WAREHOUSING EDUCATION AND RESEARCH COUNCIL ( WERC )

Common denominators This year marked WERC ’ s 40th anniversary . As investments in warehouse facilities grew in the 1970s , so too did the need for a well-defined profession of managers , technicians and laborers .

Government , private or public , manufacturing , retail or hazardous materials — all types of ownership across many sectors needed warehouse infrastructure and it soon became a key element of everyone ’ s marketing and distribution strategies . Leaders in the field recognized the warehouse ’ s growing importance and sought to create common ground to support the profession . A small but driven group assembled in 1977 to establish a non-profit organization dedicated to education and research about warehousing . In defining WERC ’ s role , Mikitka points to one definition of benchmarking in particular , from Charles Handy , an Irish organizational behavior and management specialist : the discipline of measuring yourself against best practice in any function or field , often in industries very different from your own ; to look beyond oneself in setting standards for oneself .

“ WERC creates commonalities and best practices across the board , whether it ’ s an automotive or pharmaceutical warehouse . We ’ re a bridge that allows all corners of the warehouse world to learn from one another .”

WERC ’ s flagship resources include a distribution center metrics report , benchmarking and best practices guide , and