Since 2018, Margaret Wilson (pictured) has been responsible for one of the largest US WITRON on-site teams, which works at the logistics centre of grocery retailer Kroger in Tolleson, Arizona.
Wilson leads her team, is present at the facility four to five times per week, and actively maintains the conveyor system and stacker cranes, including all components.
Wilson says that she does not need her own office.
“I have a desk next to the conveyor system,” she says. “Office work alone would not make me happy. I need to be in direct contact with my colleagues – and, of course, with the technology.”
The distribution centre supplies more than 100 Kroger stores with an assortment of almost 9,000 dry products.
“We can only master the daily, exciting challenges as a team,” explains the 55-year-old engineer.
The WITRON employees in the logistics centre work four shifts, 24 hours a day, all year round.
Wilson served for many years in the US Army as a combat engineer, maintenance supervisor, and unit movement officer.
“There I learned a lot of logistics, but, most of all, responsible leadership,” she adds. “You have to trust people. In the army, I served teams with people from all walks of life.”
Wilson and her on-site team ensure that the technical operations at the Kroger logistics centre run continuously, with maximum availability around the clock, to ensure that goods leave the warehouse on time.
When Wilson joined the team, there was one woman. Currently, 15% of the workforce is female, with one female colleague managing her own team.
“I think women tend to lead more collaboratively, take up ideas from the team, and do not always have to know everything down to the technical detail,” she says.
“That might differentiate us from some men, who think that if they are the boss, they have to show it and answer every question on their own. I think that is not absolutely necessary. Getting people to work together and creating a powerful team – that is your most important job as a leader.”
To listen to Margaret Wilson’s podcast, visit www.ideenraum.witron.de.
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