Noted: The Supply Chain in Brief-Nov 2019

Shovel Ready

  • Transportation management company Ruan broke ground on its new Iowa operating center, which will provide transportation and warehousing services to customers across the Midwest. Construction of the Ankeny Operating Center, which will serve as the provider’s flagship operation, is scheduled to be completed in September 2020.
  • Transwestern Development broke ground on the Sam Houston Distribution Center, an 833,720-square-foot, Class A industrial park in Houston. The three-building park, which offers ceiling heights ranging from 32 to 36 feet to accommodate high racking systems, is slated for delivery in the second quarter of 2020.

M&A

  • LLamasoft, a provider of enterprise supply chain design and decision-making solutions, acquired Opex Analytics, which offers artificial intelligence solutions to Fortune 500 companies.
  • Enterprise software provider Epicor acquired 1 EDI Source, which offers electronic data interchange solutions and business visibility software.
  • Manitoulin Global Forwarding continued its expansion into the United States by acquiring Demark Global Logistics, which provides logistics solutions for general commodities, textiles, and furniture.

  • Transportation equipment leasing solutions provider Milestone Equipment Holdings purchased a trailer leasing branch office in Jacksonville, Florida, from Fleet Trailer.
  • AutoGuide Mobile Robots, which manufactures modular autonomous mobile tuggers and forklifts for high-payload materials transport, was purchased by Teradyne, which provides industrial automation solutions.
  • Tosca, a provider of reusable packaging and supply chain solutions, acquired Polymer Logistics, which specializes in reusable transport packaging and retail merchandising systems.

Good Works

  • Transportation solutions provider Transervice Logistics launched a food drive, engaging its branches in a competition to gather the most donations. The campaign collected 2,085 pounds of food for Move for Hunger, a non-profit organization that collects non-perishable food items and delivers them to food banks across North America. The Transervice donation will be used to provide a total of 1,740 meals.

Green Seeds

  • Gap moved its mill sustainability efforts deeper into its supply chain by working with global suppliers to assess their environmental impacts. In addition, the retailer is collaborating with the broader apparel industry to develop sustainable supply chain practices.

Sealed Deals

  • Specialty lighting retailer Lamps Plus rolled out Manhattan Associates’ point of sale (POS) solution across its entire chain of lighting and home furnishing stores in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, and Washington. The POS solution integrates selling, engagement, and fulfillment to improve customer experiences through a single system of record for managing omnichannel transactions.
  • AAMP Global, a manufacturer of mobile aftermarket technology for consumer and commercial vehicles, selected Blue Ridge to streamline its global inventory forecasting and planning operations. AAMP Global, which has more than 7,000 retail and commercial customers worldwide and more than 30,000 points of distribution, will utilize Blue Ridge technology to lower freight costs and anticipate supply chain disruptions.
  • Foodservice distributor Cheney Brothers implemented the Cooltrax Fresh inTransit wireless temperature monitoring and management solution in its cold chain. The Cooltrax Fresh inTransit solution brings real-time visibility to its temperature-controlled products.
  • Comar, a packaging and device supplier, chose Transportation Insight to centralize its transportation management operations, enabling collaboration and providing end-to-end visibility. With Transportation Insight’s enterprise logistics solutions, Comar seeks to optimize carrier relationships, improve efficiencies throughout its supply chain, and meet customer expectations and demand.

Recognition

  • Professional driver Robert “RB” Wolford achieved a safety milestone: logging his three-millionth consecutive mile without a single accident while driving for Holland.
  • The Raymond Corporation’s founder George Raymond Sr. was inducted into the 2019 Supply Chain Hall of Fame by the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals. Transforming materials handling, Raymond Sr. secured patents for the double-faced wooden pallet and the hydraulic hand pallet truck. He helped develop the first electric, narrow-aisle lift truck.
  • America’s Road Team Captain and YRC Freight professional truck driver Steve Fields received the Mike Russell Trucking Image Award from the American Trucking Associations for maintaining safety standards, mentoring other drivers, and serving as an ambassador to the motoring public. Fields has driven more than 3.3 million accident-free miles in more than 34 years—22 of those years with YRC Freight.
  • Atlantic Container Line (ACL) was named a Premier Partner for 2019 by American Honda Motor Co. ACL, which has served as American Honda’s transportation partner for more than 25 years, was recognized for providing quality, value, and customer service in support of the automobile company’s operations.

Up the Chain

  • Luxury fashion brand Burberry named Jerome Le Bleis as its new chief supply chain officer, effective January 2020. Le Bleis is currently executive vice president, group operations, at retailer Lacoste. In his new role, he will lead Burberry’s supply chain team from London.