Labor, Flexibility & the Future of Warehouse Ops
In this week’s Warehousing Wednesday, Mark Lewis sits down with longtime colleague and supply chain consultant Dan Ahearn to talk about one of the most persistent—and evolving—topics in warehouse management: labor.
The discussion touches on the limitations of traditional labor management systems, the growing role of automation, and the importance of empowering people on the floor.
Dan emphasizes that while robotics and analytics are transforming the industry, warehouses are still fundamentally a people business. The most successful implementations, he argues, are those where leadership involves frontline workers early and often—because that’s where the best ideas come from.
Mark adds perspective from Redwood’s own 3PL operations, where flexibility often outweighs automation due to the ever-changing needs of clients. Together, they explore how to strike the right balance between efficiency and adaptability, and why the 80/20 rule still holds true in optimizing both people and processes.
Watch the full episode here:
