Meet Tom Wagner from UNEX Manufacturing

Meet Tom Wagner from UNEX Manufacturing

Welcome to the “Material Handling Helpful Tools Series”. This blog series spotlights many different material handling professionals and aims to provide helpful information for the material handling industry. Our goal is to introduce you to individuals and websites that can improve your success in the industry. Today, we will meet Tom Wagner from UNEX Manufacturing.

Tell us a little about yourself:
I’ve been married to my wife, Laurie for 36 years.  We have 2 daughters and 4 grandchildren. My latest project is a 1-1/2 year old Golden Retriever that we rescued.  Great dog, just has a few rough edges.  Outside of work I enjoy playing golf, fantasy football, reading and spending time with my family and friends.  I really like to go to the driving range and hit golf balls.  My new partner in that is my 5 year old grandson, Evan.  See the attached picture.  2 of these guys play golf, which one doesn’t belong?

What is your role in the organization?
I’m the Central-West Region Manager for Unex Manufacturing.  I support our distributor sales in Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, North and South Dakota.

How did your career path land you in this role?
I’ve been in the material handling industry for over 30 years.  I started selling lift trucks and rack and eventually moved into conveyor and systems sales.  Order picking hardware, methodology and technology have always been of great interest to me, so I guess being with a company whose whole focus is to bring product to the picker was just a natural progression.

What is the most exciting aspect of your job?
The most exciting aspect of my job is that no two days are alike.  I enjoy being able to support and strategize on sales and also the training/teaching that goes with supporting our distributors and their sales force.

What makes you (or your business) unique and sets you apart from the rest of the industry?
I think the most unique thing about Unex is that carton flow is our business.  We don’t make carton flow as an add-on to our main product line.  Our sole focus is on flowing product to the picker or operator in the best and most efficient manner possible.  Because carton flow is our business we can focus on doing it better and with more innovations than our competitors.  As an Integrator salesman I always felt Unex had the best product on the market and it’s great to be part of that team.

What are the biggest changes you see in the industry in the future?
The biggest changes I see in the industry is the expansion of automation in all facets of our business.  We have to find better ways for our products to interface with automation and develop products that will enhance automation.

What is one tip or bit of advice that you can leave with our readers?
People think that carton flow is relatively simple.  A bit of advice I would give would be to get all the information you can on the front end to avoid surprises later.  The more information we have the better of a job we can do for you.  Send drawings if available.  Let our expertise in carton flow help you secure a sale.