Noted: The Supply Chain in Brief-June 2020

Sealed Deals

  • Beauty and personal care brand Shiseido Company selected XPO Logistics to provide omnichannel logistics services throughout the United Kingdom. XPO will handle business-to-business replenishment of bareMinerals, NARS, Laura Mercier, Shiseido, Serge Lutens, Dolce&Gabbana Beauty, and other products, as well as U.K. and Ireland e-commerce fulfillment for the NARS, Shiseido, and bareMinerals brands. XPO will manage Shiseido’s logistics from an 80,000-square-foot distribution center in Derby, England.
  • Supply chain data analytics provider BridgeNet Solutions selected 3Gtms’ transportation management system to expand services in North America. The cloud-based software orchestrates the order-to-settlement process in real time on a single platform. 3Gtms’ built-in optimization engine also manages complex constraints and data changes to determine the best possible plan.
  • Grohe, a Germany-based provider of bathroom solutions and kitchen fittings, chose technology service provider Jaggaer to manage its purchasing and logistics. Based on current stock level and anticipated consumption, suppliers can now organize delivery from Grohe in real time. More than 90% of direct material suppliers work within the Jaggaer supplier portal and use it to handle ordering, creating a transparent process design and eliminating ordering costs.


Good Works

  • Crowley Logistics joined Caribbean Produce Exchange and Puerto Rico farmers to ship 16,000 pounds of fresh fruit, plantains, and other local products to the Puerto Rican and Hispanic communities of New York City impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The food was distributed to seniors, low-income families, and community centers in partnership with City Harvest.
  • Georgia Ports partnered with America’s Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia organization to distribute food to local communities throughout Coastal Georgia. Since March 2020, Second Harvest has distributed 4 million pounds of food by providing mobile food pantries and grab-and-go meals for school-aged children.
  • Through its Kids Around the Corner foundation, Fleet Advantage made a donation to the Jacksonville School for Autism to aid in medical insurance costs for teachers and staff members furloughed due to COVID-19. The school is a full-service K-12 educational center for students and young adults with autism spectrum disorders.
  • Sustainable meat supplier D’Artagnan donated 44,000 pounds of meat worth approximately $430,000 to Table to Table, a not-for-profit organization that rescues perishable food. Table to Table distributed the meat to organizations that serve families in Northern New Jersey to help meet heightened demand caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • BYD Motors donated $1 million in medical supplies, including surgical masks, respiratory protective devices, hand sanitizer, and personal protective equipment to transit agencies and first responders throughout North America. The supplies were transported to various U.S. distribution centers to be closer to the locations where they are needed most.

M&A

  • International transport and logistics company Bollore Logistics acquired a majority stake in Swedish company Global Freight Solutions AB.
  • International warehousing and logistics company Lineage Logistics acquired last-mile food distributor Maines Paper & Food Service.
  • Rand Logistics, a dry bulk shipping service in the Great Lakes region, acquired American Steamship Company from GATX Corporation.
  • Alabama-based PS Logistics entered an agreement to acquire CT Transportation, a flatbed subsidiary of Georgia-based Comcar Industries.
  • Container database management provider SynchroNet Marine acquired MatchBack Systems, an automated software-as-a-service platform.

Green Seeds

  • DHL Express partnered with REEF Technology, an operator of parking and logistics hubs, to pilot four low-power, electric-assist e-Cargo Cycles for deliveries in Miami, Florida, as part of the DHL GoGreen strategy to reduce its carbon footprint. Each e-Cargo Cycle deployed enables DHL to take one conventional delivery van off the road, reducing traffic, noise, and pollution. DHL plans to implement clean pickup and delivery solutions for 70% of its operations by 2025.
  • Campbell Soup Company plans to transition 100% of its packaging to compostable or recyclable designs and materials by 2030 and incorporate 25% post-consumer recycled content into polyethylene terephthalate bottles. The New Jersey-based food company also plans to advance infrastructure development to expand access to recycling.

Up the Chain

  • Jenell R. Ross, president of the Bob Ross Auto Group, was elected as an independent director to Hub Group’s board of directors. Her company is the first African American-owned Mercedes-Benz dealership in the world. Ross previously served on the Ohio Motor Vehicle Dealers Board and chaired the American International Automobile Dealers Association.
  • Jim Gehr joined United Natural Foods as chief supply chain officer. Gehr, previously president of North America retail at DHL Supply Chain, will lead 12,000 associates and 59 distribution centers that deliver to the natural/organic and conventional grocery wholesaler’s customers.

Recognition

  • Gartner named MPO the sole Visionary in the 2020 Magic Quadrant for Multi-Enterprise Supply Chain Business Networks, honoring the cloud platform’s ability to boost customer experience and operational excellence and help businesses become flexible and resilient.
  • The Raymond Corporation received an Edison Award bronze medal in the Transportation and Logistics—Autonomous Work Solutions category for its Raymond Courier 3030 automated stacker. The award recognizes excellence in materials science and engineering equipment technology.
  • Old Dominion Freight Line honored Harold Hyde, a Nashville, Tennessee, pickup and delivery driver, with the 2020 John Yowell OD Family Spirit Award. In August 2019, Hyde was en route to make a delivery when he saw a young boy in the middle of the road. Hyde pulled his tractor-trailer across both lanes of traffic to barricade the street and help the four-year-old to safety.
  • Averitt Express received the 2019 Carrier of the Year Award from nVent Electric for exceeding expectations to deliver the manufacturer’s electrical products to customers. Averitt met several operational performance criteria for the award, including high on-time service, low exception and claims ratios, and accurate billing.