After working at Cesium for almost 5 years, I’ve come to discover that while many people contribute to Cesium’s success, our Warehouse and Operations teams are the true undercover superheroes of busy seasons. In fact, the iPhone 15 season was the most successful launch Cesium has seen yet; our Warehouse triumphantly received and shipped out over 1M units, a record-breaking amount of stock!
How is this possible, you ask? Floored by this remarkable accomplishment, I went right to the source, reaching out to a couple of our account managers and grabbed a quick Warehouse tour to get the inside scoop.
Managing a Busy Season
Walking the Warehouse floor, I was reminded of how much the department has transformed over the past few years. Under the leadership of Richard Beausoleil (Operations Manager) and Eric Lauzon (Director of Operations), a great deal of effort has gone into streamlining and standardizing processes to ensure the staff feels well-prepared and supported. Thanks to these changes, we’ve seen incredible improvements in the organization, transparency, speed, accuracy, and overall capacity of order fulfillment.
“Implementing a Six Sigma initiative in the Warehouse has changed the game” explained Richard. “Continuous improvements such as streamlining the box/shelf sizes and optimizing pick sequences have increased our productivity significantly. Many of our staff are actually Six Sigma-certified and we’ve never looked back.”
For the telecom industry, busy seasons such as the annual iPhone launch, Black Friday, or the Holidays are always a challenging time. Fortunately, this year the team was more prepared than ever to take on the challenge of long order checklists and tight timelines. Additional evening and weekend shifts and a doubled staff count were certainly major contributors to a successful iPh15 season.
From Progress to Perfection
“This season, we were able to ship all iPhone orders within 24 hours. Considering how much work goes into shipping each order, we take great pride in this accomplishment.” – Eric Lauzon, Director of Operations
The Warehouse and Ops teams continue to break records year after year by developing the ability to adapt quickly to the ever-evolving customer needs and industry standards. Whether it’s for cleanliness, team spirit, or inventory accuracy, the team is constantly on the lookout for helpful ways to improve their day-to-day. It was pointed out to me that by providing “prime real estate” to top-selling SKUs, pick time has been reduced by 35%.
“With the new processes, organization of inventory, how they track and manage orders, I always have peace of mind that my customer’s orders are being dealt with as quickly and efficiently as possible” – Anna Varao, Account Manager at Cesium
Service With a Smile
Old WH setup 
New WH setup 
But what good are process improvements without a hardworking and dedicated staff to bring them to fruition? Busy seasons notwithstanding, Cesium’s Warehouse staff boasts an impressively low turnover rate.
How is this achieved? Key measures have been taken to ensure the staff is well taken care of in mind, body, and spirit. Picking and packing processes were evaluated and modified to reduce daily steps, and lower body strain. Team-building activities are organized regularly and 1-hour yoga sessions are offered in the office twice a week.
Above all, the team is populated with passionate individuals who embody Cesium’s core values, really listen to feedback, and strive to find the perfect solutions to any concerns. Anytime I visit the warehouse, and this tour was no exception, I am always greeted with warm smiles and friendly hellos. It’s clear that each team member genuinely goes out of their way to provide top-notch service to team members and customers alike.
“Service is a big part of our mission. When we can back up what we promise, customers appreciate that and know what good service looks like.” – Massimo Bono, Key Account Manager at Cesium.
A passion for delivering a great experience is part of Cesium’s DNA and after learning more about all of the improvements, I can confidently say that for our Warehouse team, customers are always THE top priority. The team will go above and beyond to accommodate your needs because they understand the value of each customer partnership and the positive impact good service can create.
On behalf of Cesium, a colossal THANK YOU to our Warehouse Team. We are so fortunate to have a team whose hard work and dedication know no bounds!
