30 DC VELOCITY JULY 2017
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If anyone could be considered a supply
chain veteran, it would be Ken Ackerman.
He’s been active in logistics and ware-
housing management for his entire career.
In nominating Ackerman for this recog-
nition, a former Rainmaker had this to say
about him: “Ken Ackerman is truly a man
for all seasons. He is one of the veteran
supply chain practitioners that has helped
lay the foundation of the supply chain as
we know it today.”
Ackerman provides management advisory services to
companies throughout the world through the firm he
founded, The Ackerman Co. Before entering the consult-
ing field, he was chief executive officer of Distribution
Centers Inc., a public warehousing company that is now
part of Exel Logistics USA. He has also worked in the
management consulting division of Coopers & Lybrand.
Ackerman has been a longtime supporter of industry organizations. He is a founding member of the
Warehousing Education and Research Council (WERC)
and has served as president of both that group and the
Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals
(CSCMP), which honored him with a Distinguished
Service Award in 1977. He is also the first person ever
to receive a lifetime membership in CSCMP, WERC,
and the International Warehouse Logistics Association
(IWLA).
A graduate of Harvard Business School, Ackerman is
the author of hundreds of articles and books on the sup-
ply chain and is a much sought-after speaker.
Q You’ve had a long and distinguished career in sup- ply chain. What has kept you in the profession so
long and motivates you to go to work each day?
A My primary talent is writing and teaching. Our company’s monthly subscription newsletter,
“Warehousing Forum,” is a constant work in progress.
In addition to providing management advice in supply
chain, I lead an executive peer group for [executive
coaching organization] Vistage International. All but one
of my group members are in other work besides supply
chain. Helping others forces me to keep learning and
teaching.
Q With your many years of experience in the profes- sion, what has been the biggest change or advance-
ment that you’ve seen in the industry?
A E-mail has replaced the telephone. I once spent hours on the phone each day—now telephone time
is measured in minutes, and sometimes, there are no
incoming calls all day. At the same time, written com-
munication replaces the human touch, and that can be
a cause of trouble. A growing number of
managers ignore or reject the networking
opportunities represented by conferences
organized by groups such as WERC and
CSCMP, including their local branch-
es. They think they can learn everything
needed by using the computer or cell-
phone.
Q What is your proudest professional achievement?
A My proudest professional achievements are as fol- lows:
b Developing an Ohio-based family-managed public
warehouse into a multistate logistics service provider
with a professional management team and an outside
board
b Converting that firm from a 100-percent IBT
[International Brotherhood of Teamsters] operation to
a totally union-free workplace with an employee stock
ownership plan
b A career in writing that spans nearly five decades,
including a newsletter that’s now in its 31st year, several
books about warehousing, and bylined articles in The
New York Times and Harvard Business Review.
Q As a consultant, what do you see as the biggest chal- lenges supply chain professionals face today?
A The challenge of change. The younger generation has a different work ethic. Senior management is
reluctant to accept sensible changes.
The greatest opportunity is training. Thousands of
warehouse supervisors are former forklift operators who
were promoted because they are great workers. However,
they do not know how to change from doer to leader
because nobody has taught them.
Q You’ve been a very active member of several indus- try organizations. Why is that important to you?
AAll of these have provided a network, and this has allowed me to stay busy as a management adviser
without any significant sales effort.
Q What advice would you give to someone just enter- ing the profession?
A Your development as an executive can be closely tied to teaching and learning. If you like to write,
start doing more of it and offer your writing to others.
If you enjoy presenting and teaching, look for opportu-
nities there. Your ability to develop your replacement is
the necessary key to your own promotion. Finally, always
act with integrity. If you cannot be trusted, your career
will be limited.
Ken Ackerman
