Clocking In Transistor (https://transistor.fm) https://feeds.transistor.fm/clocking-in Running a warehouse or manufacturing facility isn’t easy. Every day, you’re expected to keep product moving in, around, and out the door. Faster. Safer. With fewer problems and zero incidents. That’s a lot to carry. It can feel like an impossible ask, but we’re here to help make it possible.  On this show, we dig into the real challenges happening on the floor and at the loading dock. Each episode, you’ll hear from industry experts, operators, and problem-solvers who share practical ways to improve quality, boost productivity, and keep facilities running smoothly. Our goal is simple. Share new ways to tackle challenges that never seem to end so your people and your product get in, around, and out the door safely. You ready to clock in? © 2026 Robert Dietrick Company 426dafd8-490c-502e-b274-49acc7422e75 yes Are You Ready to Clock In? en Wed, 27 May 2026 05:00:11 -0700 Wed, 27 May 2026 05:01:57 -0700 https://rd-co.com/ https://img.transistorcdn.com/-jfjPaDD4hO3C7I02dQZoJOLPlsagIGkP8HYUiKgfUA/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:1400/h:1400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS8wNWY5/ZjU3MDhjM2RkMDBk/ZTU3ZGJiMmMxNWU2/NTM3MC5wbmc.jpg Clocking In https://rd-co.com/ episodic Robert Dietrick Company Running a warehouse or manufacturing facility isn’t easy. Every day, you’re expected to keep product moving in, around, and out the door. Faster. Safer. With fewer problems and zero incidents. That’s a lot to carry. It can feel like an impossible ask, but we’re here to help make it possible.  On this show, we dig into the real challenges happening on the floor and at the loading dock. Each episode, you’ll hear from industry experts, operators, and problem-solvers who share practical ways to improve quality, boost productivity, and keep facilities running smoothly. Our goal is simple. Share new ways to tackle challenges that never seem to end so your people and your product get in, around, and out the door safely. You ready to clock in? Running a warehouse or manufacturing facility isn’t easy. loading dock, high-speed door, rolling steel door, fire door, material handling, service, repair, maintenance, warehouse safety, rack protection, rack repair, energy savings, warehouse environment control, OSHA compliance, safety solutions, mezzanines, modular offices, vertical storage solutions Robert Dietrick Company No No What High-Performing Facilities Do Differently 2 2 What High-Performing Facilities Do Differently full 62cdaf76-41fc-473a-893d-931e9e7e70de https://share.transistor.fm/s/c4f7bf4f What separates a high-performing facility from one that's just holding it together? 

In this episode of Clocking In, host Mike Smith sits down with Lisa Colles, Senior Specialist of Engineering, Distribution, and Maintenance with decades of experience building elite operations at Eli Lilly, to answer that question from the inside out.


Lisa shares what it actually looks and feels like to walk into a facility that's firing on all cylinders, why safety and efficiency isn’t the trade-off most people think it is, and the one thing you can do Monday morning to get an honest read on where your operation stands.


Key Takeaways:

  • Your facility should run the same on your worst day as your best. If it only hums when the right people are having a good day, you have people running your facility, not processes and that's a problem waiting to happen.
  • Safety and efficiency aren't opposites. Slowing forklifts just 2–3 mph reduced incidents without killing productivity. Lisa’s team adapted by hauling more per trip. When you remove the trade-off mentality, humans will innovate to make both work.
  • Monday morning, do a walkabout. Clean floors, clear pedestrian pathways, proper lighting, and PPE worn without being asked are your fastest indicators of whether your facility is truly high-performing or just getting by.

Highlights:

(0:00) Why most facilities are running on hope and don't know it

(02:44) The three-part framework for this episode 

(03:04) What Plankton from SpongeBob gets wrong about high performance 

(05:14) The real definition of a high-performing facility 

(05:41) Lisa's first job: no processes, no training, and forklifts nearly rolling off docks 

(10:03) How to read a facility's culture in the first 30 seconds 

(13:50) The systems that keep things humming even on a bad day 

(17:35) "I have to choose between safe and efficient" and why that's a myth 

(21:38) The vendor criteria most facilities completely overlook 

(23:10) Why your equipment has a memory  and you should use it 

(26:13) The Monday morning walkabout: where to start if you don't know where to start


Resources:

Lisa Colles’ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lcolles/ 


Robert Dietrick Company’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/robert-dietrick-co./

Mike’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-smith-92728864/ 

Download RDC's free 10-category, 50-point facility assessment checklist

https://rd-co.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/facility_checklist.html

]]> What separates a high-performing facility from one that's just holding it together? 

In this episode of Clocking In, host Mike Smith sits down with Lisa Colles, Senior Specialist of Engineering, Distribution, and Maintenance with decades of experience building elite operations at Eli Lilly, to answer that question from the inside out.


Lisa shares what it actually looks and feels like to walk into a facility that's firing on all cylinders, why safety and efficiency isn’t the trade-off most people think it is, and the one thing you can do Monday morning to get an honest read on where your operation stands.


Key Takeaways:

  • Your facility should run the same on your worst day as your best. If it only hums when the right people are having a good day, you have people running your facility, not processes and that's a problem waiting to happen.
  • Safety and efficiency aren't opposites. Slowing forklifts just 2–3 mph reduced incidents without killing productivity. Lisa’s team adapted by hauling more per trip. When you remove the trade-off mentality, humans will innovate to make both work.
  • Monday morning, do a walkabout. Clean floors, clear pedestrian pathways, proper lighting, and PPE worn without being asked are your fastest indicators of whether your facility is truly high-performing or just getting by.

Highlights:

(0:00) Why most facilities are running on hope and don't know it

(02:44) The three-part framework for this episode 

(03:04) What Plankton from SpongeBob gets wrong about high performance 

(05:14) The real definition of a high-performing facility 

(05:41) Lisa's first job: no processes, no training, and forklifts nearly rolling off docks 

(10:03) How to read a facility's culture in the first 30 seconds 

(13:50) The systems that keep things humming even on a bad day 

(17:35) "I have to choose between safe and efficient" and why that's a myth 

(21:38) The vendor criteria most facilities completely overlook 

(23:10) Why your equipment has a memory  and you should use it 

(26:13) The Monday morning walkabout: where to start if you don't know where to start


Resources:

Lisa Colles’ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lcolles/ 


Robert Dietrick Company’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/robert-dietrick-co./

Mike’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-smith-92728864/ 

Download RDC's free 10-category, 50-point facility assessment checklist

https://rd-co.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/facility_checklist.html

]]> Wed, 27 May 2026 05:00:00 -0700 Robert Dietrick Company Robert Dietrick Company 1770 What separates a high-performing facility from one that's just holding it together? 

In this episode of Clocking In, host Mike Smith sits down with Lisa Colles, Senior Specialist of Engineering, Distribution, and Maintenance with decades of experience building elite operations at Eli Lilly, to answer that question from the inside out.


Lisa shares what it actually looks and feels like to walk into a facility that's firing on all cylinders, why safety and efficiency isn’t the trade-off most people think it is, and the one thing you can do Monday morning to get an honest read on where your operation stands.


Key Takeaways:

  • Your facility should run the same on your worst day as your best. If it only hums when the right people are having a good day, you have people running your facility, not processes and that's a problem waiting to happen.
  • Safety and efficiency aren't opposites. Slowing forklifts just 2–3 mph reduced incidents without killing productivity. Lisa’s team adapted by hauling more per trip. When you remove the trade-off mentality, humans will innovate to make both work.
  • Monday morning, do a walkabout. Clean floors, clear pedestrian pathways, proper lighting, and PPE worn without being asked are your fastest indicators of whether your facility is truly high-performing or just getting by.

Highlights:

(0:00) Why most facilities are running on hope and don't know it

(02:44) The three-part framework for this episode 

(03:04) What Plankton from SpongeBob gets wrong about high performance 

(05:14) The real definition of a high-performing facility 

(05:41) Lisa's first job: no processes, no training, and forklifts nearly rolling off docks 

(10:03) How to read a facility's culture in the first 30 seconds 

(13:50) The systems that keep things humming even on a bad day 

(17:35) "I have to choose between safe and efficient" and why that's a myth 

(21:38) The vendor criteria most facilities completely overlook 

(23:10) Why your equipment has a memory  and you should use it 

(26:13) The Monday morning walkabout: where to start if you don't know where to start


Resources:

Lisa Colles’ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lcolles/ 


Robert Dietrick Company’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/robert-dietrick-co./

Mike’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-smith-92728864/ 

Download RDC's free 10-category, 50-point facility assessment checklist

https://rd-co.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/facility_checklist.html

]]> loading dock, high-speed door, rolling steel door, fire door, material handling, service, repair, maintenance, warehouse safety, rack protection, rack repair, energy savings, warehouse environment control, OSHA compliance, safety solutions, mezzanines, modular offices, vertical storage solutions No Are You Ready to Clock In? 1 1 Are You Ready to Clock In? trailer e61e45f9-e4b3-48f3-ad24-7159d574dfc9 https://share.transistor.fm/s/7623dfe9 Running a warehouse or manufacturing facility is hard work. Every day, you're moving products, managing people, and solving problems, all while trying to do so more safely and faster.

Clocking In is the podcast for the people on the floor, at the dock, and behind the operations that keep facilities running. Each episode delivers practical advice from industry experts and operators just like you. Expect real talk on safety, productivity, and keeping things moving even when they don't go as planned.

The challenges never stop. But neither do you.

Resources:

Robert Dietrick Company’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/robert-dietrick-co./

Mike’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-smith-92728864/ 

]]> Running a warehouse or manufacturing facility is hard work. Every day, you're moving products, managing people, and solving problems, all while trying to do so more safely and faster.

Clocking In is the podcast for the people on the floor, at the dock, and behind the operations that keep facilities running. Each episode delivers practical advice from industry experts and operators just like you. Expect real talk on safety, productivity, and keeping things moving even when they don't go as planned.

The challenges never stop. But neither do you.

Resources:

Robert Dietrick Company’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/robert-dietrick-co./

Mike’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-smith-92728864/ 

]]> Thu, 21 May 2026 00:47:14 -0700 Robert Dietrick Company Robert Dietrick Company 84 Running a warehouse or manufacturing facility is hard work. Every day, you're moving products, managing people, and solving problems, all while trying to do so more safely and faster.

Clocking In is the podcast for the people on the floor, at the dock, and behind the operations that keep facilities running. Each episode delivers practical advice from industry experts and operators just like you. Expect real talk on safety, productivity, and keeping things moving even when they don't go as planned.

The challenges never stop. But neither do you.

Resources:

Robert Dietrick Company’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/robert-dietrick-co./

Mike’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-smith-92728864/ 

]]> loading dock, high-speed door, rolling steel door, fire door, material handling, service, repair, maintenance, warehouse safety, rack protection, rack repair, energy savings, warehouse environment control, OSHA compliance, safety solutions, mezzanines, modular offices, vertical storage solutions No