Wineshipping today announced the arrival of Steve Klehr, who has accepted the position of Vice President of Operations Technology & Engineering.

Klehr brings over two decades of experience developing and deploying automated manufacturing, distribution, and fulfillment solutions that accelerate growth, increase site productivity, and maximize throughput capability. His background includes time spent at Dematic, Intelligrated, Amazon, Tesla, and Walmart. While at Amazon he engineered and deployed the first group of Kiva System centers (now Amazon Robotics). In his most recent role as Director of Fulfillment Engineering at Walmart, he led the design of their next generation ecommerce fulfillment centers. This included ramping up output by 3x and reducing overall touchpoints by over 66%.

“The addition of Steve to our already talented team will further accelerate our expansion of world-class service and efficiency through the latest technologies,” said Rob Sell, Chief Operating Officer. “Optimizing our cubic footprint will enhance our ability to quickly scale with our clients, providing precision and superior quality while being mindful of our commitment to sustainability.”

“We are thrilled to have Steve join our team as we work to develop and enhance our fulfillment operations nationwide,” said Eric Lewis, CEO. “Our strategy relies heavily on technology and automation, and Steve will be essential to achieving success in this area.”

As a subject matter expert in automation, plant design, SKU retrieval, and supply chain strategy, Klehr will be responsible for the design and implementation of engineering solutions. Klehr, a Valparaiso undergrad, holds an MBA from the Keller Graduate School of Business, with a Master’s Certification in Project Management.

“I had the unbelievable opportunity to work for Amazon at the start of their massive growth, making meaningful contributions that supported their rise to e-commerce superiority,” said Klehr. “With that perspective, I am enthusiastic with the endless potential of the beverage space.  With the predominant shift to online ordering and the lessening of regulatory restrictions, consumers will have greater DTC access to the brands they love. Wineshipping is already the leader in the space by an order of magnitude and the floodgates are about to open.”

Wineshipping is a tech-enabled third-party logistics (3PL) provider for alcoholic beverage companies, managing the fastest, most accurate, and most cost-efficient delivery network in the US for wine, beer, spirits, and more. Wineshipping was named the North Bay Business Journal’s Supplier of the Year (Wine Beer & Spirits Awards).