A Day in the Life of a Storeroom Manager

The life of a storeroom manager is full of challenges. There is never enough hours to handle the constant changes and new activities that must be supported. In many plants we visit, the electrical storeroom is everyone's help desk. The storeroom manager is never lonely, that's for sure. In this post, we explore 'a day in the life' of the electrical storeroom manager.  Watch the video below to learn about Helen's electrical storeroom story.

The day starts early

Storeroom managers days usually start early. Often they are the first to arrive, well before the shift arrives. The day begins with catching up on paperwork, returning emails and responding to accounting requests. All this takes place before the day's shift meeting to identify outstanding issues. There are purchasing requests, preventive maintenance to be scheduled and receiving and restocking. There are equipment additions to be addressed, supplies to be ordered, another check of stock levels. And if there is any time left over - unlikely in any event - there are special projects to be tackled, vendors to manage, and new vendors to search out.

Did we mention the frequent interruptions - parts that are urgently needed, contractors looking for something, and the inevitable help desk calls. When the day is done, the storeroom manager tries to get the desk organized for the next day.

Success defined

So we wonder how the typical storeroom manager defines success - whatever his or her title might be? 

Three keys to success for the storeroom manager:

1. Exhibit critical thinking. Failing to plan is planning to fail. Having a plan of action for every situation is key.
2. Organizational skills. Be able to handle a lot of moving pieces, multiple projects involving many people.
3. Be flexible. Problems don't keep regular hours, so you must be ready to pivot when the situation demands.

Their challenges include a mix of predictable organizational challenges and the inevitable challenges of doing too much with too little.

1.  Getting the inventory in the electrical storeroom right and keeping it right.
2.  Dealing with interruptions that he or she would like to address but sometimes cannot.
3.  Living with limited resources of time, money and manpower - and there's never enough.
4.  Managing stress that results from cost reductions, smaller staffs but little change in responsibility.

Check out a day in the life video

If any of these conditions sound familiar, you might be involved in storeroom management - or know someone who is. Storeroom managers catch our attention in part because their lives are a lot like ours, some days.