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Keep Them Coming Back: Optimizing Returns

January 8, 2026
by

woman placing barcode on box marked "return"

If you’re selling goods to consumers, returns are a fact of life, especially if you sell online. For 2025, customers returns are expected to reach $849.9 billion in merchandise, 19.3% of all sales. In the online sales world, that percentage was higher at 17.6%. The numbers illustrate what you probably already know about consumer behavior: online shoppers expect to be able to return items just as easily as they bought them.

If returns are not an incidental part of a business, how can you make sure the reverse logistics (the process of receiving items already sold) are working well for you?

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Posted in Warehousing & Distribution|

OSHA’s Top Violations for 2025

December 19, 2025
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OSHA Top 10 citations 2025

Ensuring workplace safety is an ongoing challenge, especially in fast-paced manufacturing and warehousing operations. Every year, the OSHA publishes its list of the most frequently cited workplace safety violations, providing a snapshot of the most pressing hazards that can lead to injuries and serious fines.

While the list results do not have many changes from year to year, it is important to review annually. Comparing your safety processes and training to what is included can help to create a more robust system that can save lives and protect what matters.

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Posted in Safety & Ergonomics|

So You Want to Buy (or Lease) a Building

November 20, 2025
by

empty warehouse with support columns, girders and lights

Before you commit to a new lease or purchase, you need to think like an engineer. While optimizing your current facility often makes the most sense, a necessary move can quickly become a massive headache if the new space fights your operation.

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Posted in Space Optimization & Planning|

What to Do When Your Pallet Rack Storage is Maxed Out

November 2, 2025
by

Warehouse with full pallet racks

If you’ve worked in a warehouse long enough, you know the feeling: pallets everywhere, racks packed to the top beam, and your team playing Tetris just to make the incoming shipment fit. You’re sometimes storing pallets on the floor or holding them in the receiving area until a slot opens. It’s frustrating, destroys organization, slows everything down and ramps up safety risks. What are some things you can do to squeeze more capacity from your warehouse?

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Posted in Pallet & Warehouse Racks|

Employee Spotlight – David Waltmon

October 21, 2025
by

David Waltmon with quote

In this edition of the Employee Spotlight, we talk with David Waltmon, Account Executive in our Houston office. We caught up with David to discuss his journey, what guides his work, and the unique culture of the Houston team.

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Posted in ESOP & Company News|

Your Mezzanine is an Opportunity Cost

September 16, 2025
by

Mezzanine and pick module with conveyor

Mezzanines are often seen as simple space savers. If your floor is packed and your ceilings are high, why not build up and buy yourself some breathing room?

It’s a logical move, and in many cases, a necessary one. But here’s what often gets overlooked: every mezzanine is a commitment of real estate, labor, capital, and layout. And every square foot you dedicate to a mezzanine is a square foot you can’t use for something else.

In that light, the true question is “What could be the best use of this space?”

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Posted in Mezzanines & Industrial Platforms|

The Easiest Win in Automation: Machine Loading and Unloading

August 28, 2025
by

conveyor integrated into mill machinery

Machine load-unload automation is one of the most profitable and straightforward automation opportunities in both warehouses and factories. It improves productivity in two key ways:

  • Reducing labor needs: Repetitive manual loading and unloading is replaced with automation, cutting costs and reducing injury risk.
  • Increasing machine uptime: Machines stay productive with predictable cycles, eliminating idle time between parts.

The real payoff is in uptime. When unloading and reloading are automated, a machine rarely waits for an operator. Preparatory work and staging can happen offline, so the next part is always ready. In ideal cases, production rates can increase dramatically without additional equipment investments. Focusing on these key points, where automation can have outsized impact is the key to smarter, better operations. These tend to be low value, but critical processes that should be automated so that labor can be reallocated to more critical functions.

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Posted in Automation, Labor & Efficiency|

Insights August 2025: Employee-Ownership & Manufacturing

August 19, 2025
by

Morning coffee with Cisco-Eagle photo
This month, we discuss strategic warehouse execution system implementations with Savoye–how to scale, how to match real-world processes. Additionally, the impact of employee ownership on manufacturing and its potential as a key to succession for small and mid-sized manufacturers. Also, more on industrial construction and the softening demand for manufactured products.
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Posted in Industry Insights|

Employee Spotlight – David Rodriguez

August 5, 2025
by

David Rodriguez

In this edition of the Employee Spotlight, we chatted with David Rodriguez, a member of our Web Sales Team in Dallas.

He brings decades of customer service experience, a deep knowledge of our online tools, and a steady presence in a fast-paced environment. We caught up with David to learn more about his path, what keeps the work interesting, and how employee ownership has shaped his journey.

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Posted in ESOP & Company News|

How to Choose the Right Sheet Metal Storage System

July 10, 2025
by

Sheet metals stacked in a manufacturing facility.

Whether you’re running a metal fabrication shop or laser cutting center, or stocking raw materials for manufacturing, sheet metal storage can make you faster. It makes the stock easier to reach, protects valuable materials and prevents injuries. However, the wrong solution means injuries, wasted time and damaged materials. In this article, I’m covering a range of solutions, from simple floor stacking to semi-automated carousels, analyzing for fit, safety, access and cost.

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Posted in Manufacturing|

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