The TA Difference: Lessons from TA Leadership – David Bowers, VP Warehouse Operations

Next in our Lessons from Leadership Q&A series, we catch up David Bowers, Vice President of Warehouse Operations for TA Services, to talk about TA’s growth from freight brokerage to full service 3PL and the innovation TA Services brings to the Warehousing and Fulfillment world of the supply chain industry.

Q: David, during our Q&A with VP of Sales and Marketing, Brady Thames, he touched on how important meeting our customers’ needs in the most efficient way possible is. Early on in your 25+ year career in Operations, you were a Process & Manufacturing Engineer for Japanese automotive companies where you were trained in the areas of lean practices, process improvement, and elimination of waste. It’s pretty clear you know a thing or two about efficiency as we learned by reading your articles on Streamlining Warehousing with the 5S Method and 5 Benefits of Fusing 3PLs and Lean Manufacturing. Can you tell us a bit more about the ways TA Services ensures ultimate efficiency in this sector of the supply chain world?

A: KPI’s and root cause analysis. Tracking and monitoring key performance indicators is crucial to identifying inefficiencies. TA Services works closely with our customers to determine what is most important to reach their goals, then we determine what KPI(s) is a direct reflection and how to measure it. If you don’t measure what you are monitoring, there will be no control which means you won’t produce efficient and/or effective operations. But ensuring ultimate efficiency doesn’t stop there – you must go beyond simply tracking the KPI’s. In order to effect change where it is most needed, you must be able to act on them. If something falls out of limits or is trending toward the wrong direction, it is imperative that you dig in and get to the root cause. TA Services uses a variety of techniques to pinpoint any true fundamental issues and we follow standard practices to then implement countermeasures to promptly correct these issues. We are problem solvers!

Q: Automation has remained a hot topic this year in the logistics industry. With the growing labor shortage, a boom in demand from online retailers, and new technological advances, it’s no wonder why many 3PLs are looking towards the future of automation to help improve the efficiency of their logistic operations. Continuing this look ahead, what do you think is one key issue, development, or innovation/technology that will really define the next 3-5 years of our industry?

A: I don’t see an end to the labor shortage any time soon, so 3PL providers will need to find ways to reduce their labor need while also considering ways to improve the work life of warehouse operators in hopes of attracting new candidates to the field. To reduce ergonomic strain, the industry needs more cost-effective automation to bring material directly to the operator while at a comfortable height for picking. Introducing these forms of automation will not only diminish the overdemand for general labor while yielding cost savings to the customer, but it could also reduce injuries and turnover due to highly physical jobs.

Q: The acquisition of Celadon Logistics brought many changes to TA Services. With this procurement came a whole new range of service offerings – including Warehousing and Fulfillment. Since this time, TA Services has expanded our services and geographical coverage to be a true North American full service 3PL provider. With 2MM+ SqFt of both dedicated and multi-client warehouse sites, TA Services is just about anywhere our clients could need us. And if we’re not, we can be. What advice would you share with companies in need of warehouse services who aren’t quite sure where to turn?

A: As a 3PL provider, I would suggest that companies should ALWAYS outsource their warehousing needs but that is probably a self-serving statement. Two main things to consider would be area of expertise and space utilization. It’s typically a good idea for a company to focus on what it is good at. Just because you know the best way to physically make a widget doesn’t mean you know how to best manage and handle your inventory to ensure you know where your items and products are when you need them most and that you’re able to get your product where it needs to go on time. Letting the experts do that for you will allow you to make widgets even better while saving you money and keeping your customers happy. Manufacturing space (lower ceilings, lots of power) is typically different from warehousing space (high ceiling, low power) which results in high cost per square foot. Storing material in a manufacturing environment = less material per square foot = higher cost. Additionally, you may need to run utilities further distances to reach past the stored material, adding even more cost. If space is readily available, then storing yourself may be a viable option. But as your manufacturing area grows and starts to fill in your building space, outsourcing to a distribution center is probably more economical.

If you’re a customer in need of knowledgeable logistics experts, TA Services is here to help. With our full range of 3PL services, we will listen to your wants and needs, and we’ll advise the best solution while providing excellent, unparalleled service. We are honest in our approach, genuine in our care, and thoughtful in our execution to create sustainable, long-term customer relationships and solve problems within the global supply chain.

Q: Okay, the last question is just for fun. We noticed on your bio that you’re a big Star Wars fan. Who is your favorite character and why?

A: My favorite character is Darth Vader! I mean come on, there is no better villain. Mysterious, powerful, clever, witty. But I guess it’s his story that I find most interesting and relatable – innocent past corrupted by unforeseen events driving him to the dark side but ultimately, he reveals the good within him. I think we probably all have been driven to the ‘dark side’ to some extent at one point or another of our lives which might have caused us to do or say things we may regret, but the key is to let those things go and focus on the good things of life. That is where we find true happiness. I have yet to master the use of the force, but I am glad to say that I have found happiness.