The New Warehouse

What a week last week! In both a good way and a bad way. Haha.

I had an amazing time out in the Midwest visiting Toyota Material Handling's North America HQ in Columbus, Indiana where they just opened their brand new manufacturing facility. There is a lot of talk about the Toyota Production System but to see it in action is pretty incredible and inspiring. Not only from the production processes but to the culture that is evident throughout the entire campus.

We also hosted a Warehousing After Dark in person out in Schaumburg, Illinois to help kick-off the IWLA Fulfillment Forum with 100+ of our industry friends. It was amazing to see the community come together and meet some people who I've been virtually connected to for a long time. It was the perfect kick-off to the forum.

At the IWLA Forum we dove deep into the fulfillment world for 3PLs and it's quite interesting to see where all the conversations went to as there were 3PLs at all different stages of their fulfillment journey. I was able to join a panel to discuss AI and also give a solo talk on technology in general within the warehouse arena.

As much as we see AI everywhere and being talked about non-stop, it still seems to create the most discussion when brought up in a setting like this. I think that's because it is so new and at the same time so accessible. A lot of the conversation leaned towards how 3PLs are using it, how are they keeping it secure and how do you get the organization as a whole to embrace it. It's a fascinating conversation and I think it deserves more space to be open about each other's experiences. I'm working on something for that soon!

Then I got a chance to visit some local friends at AMSCO Prep and Retina Robotics. AMSCO is a 3PL that has primarily been focused on FBA Prep but has gotten into DTC fulfillment in the last year. The owner is doing some incredible things with bringing in automation focused around repetitive processes like shrink wrapping and also utilizing AI to really drive a lot of the operation and the results are pretty amazing. Kudos to him!

Now, that was all the good so what about the bad last week? Well, I had a nightmare travel day on Friday where my flight got cancelled at O'Hare after being delayed 3 hours. I'll spare you all the complaining but I ended up in an Uber heading to Milwaukee at 1am to catch a flight to Philly at 6:20am out of Milwaukee. Needless to say I needed some extra sleep this weekend.

My warehouse mind never left me though as I waited for 3 hours to get my checked bag back. I was constantly monitoring the scans to my bag in the United app and cross checking that with the physical whereabouts (aka annoying the employees). I was also questioning whether or not the belt was working properly, it seemed like maybe there was a jam or a sensor that was off somewhere behind the curtain. The employees were not amused but I did catch that the e-stop had been accidentally pressed!

Air travel seems to be getting worse and I wish you better travels than my experience on Friday!

In other news, we are going to start making some changes to the newsletter and the types of emails we send out to you. You'll be getting a couple of notes over the next two weeks from me so we can help make this a better experience for you and show up where you want us to show up. Stay tuned!

Monday's Episode - Unit AI: They Don’t Sell Robots, They Sell Capacity

Welcome to this episode of The New Warehouse Podcast, where host Kevin Lawton sits down with Avihou Barkay, Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer, and Guy Glass, Co-Founder and CEO at Unit AI. Unit AI is a new entrant into the automation market, introducing a plug-and-play micro AS/RS platform designed to solve the $1 trillion e-commerce crisis.

In this episode, Barkay and Glass discuss how their purpose-built physical AI system makes automation dramatically more accessible, affordable, and flexible for 3PLs and retailers navigating high return volumes and direct-to-consumer logistics.

Wednesday's Episode - The New Warehouse Amazon List: 7 Rules for Smarter Warehouse Automation

On this episode of The New Warehouse Podcast, Kevin speaks with Michael Erhard, Head of Operations Engineering at Amazon. During a career spanning more than 15 years, Erhard has helped plan, design, and launch fulfillment centers around the world, including more than 50 facilities during his time at Amazon. His lessons challenge technology-first thinking and reveal what it really takes to design, test, launch, and modernize highly automated fulfillment operations.

Below you’ll find The New Warehouse Amazon List, not a collection of products to purchase, but seven principles to consider before making your warehouse automation investment.

I really enjoy cramming a bunch into one week when I'm in a certain area so the next packed week will be in NYC the week of 8/24 so if you're in the area there are three great events happening. Matt Hertz is having a dinner the evening of 8/24 for 3PLs and brands. The morning of 8/25 Traba is hosting a breakfast and the evening of 8/25 Breez Hub is hosting a big boat party where I'll be the MC (use code THENEWWAREHOUSE for 25% off)

If you're going to be in the area let me know! Would love to see you!

Have a great rest of the week!

Thank you,

Kevin

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