressure!

But.....

The Reality: Catching an emerging failure early is significantly cheaper and less painful than dealing with a catastrophic breakdown mid-shift.

The Solution: To maintain uptime, you have to manage with the latest tech and software. Traditional maintenance schedules just can't always keep pace with the wear and tear of modern volume.

Great chat with Spencer Hirsh: Senior Business Development Manager!

TinMan Systems gives industrial equipment real‑time, inside‑the‑equipment visibility into vibration, thermal behavior, acoustics, alignment, and wear — the mechanical truth that determines reliability.

John Reinke, owner / operator of executive search firm FPC Riverwood identifying top talent in Warehousing and Transportation for industry-leading companies.

🦺 John has a background in operations and understands well the realities of the distribution industry. 

💥 But now, he's ready to reveal some industry secrets on how to best put yourself in a position to find and sign with some of the best companies they hire for!

Warehouse racking is a foundation of almost all warehouse operations, but how do you take a lifetime of industry experience and turn it into a thriving startup?

On the latest episode of the podcast, I sat down with Bryan Greenwood and Justin Sanders, the co-founders of Rhino Racking. After years on the ground, they "caught the bug", launched their own company, and are now shaking up the industrial storage space.

Very cool chat: What it actually takes to optimize a modern facility.

Here is a quick snapshot of what we discussed:

The Genesis of Rhino Racking: What motivated Bryan and Justin to jump ship and build a growing startup from scratch?

The "Cubic Volume" Problem: Why so many warehouse managers are struggling in cramped facilities when they actually have massive, untapped vertical space right above them.

Who is Buying? A look at their "bread and butter" customers and why racking isn't just an ops conversation—it's a high-stakes financial decision for C-suite executives.

"Strong Racking. Smart Solutions. Built for You." Why cookie-cutter layouts fail and how they engineer custom, dynamic setups to solve unique supply chain bottlenecks.

The Reality of Implementation: What ops leaders need to do before the installation crew arrives to ensure a seamless, on-time deployment.

The Steel Supply Chain: Navigating volatile steel prices, fluctuating lead times, and what future buyers need to know to protect their budgets.

The Future of Storage: Will advanced automation, cubed storage, and VLMs completely replace traditional steel racking? (Spoiler: Standard steel isn't going anywhere).

The Backstory: Who actually designed that sturdy, steady, and serious Rhino logo?

If you are an operations leader, supply chain executive, or warehouse manager trying to squeeze every square inch of efficiency out of your facility, this is an episode you don't want to miss.

#SupplyChain #Logistics #WarehouseManagement #MaterialHandling #StartupStory #RhinoRacking #Podcast

Are your employee's backs taking a beating from all the lifting they're doing in the distribution center? Do you have the "Must be able to lift up to 50 pounds" BLUES?

Verve Motion is doing something about this and in a big way! Their SafeLift exosuit is changing the game for warehouse employees everywhere.

Had a chance to chat with their CEO, Ignacio Galiana on the podcast and I love what they're doing. The product is great but it's more than just that.

Check this episode out to find out how all of the below happens:

Safety = Boost
Productivity = Boost
Morale = Boost
Quality of Life = Boost
LOOKING GOOD WITH COOL GEAR = Boost

Body fatigue = Fade

Billy Malady has been a leader in distribution operations for over 15 years and at all levels; from the boardroom to the warehouse break room.  Always cool to chat with folks who have that full end to end perspective. 

He's "fixed" a lot of operations but not in the ways you may think. 

Check out his new book today "Nobody Told Me It Would Be Like This: 100 Stories from the Frontline of Operations & Customer Care."

-Why is there such a perceived gap between where execs think their ops teams should be vs. where the ops team sees themselves?

-In articles you've been in you state "the foundation and the fixes to problems in distribution are always the same."  Why is this?

Lots of Shop Talk in this episode about operations!

Janielle Myers has done (and is doing) a lot in the supply chain space. A great example and mentor for the new generation of leaders!

- Should supply chain leaders embrace "wearing many hats" or should they silo and specialize?

- What about Burn Out?  Real or not?  How to mitigate.

- Starting with motorcycles but now at a Space Company, Loft Orbital, and why something about space makes it one of most rewarding and inspiring things she's ever done.

- What she REALLY thinks about Sales, Inventory and Operational Planning (SIOP).

- How she uses skin moisturizers as an alert system to warn her, she's not setting proper boundaries (just listen; we'll explain it!)

Work in distribution? Then you know Raymond products. But I had the chance for a second time to learn so much more about them chatting with Derrick Miller, Senior Sales Manager.  Amazing episode to learn not just about the value they bring, but how they think like, connect with, and understand the operational realities of distribution!

-What is the feedback Raymond receives from ops leaders everywhere about what they REALLY want/need?

-How have you become so deeply engrained in ops everywhere and what solutions and services have you molded to provide the best for ops leaders?

-What do you do with the surge of data you're now able to put at the fingertips of ops leaders?

-Should everyone jump on the "robots train"?

Hilla Herzog Manor is the VP Strategy @ Zimark | Smart Pallet Tracking for Warehouses & 3PLs. And they have built and are building some amazingly valuable warehouse tools for operators.

Cameras on forklifts tracking movement into bins and in the facility? Yes please. Shipping control cameras at the dock compiling proof of loads. Yup. Vision to one day rid all operations of manual scanning? YES PLEASE! This is just scratching the surface too. Great episode to listen to and find out more!

These guys are inside the warehouses building their solutions from real feedback from real people working there. Because they know the truth: The best feature in the world is worthless if the forklift operator ignores it.

Sarit Tamir is Founder & CEO at Seeteria, which I must say, is a very cool start up with a great solution for a problem in large distribution centers: it's hard to see everything at once!

But if your site has cameras already inside and Wi-Fi, they have all they need to start working the magic! They're eliminating the invisible middle in warehouse operations by providing real time visibility right to your phone with alerts and all the data you could want to your computer.

The platform translates video into live operational signals such as dwell time, congestion, dock activity, and workflow delays without requiring WMS integration.

Check them out today and see the whole flow clearly!

Leroy Pinckney Jr. has seen it all. Raised in Harlem. Deployed to Iraq in the Army. A distribution career in multiple organizations (including Amazon.)

He was recently laid off and is now navigating the world of networking, job applications, interviews and ultimately continually putting himself out there to find the new right spot for him. And it can be tough out there.

BUT he's all over it (see his most recent viral LinkedIn posts.) We talk about his background and more:

What it really means to lead people when the stakes are high and the margin for error is zero. He sees himself as a lion.

What happens when the lion gets laid off? No quit. Just finds a new hunt. 🦁

If you're in the same boat, Leroy can be an inspiration and guide for you!