8 | | JANUARY 2026IN MY OPINIONAcie McMillan is the Warehouse Operations Manager at S&S Activewear, leading automation and process optimization across high-volume distribution centers. His career began in hands-on logistics roles and grew through positions of increasing responsibility at companies like Amazon, American Woodmark and Luxottica, each shaping his approach to leadership. At Amazon, McMillan was introduced to Kaizen and continuous improvement, laying the foundation for his lean thinking. He implemented those principles at American Woodmark by leading multiple Kaizen events while deepening his leadership through managing diverse teams in fast-paced environments. His time at Lux expanded his scope further as he oversaw large-scale projects in a new industry, developing operational and strategic capabilities.At S&S, McMillan draws from this wide-ranging experience to implement practical, people-centered strategies that improve warehouse performance and empower frontline teams. In this feature, he shares insights on leadership and workforce development from years of hands-on experience. His leadership filters real-world lessons through a lens of lean practices and emotional intelligence, shaping a workplace that values both precision and people.Balancing Operational Precision with Efficiency At S&S Activewear, we've partnered with Geek Plus to implement an automated warehouse picking system. It's a rack-to-person setup where robots retrieve racks from a grid and bring them to stationary pickers. Robotic arms then present the correct bin, and pickers use a screen that displays the product image, full description, size, color, style and country of origin. To maintain accuracy, we've built in multiple safeguards. Every stock-keeping unit is individually weighed, as are the empty totes. The system constantly weighs the totes throughout the picking process to ensure the right quantity is picked. The real-time validation reduces errors and keeps our inventory accurate. This setup is significantly more efficient than the traditional method, where pullers drive around the warehouse on equipment. Productivity has tripled, and inventory accuracy has improved. A LEGACY OF OPERATIONAL GROWTH ROOTED IN EXPERIENCEBy Acie McMillan, Regional Director of Operations, S&S Activewear
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