READERPROFILE
as told to Karen Kroll
Leaning Into It
RESPONSIBILITIES: IT development and infrastructure, process improvement, distribution, procurement, quality, inventory control, and transportation. EXPERIENCE: Executive vice president, operations, FCX; vice president, replenishment and 3PL solutions, vice president, manufacturing and supply chain solutions, and multiple other executive positions with Cardinal Health. EDUCATION: MBA, University of South Carolina; B.S., biology and chemistry, University of South Carolina Honors College. THERON NEESE is chief operating officer with Integrated Supply Network (ISN), a Lakeland, Florida-based distributor of automotive tools and equipment.
Y ears ago, I worked as a warehouse operations supervisor. The plant manager conveyed that part of my job was to make it easier for tomorrow; to take one or two hours to fix a problem so I didn’t have to deal with it every day and so things would run more smoothly. It’s a concept from Lean—to always be looking for the next bottleneck and working to tackle it. It stuck with me and has been part of my Lean journey. At ISN, I’m in charge of procuring domestic national brands and company private brands from overseas, planning inbound and outbound transportation, and overseeing pick, pack, and ship. One thing that makes all these responsibilities challenging is that we truly are omnichannel—we operate in ecommerce, business-to-consumer, and business-to-business. And we partner with regional and national wholesalers and distributors.
and need to be held back versus prodded on. If a team member takes ownership, they will work to improve the company, not just their area. And a process orientation ensures that people are always looking to improve. I’m also extremely data-driven, whether the issue is inventory, financial, or something else, so we don’t make emotional decisions. For instance, when judging carriers, we look at their current performance and whether they’re meeting our needs. We also consider simplicity—it doesn’t make sense to use 50 carriers at one site. I try to be transparent and use Lean processes: plan, do, check, act. We constantly look at our processes to make sure we do better next time. As a distributor, we are hit hard by inflation as we try to pass on manufacturer increases while remaining cost competitive. We’ve
We also do a lot of same- and next- day shipping. We take orders until 3 p.m. and then ship them out on the same day. All this adds complexity. In my five years at ISN, I’ve focused on distribution and driving improvement across the enterprise. Over the past few years, we’ve consolidated 18 distribution centers to seven, many as a result of acquisition activity. Handling change requires several steps. One is making sure we have the right people. While you can teach most things about business, I look for drive, ownership, and process orientation. I want to hire people who drive forward “Always look for the next bottleneck and work to tackle it.”
10 Inbound Logistics • August 2023
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