Supply Chain Engineering · 3PL Networks

Sourabh Taluja

Senior Industrial Engineer — Solutions Design & Continuous Improvement

I design and optimize the warehouses that move Fortune 500 freight — multi-million-dollar CapEx projects, automated facility designs, and enterprise network transformations across 5M+ sq. ft. of 3PL operations. Currently at GEODIS, working toward Director of Industry Engineering.

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Avon, Indiana MS, Industrial Engineering — UIC CSSBB

High-density storage, engineered end to end

8+ yrsSupply chain engineering across top-tier 3PLs — GEODIS, CJ Logistics, DB Schenker

5M+Square feet of network operations designed, optimized, and transformed

$5M+Corporate implementations directed, with P&L accountability

20Facilities migrated to Blue Yonder WMS in a single enterprise rollout

About

Engineering the flow, from blueprint to peak season

I'm a supply chain engineering leader with over eight years spent inside top-tier 3PL networks — spearheading multi-million-dollar CapEx projects, automated facility designs, and enterprise network transformations for Fortune 500 accounts.

My work sits at the intersection of engineering and enterprise strategy: directing $5M+ WMS and WCS implementations, managing P&L impact, and aligning automated warehouse solutions with corporate goals. As a servant leader, I've guided teams of 20+ operations managers, analysts, and vendors while accelerating throughput and maximizing storage density across 5M+ sq. ft. networks.

Off the warehouse floor, I host two podcasts and a weekly technology newsletter — because the automation reshaping this industry deserves a clear, operator-first explanation, not vendor hype.

Autonomous mobile robot carrying cartons down a warehouse pick aisle lined with shelving — AMRs at work in a live pick aisle — the kind of automation I evaluate, design around, and talk about.

Experience

Where I've worked

Three 3PLs, one thread: bigger networks, denser storage, faster flow — delivered on budget and ahead of peak.

Aug 2022 — PresentSenior Industrial Engineer

Solutions Design & Continuous Improvement

GEODIS Logistics LLC

AVON, INDIANA

Enterprise facility optimization — $1.2M impact: redesigned and relocated multi-million-dollar client layouts, shrinking footprints by 20% to unlock campus expansion capacity.
Greenfield e-commerce implementation: led the full life-cycle design and physical build-out of a 20,000 sq. ft. high-efficiency pick module, managing a $1M capital budget to 100% operational readiness ahead of peak-season volume targets.
Process re-engineering & automation: cut dock-to-stock times by 30% and saved $140,000 annually by using Lean methods to eliminate staging bottlenecks.
Leadership: servant leader to a team of 20+ operations managers, analysts, and vendors, controlling project schedule, scope, and budget variances.

Jul 2021 — Aug 2022Industrial Engineering ManagerJul 2018 — Jul 2021Senior Industrial Engineer

Industrial Engineering Manager

CJ Logistics America

DES PLAINES, ILLINOIS

High-density facility optimization: engineered modular, scalable facility blueprints (0.5M–1.5M sq. ft.) and integrated high-density racking for a 4× baseline increase in network storage capacity.
Enterprise Blue Yonder rollout: directed a specialized IT squad of database developers to architect and deploy Blue Yonder WMS across 20 facilities, replacing a legacy AS400 system.
Data-driven insights: integrated SQL databases into Tableau dashboards and mentored cross-functional teams to turn data into action — unlocking $50,000 in savings per site.
Enterprise change management: partnered with regional directors and external vendors on infrastructure transformations across a 5M+ sq. ft. network, managing a $3M CapEx budget.

Sep 2017 — Jul 2018Global Account Manager, Intern

Global Account Manager — Intern

DB Schenker

DES PLAINES, ILLINOIS

Strategic account operations: directed global air freight operations and QBRs for the Ford account; multi-modal transportation strategies and CAPA frameworks yielded a $68,000 increase in freight profitability.
Business intelligence: built centralized Tableau dashboards for operational KPIs and automated financial audits across 18 regional branches, eliminating enterprise invoicing errors by 74%.

Expertise

Core competencies

Leadership & Strategy

Multi-site network optimization
CapEx management
P&L accountability
Greenfield automation implementations
Enterprise change management
Cross-functional leadership

Engineering & Operations

Facility layout design
High-density racking configurations
Labor management
E-commerce fulfillment
Value stream mapping (VSM)
Lean Six Sigma principles

Systems & Technology

WMS / LMS architectures
AutoCAD
SQL relational databases
Tableau & Power BI
Blue Yonder WMS deployment
WCS integration

Technology

Automation I've worked with

Beyond design work, I've evaluated and operated alongside the warehouse automation now reshaping 3PL networks — and I break down a new technology every week in my Friday newsletter, using the same five questions: what it is, how it's used, what implementation really takes, what outcomes look like, and which operations it fits.

Vecna RoboticsAutonomous mobile robots for material movement

OneTrack.AIForklift camera vision for safety and coaching

Gather AIDrone-based vision for cycle counts, plus MHE vision

CimcorpLayer picking automation

Third Wave AutomationAutonomous forklifts

Fox RoboticsAutomated pallet unloading

Podcasts & Newsletter

The System Soda — on air

Two shows and a weekly deep-dive, all aimed at operators and engineering teams who'd rather hear what works than what's trending.

Studio microphone and headphones in a podcast recording setup

Weekdays · YouTube & RSS

Supply Chain AI Briefing

A weekday briefing on AI in supply chain and warehouse operations, hosted by Priya and Alex. Two or three strong stories per episode — each closed with a “where it fits” beat covering operation type, unit profile, and volume pattern, so you can judge whether a technology belongs in your building.

Watch on The System Soda

Electric vehicles at neon-lit fast chargers at night

Sundays · YouTube & RSS

Charge Ahead

A weekly EV briefing: the two or three stories that matter, plus a deals roundup of lease offers, price cuts, and incentives worth your money. Sign-off, every week: keep an eye on the charge curve.

Watch on The System Soda

Fridays · Newsletter

Friday Technology Deep-Dive

Each Friday I take one technology from that week's episodes apart in five parts: what it is, how it helps day-to-day operations, cost and ROI, when to consider it (and the baseline data to have ready), and what to watch out for before you apply it. No invented numbers — estimates are labeled with their assumptions.

Speaking & Leadership

Talks and leadership decks

Two presentations from my TED talk group — one on the question that drives good engineering, one on what a fictional football coach gets right about leading people.

What
If?

Speaking · TED-Style Talk

The Power of What If

“What if” cuts both ways. Asked in the positive, it's the question that builds toward a goal — the engineer's version of design thinking, and the starting point of every layout, model, and business case I've ever built. Asked in the negative, it's not fear: it's backup preparation, the contingency plan that keeps a go-live from becoming a headline.

The talk explores how to hold both at once — ambition in one hand, preparation in the other — with a couple of memorable creatures along the way.

Leadership · Presentation Deck

Leadership Principles — Ted Lasso

Five leadership principles drawn from the show Ted Lasso, presented to my TED talk group on August 28, 2025. The coach's toolkit turns out to be a serious one: curiosity over judgment, ideas from anywhere, a goldfish's memory for mistakes, vulnerability as strength, and belief — in yourself and in others.

Be curious, not judgmental Ask questions before forming an opinion — you usually learn something the judgment would have missed.
Be open to good ideas — they come from anywhere The best suggestion in the room can come from the kit man, not just the coaching staff. Rank doesn't own insight.
Be a goldfish The happiest animal on earth has a ten-second memory. Let the last mistake go and play the next moment.
Vulnerability is a strength, not a weakness Admitting what you don't know — and asking for help — is what lets a team actually trust its leader.
Believe — in yourself and others The sign above the locker-room door. Belief is a decision you make about people before the results arrive.

Download the deck (PPTX)

Ted Lasso Leadership Principles — 13 slides by Sourabh Taluja. Includes a short quiz and a Harvard Business Publishing “Time to Transform” (2024) reference on emotional intelligence and being one team.

Background

Education & credentials

Education

Master of Science, Industrial EngineeringUniversity of Illinois Chicago — GPA 3.4

Bachelor of Technology, Mechanical EngineeringITM University, Gurgaon, India — GPA 3.6

Certifications & Languages

Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB)Management and Strategy Institute

LanguagesEnglish · Hindi · Punjabi

Licenses & Certifications · via LinkedIn

Certifications

As listed on my LinkedIn profile — each with a link to the credential file on record.

Executive Management Certified (EMC)

Management & Strategy Institute

ISSUED DEC 2021
CREDENTIAL ID 67118771

View credential

Six Sigma Black Belt Professional

Management & Strategy Institute

ISSUED DEC 2020
CREDENTIAL ID 67118614

View credential

Six Sigma Green Belt (CSSGB)

Management & Strategy Institute

ISSUED MAR 2017
CREDENTIAL ID 7722145

View credential

SolidWorks Associate

Dassault Systèmes

ISSUED MAY 2013
CREDENTIAL ID C-Z4VRA35GE5

View credential

Recommendations · via LinkedIn

What colleagues have said

Recommendations received on LinkedIn, from managers and teammates early in my career.

Sourabh interned with me in Chicago for 9 months from the fall of 2017 to spring 2018… Sourabh was diligent and hard working. I wish him well in any career path he chooses.

Gopalakrishnan Girish Transportation, Logistics, Automotive, Projects
Managed Sourabh directly · June 2018

As a student building manager at the Student Recreation Facility, Sourabh was an absolute pleasure to work with. His reliability and work ethic were unquestionable… I would not hesitate to recommend Sourabh for any position that he chooses to pursue.

Jeff Lloyd Worked with Sourabh on the same team · March 2018

Sourabh is a very thorough professional with a can do attitude. He has always backed his strategies and action plan with data analysis and fresh ideas. I highly recommend Sourabh for his problem solving skills and work ethics.

Kabir Jeet Singh Managed Sourabh directly · March 2018

Sourabh's work in the company has been benchmarked as the highest quality of contribution to the organization… He stands out in the team for his foresight and active dedication in achieving optimum results for any ongoing projects. He is a special asset for any team.

Glen Abraham Senior Product Manager
Worked with Sourabh on the same team · March 2018

Read the full recommendations on LinkedIn

Projects · via LinkedIn

Selected projects

University research and engineering projects from my LinkedIn profile — the analytics and design work the operations career was built on.

Jan 2018 — May 2018University of Illinois Chicago

Distributed Decision Making

Developed a decision-making methodology for coupling electricity and natural gas optimization models, supporting strategic decisions on supply contracts, risk hedging, and budget adjustments.

Jan 2017 — Apr 2017University of Illinois Chicago

Yelp Restaurant Photo Classification

Built an image-classification pipeline using the VGG-16 model, NLTK, Random Forest, and Keras in Python/TensorFlow to predict restaurant features from customer photos.

Sep 2016 — Dec 2016University of Illinois Chicago

Revenue Prediction Model — 100,000 Locations

Used advanced regression techniques in Python to predict revenue across 100,000 regional locations, reaching 91% accuracy and shortlisting the highest-revenue site.

Sep 2016 — Dec 2016University of Illinois Chicago

House Price Prediction — Ames, Iowa

Applied ordinary least squares regression in Python to 79 explanatory variables describing residential houses in Ames, Iowa, evaluating results with OLS summaries and RMSE.

Aug 2016 — Oct 2016University of Illinois Chicago

Factors Influencing Soccer Forwards' Performance

Used factorial design on data from 250 players across five traits; finishing and pace emerged as the factors that had to be high for maximum efficiency.

Dec 2013 — May 2014The NorthCap University

Innovative Jack/Stand for Lifting a 400 kg Car

Designed and fabricated a jack-cum-stand on a lever principle in SolidWorks, with simulation and stress analysis; the final assembly lifted the 400 kg vehicle with ease.

May 2013 — Apr 2014The NorthCap University

Nonlinearity Control in Control Valves

Applied intelligent techniques — P, PI, PD, PID, and fuzzy logic — to a nonlinear control system, simulated in MATLAB and LabVIEW and validated against experimental results.

Feb 2013 — Apr 2013The NorthCap University

Time and Motion Study — Foundry Lab

Analyzed video of foundry lab work to find bottlenecks, then eliminated them with improved 5S — cutting lead time by 40 seconds.

Contact

Let's talk operations, automation, or what's next

Whether it's a facility design problem, a WMS rollout, a podcast conversation, or a role on your engineering team — the fastest way to reach me is LinkedIn or email.

linkedin.com/in/sourabhtaluja talujasourabh@gmail.com