In this Spotlight, we talk to Janette Woodside about the role of Operations Manager of Distribution Services at the Distribution Center.

An Operations Manager of Distribution Services is responsible for managing the day-to-day activities directly related to the shipping and receiving of products and material.

Q: WHAT IS THE ROLE OF AN OPERATIONS MANAGER OF DISTRIBUTION SERVICES AT THE DISTRIBUTION CENTER?

“I look over the entire operations at 900 (Kirby Risk Distribution Center) and I make sure that it all runs smoothly. It’s my job to ensure that inventory is up-to-date and accurate and that all product shipments and customer orders are quickly taken care of. We get around 1,500 orders a day, which is about 3,600 items total, and we do everything we can to have a 24-hour turnaround with our customer orders. A part of my job that I really enjoy is managing personnel, like our drivers, team leads and warehouse associates. I think as a manager, it’s my job to be encouraging to the team, listen to the needs of our employees and help individuals excel in their role or even move up.”

Q: WHAT ROLE DOES DISTRIBUTION SERVICES PLAY IN THE COMPANY?

“The Distribution Center is the heartbeat of Kirby Risk because we have such a big impact on every part of the company. We handle all internal and external shipping, from product transfers among branches to delivering customer orders – we do it all. The Distribution Center has over 22,000 parts so we are constantly moving product in and out of our facility. It takes a lot of focus and team work to keep everything moving and I think that this team continues to go above and beyond, day in and day out.”

Q: CAN YOU SHARE A CUSTOMER SUCCESS STORY WITH US?

“Branch 6 (Kirby Risk Bedford, IN location) was approached by a customer with a special-order request. They had requested that material be grouped and sent by sizes, rather than our traditional way of shipping which is typically just by order number. Branch 6 reached out to the Distribution Center, and we began to work on a system that would best fit the customer’s needs. We started testing a new way of grouping and shipping and worked directly with branch 6 and the customer for feedback. After a few orders, we were able to perfect our system and we have 5 employees that are specifically trained to handle these special orders. The customer was very happy and impressed with how our team went above and beyond.”