NOTED | The Supply Chain in Brief-January 2019

Good Works

• Drivers from Arpin Van Lines delivered 93,000 remembrance wreaths to veterans’ cemeteries across the United States for National Wreaths Across America Day on Dec. 15, 2018. This was Arpin’s sixth year participating in the day of veterans’ remembrance, which coincides with the wreath-laying ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery.
• E-commerce company Molekule donated more than $90,000 worth of air purifiers, filters, and masks to first responders, evacuation sites, and schools during the California wildfires. Its logistics technology partner ShipBob utilized its fulfillment centers in urban San Francisco to provide same- and next-day shipping during a time-critical process.
• Transportation company CFI, a subsidiary of TFI International Inc., organized its 25th annual Truckload of Treasures holiday giving campaign. The 2018 campaign raised more than $46,000 for 17 charitable organizations across North America.
• Panalpina assisted UNICEF for the sixth consecutive year of flying relief aid to Uganda with donated charter flights. Panalpina transports the relief goods, including high-protein food for malnourished children, pregnancy delivery kits, spare parts for water pumps, and mosquito nets across the border to South Sudan and other regions of the country.

Sealed Deals

• Randa, the world’s largest men’s accessories company, tapped RFID and barcode solutions provider MSM Solutions to implement an RFID tracking system in its Reno, Nevada, fulfillment center. Paired with MSM’s PortalTrack software, the solution allows for real-time inventory management.
• British Antarctica Survey’s Rothera Research Station tapped Trans Global Projects (TGP) for a project logistics management contract to ship equipment and construction materials. TGP is removing and replacing the old wharf at Rothera Point without threatening the delicate Antarctic ecosystem, 900 miles south of South America’s southern tip, to accommodate a new polar research vessel, the RRS Sir David Attenborough.
• The Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division (ABD) signed an agreement with Ruan Transportation Management Systems for dedicated contract transportation and value-added warehousing. Ruan will be ABD’s transportation and warehousing partner in April 2019, hiring 16 drivers and 30 warehouse personnel with plans to retain many of ABD’s current employees.
• Auto guided vehicle company Kivnon installed a warehouse management platform for Faurecia, an automotive technology company, in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain. The system includes an end-of-line buffer, sequence, and warehouse as part of its car seat provision system.
• Skechers, a lifestyle and footwear company, worked with system integrator Inther Group to expand intralogistics systems within its European distribution center in Liège, Belgium. The retailer increased capacity within the distribution center to keep up with growing European demand.
• Transervice Logistics was selected by dairy cooperative Prairie Farms Dairy to provide onsite dedicated contract maintenance at its milk bottling plant in Somerset, Kentucky. The plant is currently undergoing an expansion in the bottling and receiving areas, and Transervice will be responsible for maintaining roughly 60 power units there.

Recognition

• Victor Finnegan of American Expediting Co. was named one of 2018’s Most Admired CEOs by the Philadelphia Business Journal. The magazine selects recipients of the annual award based on accomplishments, leadership traits, and community service.
• Niagara Bottling, one of the largest suppliers of private label bottled water with more than 30 facilities, named Convoy its Broker of the Year for 2018. The award recognizes Convoy’s operational excellence, performance, and innovative solutions for Niagara’s shipping needs.
• David P. Abney, chairman and CEO of UPS, was honored with membership in the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Individuals’ New Member Class of 2019. The award recognizes individuals who overcome adversity to achieve professional and personal success; Abney started his UPS career washing trucks on the night shift at age 18.
• Roy Schleicher, recently retired executive vice president and chief commercial officer of the Port of Jacksonville (JAXPORT), Florida, received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Containerization & Intermodal Institute (CII). CII also presented the 2018 Connie Award for contributions to containerization in world trade and international transportation to Michael Wilson, senior vice president of business operations for Hamburg Süd North America.
• Old Dominion Freight Line received the top national LTL carrier distinction in the MASTIO Quality Award survey, named Overall Winner for its ninth consecutive year. The annual survey incorporates feedback from customers across key measures.
• The New York/New Jersey Foreign Freight Forwarders and Brokers Association selected Harold J. Daggett, International President of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), AFL-CIO, as its 2019 Person of the Year. Daggett serves as the ILA’s chief negotiator, representing 45,000 members.

Shovel Ready

• Georgia Ports Authority announced a new inland terminal location along Interstate 85 in Hall County. The terminal (rendering above) will serve Northeast Georgia and the Gainesville, Florida, region.
• Smithfield Foods held a grand opening for its new 500,000-square-foot distribution center in Tar Heel, North Carolina. The new center will help the company optimize its transportation and distribution network and is expected to add approximately 250 new jobs to the state.
• Walmart plans to open a new high-tech distribution center in California using Witron technology to store and retrieve grocery items and build pallets with an automated system. The facility is expected to begin operating in fall 2020, and the retailer estimates it will be able to move 40 percent more product than a regular distribution center.

M&A

• SEKO Logistics started off 2019 with its first full acquisition: fellow independent freight forwarding specialist GoodShip International. The 3PL’s plan is to expand its global footprint through strategic partnerships and acquisitions in forwarding and technology.
• AIT Worldwide Logistics acquired freight forwarder ConneXion World Cargo to establish a greater presence in the United Kingdom. ConneXion is headquartered in London and has additional offices in Halifax, Canada; Hong Kong; China; and Paris, France, as well as UK-based operational centers in London, Exeter, and Manchester.
• Magnate Worldwide acquired Domek Logistics LLC, an asset-light freight forwarding and customs house brokerage services provider. Domek will become part of Magnate Worldwide’s international freight forwarding subsidiary Masterpiece International.
• Canadian international freight forwarding services provider Manitoulin Global Forwarding made its first U.S. acquisition with Texas-based N/J International. The move positions Manitoulin more strongly in the oil and gas and project sectors in both countries.

Up the Chain

• David Ball was named senior vice president of global supply chain and procurement at Avanos Medical, a global medical device company. Ball will spearhead the company’s integrated supply chain strategy.

Green Seeds

• CMA CGM global shipping group received the Most Accomplished Asia Pacific Ship Owner Award 2018 at the Maritime2020 Summit, which recognizes ship owners demonstrating the greatest efforts toward making fleets more sustainable and environmentally friendly. CMA CGM reduced its CO2 emissions per container by 50 percent between 2005 and 2015 and has committed to an additional 30-percent reduction by 2025.
• Multimodal operator Samskip was named lead partner in Norway’s SeaShuttle project, with the goal of developing emissions-free autonomous containerships that also operate at a profit. SeaShuttle is part of a larger six-part Norwegian program known as PILOT-E working to bring solutions for climate-neutral industries to market.
• X Supply chain solutions provider J.B. Hunt Transport Services added five FUSO eCanter all-electric trucks to its private fleet. The trucks have zero tailpipe emissions and are environmentally friendly and more economical and efficient than a traditional diesel model, making them ideal for final-mile delivery.