Day in the life of… Fred Rohrbach (Solution Analyst & Delivery Manager, Atlanta)
Fred Rohrbach is a technology professional born and raised in Atlanta, GA. He has spent 12 years in technology and currently enjoys living in the Atlanta area with his girlfriend and Rudy, an 88lb (that’s 6.285 stone!) shepherd mix. His current role is the Solutions Analyst and Delivery Manager for ASOS in Atlanta.
The alarm clock goes off…
The trick that I have found is that when the alarm clock goes off, I immediately throw myself out of bed or else I risk hitting the snooze button an embarrassing amount of times. I start the morning by reaching for my phone and quickly scanning my emails, and messages.
I, like most of my colleagues in the Atlanta office for ASOS are 5 hours behind the Global Headquarters for ASOS, so, while others are considering what they are having for lunch, the US team is just getting caffeine for the day!
The good news is that you wake to find a variety of items for you to attend to. I personally, like to read and review these emails in the quiet of the morning, make a daily goal, and set my task list for the day. Then, I take the steps necessary to get into the office. The ASOS Atlanta fulfilment centre, is an approximately 18-mile (28.97 km) drive by car. A very short commute compared to others.
I’m responsible for…
In my current role, I would like to think that my biggest responsibilities are to our partners in supply chain operations and being a good colleague to the supply chain technology teams across ASOS. My day-to-day job is to assist in keeping the technology of the warehouse running, reviewing incidents and major problems, meeting with stakeholders on new initiatives, driving and implementing change requests, and lending a helping hand. My primary job is service, and for me, at least in Information Technology (IT) I believe that IT is a service, much like having water or power in a home. In this day and age, a company cannot function without Information Technology.
I got the job…
I started with ASOS during the week of Black Friday. In the supply chain world, the US analogy of this would be like being a backup kicker during the Super Bowl, mostly sitting on the bench and watching the show in action. I would love to have some similar analogy for our UK teams, so I believe this is like being the ‘sub on the bench’, in a Premier League champion cup… (I hope I got this right). It was an incredible time to start, given that the majority of the year is in preparation for this holiday, and all of the sales and deals.
My typical day looks like…
One thing I really enjoy about my time with ASOS is that no day looks the same, and there are no typical days! In the morning, we meet with our UK colleagues, leaders, and team members and in the afternoon it’s working through the current challenges presented. Sometimes it’s writing out a draft for service agreements, sometimes it’s walking through the warehouse to understand why a conveyor belt went out. But I believe, at least for me, the variety of items throughout the day makes every day a new challenge to take on.
Most memorable moment at ASOS…
Not to be too unoriginal, but my first walkthrough of the warehouse was still a bit of a jaw-dropping moment. I have always been a consumer of the supply chain, going through an online portal, selecting an item, and then that item magically appearing at my door within 48 hours, but I never even stopped to think of what actually goes into the process of getting that item to the magic moment. The sheer size and scale of a warehouse is massive, and the fact that it hums along every day, 24x7, still has a little bit of magic for me. I recently spoke with a technology leader at ASOS, who has been in the industry for almost 20 years, and the sentiment is the same. It’s magic.
The best part of my job…
I firmly believe the best part of any job is the people. My background is not in supply chain technology, and it’s not even in the supply chain! So to be able to lean on the true professionals in the office is a blessing in itself, and to be able to support their ventures and initiatives.
It’s fitting this is written during Women’s History Month, because ASOS Atlanta is truly women-led. Brittany John and Jordan Riley, the ASOS Atlanta Logistics and Stock, and Wholesale Manager respectively, continue to drive the Atlanta fulfilment centre to operational efficiency and support ASOS Supply Chain Tech’s major initiatives. Leading and owning these here in Atlanta. Both have demonstrated great patience with me throughout trying to learn and understand what makes the warehouse move. Louise Clark, the Atlanta Platform Lead who has been onsite with ASOS since the conception of the site itself, has provided so much support and guidance as I started my career with ASOS. Lou never fails to impress, as she always knows exactly what the conversation is about, as she masterfully jumps from call to call.
Finally, I can’t say enough about my colleagues, and co-workers, specifically Tony Rice, and his Systems Operations team, ever patient in explaining how their WMS works. Ricky Jassal, and Kevin Henry for both always being available, and encouraging since day one. And of course, the Supply Chain Technology leadership for their guidance and support.
Describe a song that describes ASOS…
When walking to and or around ASOS Atlanta you will hear the latest and greatest hits, classic 90’s R&B, and music to keep you moving. But I think the best music or sound really is the almost mechanical hum of the fulfilment centre; the building, the people, the unmeasurable amount of hard work and hours… the “magic” if you will, makes the music here.
