“The demand for our training has grown significantly since we launched TZA Training in 2006,” says Paul Schweet, senior vice president. “We are meeting that demand by expanding our course offering as well as offering innovative delivery methods.”

TZA’s training division integrates the extensive operational experience of TZA, a leader in optimizing productivity in distribution and transportation operations, with professional training methods to ensure that a company’s operational infrastructure is performing at its peak.

TZA Training courses are designed to improve workforce performance throughout the organization; targeting warehouse associates floor managers, and executive management. Classroom sessions are offered at TZA University, the TZA Training facility in Long Grove, Illinois as well as onsite at customer facilities.

Focusing on operational productivity

TZA Training courses are targeted to the logistics industry and are designed specifically with the ultimate goal of enhancing operational performance and morale, as well as reducing employee turnover. Courses address the needs of warehouse associates and managers beyond those of basic work functions, and are aimed at improving those interpersonal skills that turn good workers into excellent performing associates and better leaders.

“Too often, successful hourly employees are promoted to supervisory positions, and the skills that made them excellent hourly employees are not adequate to leading a team of associates,” says Schweet. “In many cases, the lack of good management and leadership training can limit their effectiveness as managers and directly impact the company’s productivity.”

Experience has also shown that when warehouse associates receive training in skills that include communication, cooperation, conflict resolution and proactive problem solving in addition to their basic job training, error rates are reduced while productivity and moral increases.

“Both supervisors and warehouse associates,” Schweet adds, “feel more comfortable and confident in their positions and more valued as team members within their companies.”

Course offerings

Management training offered by TZA Training emphasizes the ability to assess needs and to correct deficiencies within their workforce. Some of the courses offered include Conducting Effective Observations, Managing to Performance Expectations, and Coaching and Counseling for Peak Performance.

Offerings for warehouse associates teach critical interpersonal skills that can enhance work performance, and include courses such as Proactive Problem Solving to Improve Productivity and Efficiency, Gaining Cooperation from Team Members and Purposeful Communication.

A full listing of course offerings is available at the firm’s web site www.tzatraining.com. For further information, contact Nancy Dunn, Director of Business Development, at 847-540-6543, ext. 118, or at ndunn@tzaconsulting.com.

About Tom Zosel Associates, LTD. - Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Tom Zosel Associates (TZA) is a best practices logistics consulting company. Core competencies include strategic planning, facility design and material handling engineering, productivity improvement programs, training, transportation system design and logistics software solutions, including labor management software and warehouse management systems. TZA’s critical advantage is its hands-on operational expertise, which allows it to create and implement innovative solutions for even the most complex distribution challenges.