A day in the life of a Warehouse Manager

We caught up with Warehouse Manager Lewis Short to learn more about his role and how he got there!

Tell us about your time at Brown & Carroll

I started work at Brown & Carroll over seven years ago. I was originally a factory assistant, doing things like wrapping and loading materials. I later became a JPQC (Joinery Processing Quality Control) assistant, helping process and sequence joinery for delivery. I was in that role for three years and was later promoted to Warehouse Manager.

How does a typical day begin?

Before I get to work, I check and unlock our facilities in Units 3, 4 and 5. Then I get to our warehouse at Zenith D1 for 7am. If there are drivers waiting to load up, I help them. Otherwise, my first job is to check my emails and find out whether anything needs to urgently be sent to a site.

What is the key part of your role?

My work involves lots of different tasks. I work in a team with our Warehouse Assistant, Tim. Together we pick items from the relevant warehouses and get them ready to load onto our vehicles. We are responsible for storing and sorting all sorts of items from joinery, raw MDF and stock timber right through to white goods and finished joinery. We also have to check and accept external deliveries of materials.
We need to work fast. Where possible, we get items ready and loaded onto vehicles the day before they deliver. It’s important that delivery time slots aren’t missed. To make this happen, we’ll work as quickly as possible, aiming where possible to pick items for multiple deliveries from the same warehouse.

Do you have other responsibilities?

Yes, one of my key responsibilities is workplace safety. I have to attend a three-yearly course on racking inspection. I do a weekly visual check of our racking systems and undertake a full inspection every month. I’m also responsible for flushing out the water systems in each warehouse every week, helping to ensure they remain safe.

What do you like most about your role?

I’m proud of the way I’ve progressed during my time at Brown & Carroll. I take pride in my work and every challenge gives me a buzz. I also like the way I find myself helping every department – all the materials that come into and leave the business pass through my hands at some point.

I would like to see my role and team expand as the business grows. It’s also great to see changes that make us more efficient and eco-friendly. For example, we’ve recently moved from gas-powered forklifts to electric ones.

How does your working day end?

I normally finish at 5pm, but after I clock out I check and lock up Units 3, 4 and 5. I’ve got two young sons, so when I get home I have a lot of ‘dad jobs’ to do. I do get the occasional break, though – every Thursday I go and play badminton for a couple of hours with some friends.