Warehouse internship experience: daily operations and supervisor evaluation

Description of Duties

This internship involved principle warehouse duties including building and verifying comprehensive logistics reports, participating in all aspects of shipping, receiving, and storage. In addition to fostering strengths in communications and coordination with other departments, the internship also involved the daily use of technological tools, information technologies, and radio frequency identification devices. By performing these and other critical warehouse operations under the tutelage of supervisory staff, I was able to link theory and practice. I learned the rubric of materials management at all levels of the supply chain. Likewise, I learned how senior logisticians handle essential and sensitive materials to meet core objectives. I also gained a greater awareness of logistics overall, as my duties did entail integrating the warehouse systems into the overall operations of the organization.

Learning Objectives

Among the multitude of learning objectives, the most important were those that integrated private and public sector regulations. As Rutner (2000) points out, logistics creates value for private sector organizations, and can also do that for the military and the public sector. Applying army regulations to the internship, one of my core objectives was the build a level of competency that would allow me to work independently on most tasks, without supervision. Based on the 360 degree assessment, this was an objective that was exceeded, as both peer reviews and supervisor feedback indicated.

Problem solving is one of the core components of logistics management. In the warehouse setting, innumerable challenges arise on a daily basis. The internship illustrated “strategies for better preparedness and the need for supply chains to be agile, adaptable and aligned,” (Van Wassenhove, 2005, p. 475). Creative problem solving was used at several key junctures, during which we needed to mobilize material assets in strategic ways. Moreover, one of the learning objectives was to function as the material floor manager at the warehouse. The 360 degree evaluation highlighted that this competency had been achieved.
While self-confidence grew with each week, I also remained open to continual feedback. The 360 degree model of evaluation was extremely helpful in providing ongoing feedback and ensuring a flow of communication. Additionally, the 360 degree evaluation method encourages all stakeholders to communicate professionally and tactfully, verbally and also in writing. Regular self-assessments helped me to communicate my needs, such as conveying areas in which I needed further instruction so as to avoid miscommunication.

The internship also aimed to improve my awareness of different record keeping methods used in warehouses, increasing familiarity with warehouse management information systems. Mastery of these systems is crucial for success in a logistics field. During this internship, I have been contributing information that has been instructive for designing and developing future warehouse management systems that use sophisticated methods of material management. These systems add an extra layer of protection from potential crises. As Sheffi (2001) points out, logistics managers need to build in redundancies to mitigate threats; dealing with the contingencies of additional security concerns does, however, imply potentially “less reliable lead times and less certain demand scenarios,” (p. 1). The goal in the future is to develop systems that are both efficient and robustly secure. I also learned about the array of new technologies used in both private and military sectors for managing inventory, such as the implementation of RFID. As costly as RFID investments have been, they have also tremendously improved security and efficiency for material management. As Ozdemir & Bayrak (2015) point out, “RFID investment requires high initial cost and its benefits are hard to see in the short term, it needs an appropriate investment decision model,” (p. 88). These models were evaluated thoroughly and can be applied to my future career.

Criteria

The 360 degree method is thorough, encouraging self-assessment, welcoming peer reviews, and also supervisor evaluations. I found each of these three components tremendously useful. Self-assessment is something that must be encouraged actively, but which also coincides well with input from others. What I believe about my own skills and competencies might not be reflected in others’ reports; in this case, my self-assessments seemed to be mirrored almost exactly by both peers and supervisors. My strengths included being a fast learner who was able to understand the big picture purpose of each task, allowing me to perform well independently. I learned the need to improve my communications skills, as one of my personality traits is introversion. Through the 360 degree process, I realized from my peers that introversion is not necessarily always a drawback and that this personality trait can be useful in the warehouse setting. I would recommend to future students that they learn to play up both their strengths and weaknesses, by paying close attention to feedback and remaining humble and willing to change. The best thing about the 360 degree model is that it allows for honesty and objectivity, and helps provide a sort of reality check on one’s own self-concept. At times, we believe ourselves to be better than we actually are performing, and at other times, the reverse is true and our sense of self-efficacy can be improved.

Conclusions

Supervisory instruction guided me through the multifaceted skills of warehouse management and logistics. While I may remain a long way from becoming a logistics manager, I understand far better the processes and procedures that underlie efficient warehouse management, and also see how those processes and procedures integrate with the overall logistics strategy. I understand the differences between private and military logistics better, and recognize how efficient warehouse management contributes to the overall goals of the organization in terms of efficiency, productivity, and cost savings. Similarly, I was exposed to the various methods of record keeping used in the private and military sectors. Records keeping was one of the core learning objectives, both in terms of keeping records through data management methods but also verifying orders that had already been entered into the database. I also displayed improved time management skills, which were instrumental for helping me to cut down the time it took to complete tasks. While at the internship, I was able also to help others improve their own time management skills by collaborating on difficult and time-consuming tasks.

When applying warehouse management skills to my future career, I can reflect on this internship experience not just for its instructive value in building core competencies but also in its ability to improve my communications and creative thinking skills. I understand more about relationships with vendors, and have more confidence in working with key suppliers. The internship experience also honed my ability to used warehouse management information technology, seeing how these technologies either have built-in redundancies or enable secure data management systems that link up with other departments. Finally, learning how to integrate warehouse management with the work done in other departments has helped prepare me for a managerial position, in which I can coordinate different activities to maximize efficiency.



References

Chang, E., Prior, D.D. & Gottwalt, F. (n.d.). Towards an integrated system for army logistics management. Australian Army Journal 13(2): https://www.army.gov.au/sites/g/files/net1846/f/aaj_vol13-2_chang.pdf
Ozdemir, A. & Bayrak, M. (2015). Assessment of RFID investment in the military logistics systems through the life cycle cost (LCC) model. Journal of Management and Information Science 3(4): 88-102.
Rutner, S.M. (2000). Logistics value. The International Journal of Logistics Management 1192):73-82.
Sheffi, Y. (2001). Supply chain management under the threat of interntional terrorism. The International Journal of Logistics Management 12(2): 1-11.
Van Wassenhove, L.N. (2005). Humanitarian aid logistics. Journal of the Operational Research Society 57(5): 475-489.