make the most of your warehouse

It's no longer enough just to run a successful warehouse operation— one that makes effective use of both facilities and staff. Warehouse managers are also being asked to improve customer service, reduce inventories, boost productivity, handle a growing number of stockkeeping units, and operate in tighter spaces. To help managers cope with these rising expectations, the Warehousing Education and Research Council (WERC) has developed a new seminar, "Achieving Warehouse Success: Your Comprehensive Guide to Managing an Effective Operation." The session will be held from Feb. 28 to March 2 in Tempe, Ariz.

This three-day seminar is intended to help participants understand the most critical concepts in the warehousing/distribution field. Designed to benefit those with a basic to intermediate level of experience in distribution, warehousing and stores, it will present ways to make the most of all three of their basic resources—space, equipment, and labor—and to integrate them for maximum effectiveness.

The program offers a methodology for planning, managing and controlling warehouse operations, including practical approaches to scheduling work, motivating workers, delegating effectively and capturing the attention of upper management. It will help participants learn how to identify the precise problems that are most troublesome in a warehouse; offer strategies for determining which operations require attention and how to prioritize work demands; and present cost-cutting and productivity improvement approaches. It also offers lessons in leadership and communication skills, warehouse layout, and equipment and technology.

The seminar's instructor is Thomas L. Tanel, president and CEO of CATTAN Services Group Inc. The fee is $975 for WERC members and $1,100 for non-members.

Later in March, WERC will offer another of its seminars, "Benchmark Now." At this session, which takes place in Atlanta on March 21-22, participants will learn how to analyze a company's performance using one of two benchmarking sources. Seminar attendees have the option of bringing their own companies' data for use in the benchmarking exercises or using mock data provided by the instructors in order to learn the process for later application.

Topics to be covered during the seminar include understanding quantitative benchmarking vs. process benchmarking—and why they need to be done together; common barriers and pitfalls in benchmarking; where to go for benchmarking data; how to link benchmarking to strategy; how to choose the right metrics; and how to set benchmark targets for your company.

Course instructors are Kate Vitasek, managing partner of Supply Chain Visions; and Karl Manrodt, Ph.D., associate professor, Department of Management and Marketing, at Georgia Southern University.

The seminar's fee is $1,195 for WERC members and $1,495 for non-members. Additional information on these and other WERC programs is available on the WERC Web site, www.werc.org.