In this episode of ShedTalk, Tony Gresty and Naomi Jones sit down with Claire Bottle from the UK Warehousing Association (UKWA) to explore why warehousing is still so widely misunderstood, and what this really means for warehouse and logistics teams.This conversation looks at the huge role warehouses play in the UK economy, why careers in warehousing are anything but dead-end jobs, how the sector is changing through automation and AI, and why warehouses are becoming much more than places where products simply sit on pallets.Claire shares lessons from visiting 80 warehouses across the UK, from highly automated fulfilment operations to specialist sites handling everything from luxury lingerie to batteries for London buses. She explains why almost everything around us has passed through a warehouse, and why the industry still struggles to get the recognition it deserves.Key points:📦 Why warehousing has a visibility and perception problem⚙️ Why automation and robotics are not the same thing, and why warehouses should start with the problem, not the technology👷 Why warehouse careers can create genuine opportunities and social mobility at every skill level📊 How 3PL, warehouse property, business rates and changing customer expectations are reshaping the sector✅ Why warehouses are increasingly becoming centres for manufacturing, returns, repair, recycling and the circular economyOne of the biggest themes running through the episode is how badly the warehouse sector is understood outside the industry. Claire challenges the idea that warehouse work is low-skilled or lacking progression, sharing examples of specialist roles, highly skilled equipment operators and people who have built major careers after starting at entry level.The conversation also moves into automation, robotics and AI. Rather than chasing the latest technology, Claire argues that warehouse operators should first identify the actual problem they are trying to solve, use evidence and data to prioritise it, and then decide which technology, if any, is appropriate.Along the way, there’s also the history of British warehousing, the rise of 3PL, warehouse development and planning, the circular economy, digital twins, Socrates, sheep, biodiversity and, somehow, Queen Victoria’s knickers.It’s a wide-ranging look at an industry that quietly sits behind almost everything we buy, use and consume.If you work in warehousing, logistics, fulfilment, supply chain, automation or materials handling, this episode is designed to give you a broader understanding of where the warehouse sector is heading, why its people and skills matter, and how to approach change without overcomplicating it.Connect with the hosts:Tony Gresty: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonygresty/Naomi Jones: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naomi-e-jones/Subscribe for more real-world conversations about better warehouses, smarter logistics and practical operational improvement.ShedTalk. All Shed and Done.
