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NOTED: The Supply Chain In Brief March 2021

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Sealed Deals

  • Lifestyle products and services company Urban Outfitters selected TGW to design and implement an automation solution for its new fulfillment center in Kansas City, Kansas. TGW’s FlashPick system uses the smart robot Rovolution, which picks orders automatically and ensures the next phase of picking is being addressed. FlashPick allows Urban Outfitters to use the horsepower or “engine” to pick orders discreetly.
  • Los Angeles-based online watch retailer Watch Gang invested in SnapFulfil’s cloud-based warehouse management system after moving to a 10,000-square-foot warehouse. The retailer can now handle thousands of shipments and subscription orders in days rather than weeks. SnapFulfil managed the entire process remotely, while complying with all COVID-19 restrictions.
  • Rolf C. Hagen, a global pet product manufacturer and distributor, is deploying Tecsys’ SaaS software across its multinational warehouse and distribution infrastructure. The platform unifies disparate data silos and complex operations in North America and Europe, stitching together the company’s planning, execution, and delivery capabilities end to end.


Green Seeds

  • Cellulose fiber startup Spinnova is building a plant in Finland to make a sustainable textile fiber from wood and waste. It aims to reach commercial production capacity by the end of 2022. Spinnova’s technology enables the production of textile fiber without using dissolvents that are harmful to the environment.
  • Sustainability-focused shoemaker Allbirds made a $2-million investment in Natural Fiber Welding to bring a vegan leather replacement option to customers. Natural Fiber Welding’s products include a tough cotton fiber made using the company’s proprietary processing technology and a plant-based leather substitute.
  • Schneider Electric initiated an enhanced global supply chain decarbonization service to help organizations address the significant emissions volume contained in their value chains. The company also committed to reduce carbon emissions from its top 1,000 suppliers’ operations by 50% by 2025.

Shovel Ready

  • Supermarket chain Aldi broke ground on a distribution center near the Port of Mobile in Loxley, Alabama. The 570,660-square-foot divisional headquarters and distribution center will service more than 100 stores in Southern Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and the Florida panhandle.
  • Amazon is opening a 20,000-square-foot last-mile delivery station in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens in New York City. The e-tailer has opened, or will open by 2022, at least eight other delivery stations in the city.
  • Phoenix-based mattress producer Brooklyn Bedding plans to build a 648,165-square-foot manufacturing facility and new headquarters in Glendale, Arizona, by December 2021.

M&A

  • Transportation and logistics provider cargo-partner acquired Dutch logistics company Transcargo.
  • Fastfrate Group, an asset-based trucking and intermodal company, acquired ASL Distribution Services, a transportation, warehousing, and final-mile service provider.
  • Global supply chain services provider Geodis acquired Pekaes, a transportation and logistics services provider.
  • Global logistics provider Kuehne+Nagel acquired Apex International, a freight forwarder serving Asia.
  • Transportation Insight, a North American logistics solutions provider, acquired Transaver Global Services, a provider of managed transportation and freight audit services in the United States and Canada.
  • Averitt Express associates volunteered more than 5,000 hours of community service in 2020. They helped 118 organizations with food and toy drives, disaster relief, mask sewing and donations, cleanups, and blood donations. Averitt’s executive team matched dollars for hours with a donation of $53,420 to Averitt Cares for Kids.
  • Fleet Advantage, a trucking business analytics, equipment financing, and cost management provider, donated $15,000 through their Kids Around the Corner foundation to Arc Broward, a South Florida organization dedicated to advancing and enriching the lives of people with special needs and developmental disabilities.

Recognition

  • Logistics provider ArcBest has been recognized as one of America’s Best Large Employers for 2021. Forbes and Statista selected the list through an independent survey of more than 50,000 U.S. employees who rated their willingness to recommend their employers to friends and family.
  • Memphis-based third-party logistics provider Cornerstone Systems was named a 2021 USA Top Workplace by Energage for putting its people first. Survey results showed Cornerstone employees said they felt appreciated and fulfilled.

Up the Chain

  • Pelican Products, a portfolio company of private equity investment firm Behrman Capital, named Jeffrey Goldberg as vice president of worldwide supply chain. Goldberg is responsible for supply chain strategy as well as overseeing supplier quality and supply management. Goldberg previously held senior operations positions in the automotive, electronics, consumer goods, and medical device industries with Remington Outdoor, Smith & Nephew, and Linvatec.
  • Evans Distribution Systems, a third-party logistics provider, named Dawn Harthun as its new director of international solutions. Harthun will oversee international sales, solutions development, and account management. She brings to Evans her extensive experience in operations, international supply chain, and U.S. trade compliance with Maersk, UPS Freight Solutions, and HoMedics.
  • Pete Suerken was named the new president and chief executive officer for Wendy’s Quality Supply Chain Cooperative, a purchasing cooperative in the fast-food restaurant industry. As a senior leader in global supply chain and business operations, Suerken brings experience in sourcing, procurement, distribution, commodity management, and business transformation operations for large corporations.