Meet Manny Ortega, Fusion’s U.S. Haverhill, Mass. warehouse manager. A proud recipient of the CEO award for going above and beyond the call of duty, Manny plays a vital role in Fusion’s operational efforts by verifying receipt and quality of components that are shipped to the warehouse. Manny supervises all workers in the warehouse to ensure this important process is carried out smoothly day in and day out. As a long-time Fusion employee, Manny exemplifies the potential for career growth at Fusion. He started his journey out as a receiving clerk and, ultimately, stepped up to the ranks of a warehouse manager. We welcome you to take a look into his journey and understand what happens in one of Fusion’s busiest warehouses.
How long have you been with Fusion?
I have been with Fusion for 8 years.
What does a day in the life of Warehouse Manager at Fusion look like?
As a manager, my normal day focuses around supervising our team in the warehouse, ensuring that the receipt of incoming parts goes quickly and smoothly, and ensuring that we serve our customers to the best of our ability. There’s never really a normal day here in the warehouse. Anything can happen day to day depending on what types of components need to be inspected or shipped out within the warehouse.
What were you doing before you took on your current role? What brought on the change?
Before Fusion, I worked in a large distribution warehouse. I wanted to challenge myself by working in a new industry. Fusion offered more stability and room for advancement and learning than my previous job.
What’s your favorite thing about working out of Fusion’s Haverhill warehouse?
It’s kind of hard to pick one favorite thing about my job at Fusion. The relationship I have with my coworkers is great. We all work together to make sure that all our responsibilities are met. I also love the commute to the Haverhill warehouse. Not a lot of people are lucky enough to live less than 5 mins away from work.
What is the biggest challenge that you face working at a global company like Fusion, and what’s the greatest opportunity?
I feel that one of the biggest challenges that we face as a global company is interfacing with customers across different countries and time zones all over the globe. At the same time, Fusion offers the opportunity to make connections with both international customers and the opportunity for travel to help improve our processes at other international warehouses.
How have you seen the supply chain shift in the last eight years, and how has Fusion directly impacted it?
Over the last 8 years at Fusion, we have experienced record growth in both the scale of the company as well as the volume of orders. Our company is always looking to serve more customers as well as improve our relationships with existing customers.
What are some of your career milestones/accomplishments?
I started here at Fusion as a receiving clerk. Fusion has afforded me the opportunity for advancement within the company, from receiving clerk to warehouse manager. I was presented with the CEO award last year for going above and beyond the call of duty for Fusion.
What is your work mantra?
Here in the warehouse, every employee should be treated equally. From the receivers to the managers, everyone is family. It is also very important to lead by example to the employees that I supervise. It’s hard to ask someone to do something if you are not willing to do it yourself.
Anything else to add about the company and how they’ve developed your career?
I’d like to add that I’ve had excellent leadership and role models as long as I’ve been with Fusion. Steve Martin, in particular, has been exemplary in helping me grow into the manager I am today and has always been there to offer me insight.
In your mind, what sets Fusion apart from other distributors?
I would say that our focus on customer satisfaction and established inspection procedures sets Fusion apart. Fusion is committed to serving the customer to the best of our ability. Our inspection procedures have been revised over the years to ensure that the customer is presented with the highest quality products available.
What’s one thing you wish people knew about your job?
Working at Fusion has piqued my interest in learning the functions of all the different type of components that pass through the warehouse at a given time. You also must be willing to make sacrifices to make sure that the job is done right.
Any funny anecdotes to share from your experiences working at Fusion over the years?
At the most recent company event, I was given the award for, “Best Dressed Employee” for a pink outfit.