This blog post is part of a regular series called Staff Spotlight where we highlight the vast experience and skills of the LeBlond Ltd. staff that give the company a record of exceptional customer service unlike any other firm in the machine tool industry.
Previous Posts: Manager DeWitt Engle
Customer Service Representative John Cook
Buyer Ken Smith
Customer Service Representative Marty Schubert
When it comes to shipping, people think you just put an object in a box, seal it up and wait for the UPS or FedEx driver. Roger Scales, the Warehouse Manager at LeBlond Ltd., knows shipping is much more complicated.
You need to know how to package things correctly.
“Heavy parts should be boxed up and braced with wood,” says Scales. “Cardboard is not sturdy enough for heavy objects.”
In his over twenty years of experience in shipping and warehousing, Scales has witnessed countless examples of successful packaging and has the practice down as a science.
“People don’t understand the differences in, say, the thickness of different packaging scenarios,” Scales comments. “I look at the UPS truck when they pick up from LeBlond every day and some of those boxes in the back are a mess. We can’t have that. Our parts are too expensive.”
Scales began his career working in the Levi Strauss distribution center in Florence, Kentucky in the 1990’s. He left that job a few years later to become the distribution manager in charge of shipping and receiving at Kenner Toys during the height of the Star Wars toy craze. The mania for Skywalker action figures ultimately ebbed and Scales moved onto Masonite, the hardboard manufacturer.
At Masonite, Scales became familiar with the machine tools used to manufacture the Masonite product. For example, the company used Johnson Presses (a LeBlond Ltd. product line) to shape the boards. Scales learned how to run and repair the machines and added to his knowledge of the machine tool industry by working closely with local tool & die shops. Around the turn of the millennium, Scales received a call from LeBlond Ltd. to join the firm as Warehouse Manager.
In his time off, Scales enjoys construction projects around his house. Presently, he is remodeling his basement by running the wiring and putting up dry wall over the concrete walls in a project that he estimates will run between $10-12,000. Scales is a self-taught construction guy and has built outdoor storage sheds and playhouses for kids in the past. By doing construction projects himself, Scales knows that he is saving several thousands of dollars in contractor fees.
Scales evidently is as skilled with a hammer as he is with a roll of packing tape and cardboard box, tools he uses diligently as the warehouse and packaging guru at LeBlond Ltd.
If you are interested in purchasing new K.O. Lee Economy Mandrels offered by LeBlond Ltd., call (888) 920-9852. If you are interested in new LeBlond or K.O. Lee machines or require OEM parts for your LeBlond, K.O. Lee, Standard Modern, Johnson Press, Deka Drill and W.F. & John Barnes equipment, call LeBlond Ltd. at (888) 920-9852.