NOTED: The Supply Chain In Brief

Good Works

• Atlantic Logistics launched Atlantic Cares, a volunteer and philanthropy initiative. Throughout 2022, the company will contribute one dollar for every load of freight moved and send the funding each month to a different local nonprofit, including Feeding Northeast Florida, Seamark Ranch, Ronald McDonald House, and others.
• CMA CGM Foundation, the charitable arm of global shipping firm CMA CGM, is teaming up with Magic Systems Foundation to build an elementary school in Ivory Coast, Africa, that will welcome 200 children in fall 2022. The two foundations are committed to bringing high-quality educational facilities to under-resourced regions.

Green Seeds

• J.B. Hunt Transport Services launched CLEAN Transport, a program to help customers offset carbon emissions based on lane-specific activity.J.B. Hunt provides participants with data showing the amount of carbon offsets needed to achieve a carbon-neutral shipment and to obtain carbon credits to support projects such as reforestation and clean power generation.

Sealed Deals

• DHL was selected as the official logistics partner of the Council of Fashion Designers of America. The partnership aims to strengthen the global reach of fashion businesses around the world.
• SIG plc, a European supplier of specialized building materials, chose a last-mile delivery solution suite from Descartes Systems Group. As a result, SIG increased on-time-in-full deliveries by 10-15% and boosted the volume of deliveries by 25% using its existing fleet.
• Hawaii’s largest grocery retailer, Foodland, chose Symphony RetailAI’s artificial intelligence-based solutions to modernize core retail activities including supply chain optimization, promotion planning, and store operations.

M & A

• Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) finalized its acquisition of Bolloré Africa Logistics, which includes the firm’s shipping, logistics, and terminals operations in Africa, as well as terminal operations in India, Haiti, and Timor-Leste.
• Supply chain services firm Agility made an offer to acquire aviation firm John Menzies LLC. If approved, the merger will result in the largest airport services company in the world by the number of operating countries.
• Toyota Industries Corporation acquired Viastore Group, a provider of intralogistics systems, in order to boost its offering of customer-specific solutions for product categories such as forklifts and automatic sorting systems.
• Hy-Tek Holdings, a materials handling automation integrator, acquired two firms: FASCOR, a supply chain execution software solutions provider, and Systems Integrator LCS. The acquisitions will help Hy-Tek broaden its offerings in materials handling and integrated systems.
• STG Logistics expanded its position in containerized logistics through the acquisition of XPO Logistics’ intermodal division. The combined business offers drayage, transloading, warehousing, fulfillment, rail transportation, and final- mile distribution services.

Shovel Ready

• Construction will begin in summer 2022 on CentrePort Canada Rail Park, a 665-acre rail-served industrial space with logistics infrastructure at CentrePort Canada, North America’s largest trimodal inland port and Foreign Trade Zone, located in Winnipeg and Rosser. The Rail Park will offer access to international air cargo services at CentrePort as well as an interstate at the Canada-U.S. border and the TransCanada Highway. It is also served by three Class 1 rail carriers connecting Canada, the United States, and Mexico.

Recognition

• The Home Depot honored Ascend, an Atlanta-based regional logistics provider, as the 2021 Truckload Carrier of the Year (Small Fleet Category). Ascend was selected for its skill in keeping up with the double-digit growth in freight volume the retailer has seen since the start of the pandemic.
• Penske Logistics earned a pair of 2021 Supplier of the Year awards from its long-time customer General Motors. The two honors were in the lead logistics provider category for services provided in Mexico, and for dedicated delivery service efforts to transport service parts to GM dealerships in the United States.
• Ginny Polach, director of human resources for St. Louis-based Sunset Transportation, was named a 2022 Top Woman to Watch in Transportation by the Women in Trucking Association. Polach was cited for her career accomplishments and efforts to promote gender diversity.
• Made4net, a provider of cloud-based warehouse and supply chain management solutions, was recognized by Frost & Sullivan with the 2021 Product Leadership Award for the North American mid-market WMS market. The award is given each year to a company whose products offer innovative features and functionality and are gaining rapid market acceptance.

Up the Chain

• Global supply chain management firm AFFLINK hired Todd Gatzulis as senior vice president of business development. Gatzulis joins the company after a long career at consumer products company Henkel/Dial. He will oversee AFFLINK’s supply chain and corporate sales functions.
• Discount grocery chain Sav A Lot appointed Trey Johnson as its new chief merchandising officer. Formerly a high-ranking supply chain and merchandising executive for The Save Mart Companies, Johnson will oversee merchandising, quality assurance, and retail partner/vendor relationships in his new role.
• Arthur Verweij joined Printronix, a manufacturer of industrial grade printing solutions, as the company’s global director, brand and customer development. Verweij, a 25-year veteran of the specialty printing industry, will work to develop the company’s global omnichannel marketing strategy.