NOTED: Supply Chain Highlights

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SEALED DEALS

← Global sportswear brand On and AI and robotics company Verity announced a strategic collaboration to leverage fleets of fully autonomous drones in warehouses. The drones enable full operational visibility through smart, real-time inventory tracking.

• Walgreens Boots Alliance Global Sourcing has selected TradeBeyond’s multi-enterprise platform to optimize and standardize operations across its retail brands and to leverage more innovative and agile sourcing practices.

• Remcon Plastics is using the Nexterus transportation management system to help automate manual processes across its transportation operations and improve customer service and satisfaction.

↑ Good Food Holdings is implementing the SymphonyAI suite of connected retail software that brings end-to-end integrated intelligence to drive informed actions across store, shelf, merchandise, and supply chain for its U.S. West Coast banners.

• Do it Best implemented a new transportation management system from Redwood Logistics to optimize its daily operations.

→ Under an agreement with Farm Rio, Mojix will provide a SaaS, end-to-end traceability solution for products in its international operations. In addition, Mojix will help Farm Rio meet European digital product passport regulations by tracking all necessary aspects related to products in the supply chain.

• Westlake Global Compounds will leverage FourKites’ real-time supply chain visibility solution to predict and prevent disruptions to its shipments. The Westlake team has the ability to monitor the live status of truck shipments in the United States, and to analyze the impact of disruptions against plan.

↑ Intralogistics group Mecalux has designed and installed storage systems for General Óptica’s new logistics center near Madrid. The new warehouse ships an average of 4,000 orders daily, and can scale to absorb the growth projected for the next 10 years.

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RECOGNITION

↑ A. Duie Pyle received the 2023 Exceptional Performance Award from Uline, a distributor of shipping, industrial, and packaging materials throughout North America, for the fourth time.

• Logistics Plus received the official Ocean Integrity Plastic Neutrality Certification for 2023 for a fourth straight year. Last year, Logistics Plus reduced its plastic footprint by supporting the collection of 77,000 pounds of marine plastic and waste.

← The Intermodal Association of North America will honor Larry Gross, president and founder of Gross Transportation Consulting, with the 2024 Silver Kingpin Award during the Intermodal EXPO. Gross is a veteran of the freight transportation sector with more than 40 years of experience.

→ The Containerization and Intermodal Institute will present its 2024 Connie Award to Roger Guenther, executive director of Port Houston. In addition, Scott Taylor, CEO and chairman of the board of GSC, will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his many years of supply chain and logistics experience.

• Locus Robotics was honored with the 2024 Fortress Cybersecurity Award in the Compliance category by the Business Intelligence Group.

• Two senior leaders at A.N. Deringer were recognized for their achievements in international trade. Amy Magnus, director of customs affairs and compliance (above), received the AAEI Trade Warrior award from the American Association of Exporters & Importers. Sandra Langford-Coty, director of operational development (below), received the Marjorie M. Shostak Distinguished Service award from the Foreign Trade Association.

↑ ORBIS Corporation earned recognition as a Partner-level supplier for 2023 in the John Deere Achieving Excellence Program. The company was selected for its dedication to providing products and services of outstanding quality as well as its commitment to continuous improvement.

← Lenovo presented GEODIS with its Logistics Sustainability Excellence Award. Over the past five years, the companies have collaborated to reduce lead times, control expenses, and streamline flows—all with the goal of reducing CO2 emissions.

→ CSX’s Pride in Service initiative was awarded Gold in Engage for Good’s 22nd Annual Halo Awards for Best Employee Engagement Initiative and Silver for Best Direct Service Initiative. This honor recognizes CSX’s partnership and support for Wounded Warrior Project’s Drone Training Program.

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M&A

↑ NFI has acquired Transfix’s freight brokerage operation. With this acquisition, Transfix will pivot its core business to focus solely on software and data solutions for brokers, shippers, and carriers.

• Carrier Global Corporation, on behalf of its Sensitech business, entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the Monitoring Solutions business of Berlinger & Co. AG, a Swiss company providing solutions for monitoring temperature-sensitive goods.

• OneRail acquired Orderbot, an enterprise inventory and distributed order management solution. This strategic acquisition combines Orderbot’s inventory and order management capabilities with OneRail’s cloud-based last-mile operating system and delivery network.

• FLS Transportation acquired Anderson Transportation & Logistics, which operates an extensive flatbed carrier network, to provide personalized transportation solutions to North American customers.

• Descartes Systems Group acquired BoxTop Technologies Limited, a provider of shipment management solutions for small to mid-sized logistics services providers.

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GOOD WORKS

↑ Toyota Material Handling auctioned off a custom pink forklift to its dealer network and donated the $65,000 winning bid to the Susan G. Komen Foundation for breast cancer awareness.

• DSV and UNICEF entered a new partnership to provide rapid emergency responses and stronger global supply chains. DSV will provide UNICEF with in-kind flights for swift delivery of essential supplies during emergencies, as well as flexible funding to enable timely support to children around the world.

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UP THE CHAIN

← Professional services firm Alvarez & Marsal appointed Ben YoKell as a supply chain services practice managing director within its Corporate Performance Improvement group.

→ Co-founder and current chief product officer Sumit Vakil was named chief artificial intelligence officer for Resilinc. He will oversee the integration of AI into all business operations.

← Cesar Piña, who currently serves as McDonald’s corporate vice president, global strategic sourcing for food, will succeed Bob Stewart as senior vice president, chief supply chain officer, North America, when Stewart retires in October 2024.

→ Southeastern Freight Lines promoted Josh Wilson to breakbulk manager at the company’s Atlanta breakbulk facility.

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Milestone

↑ FreightCar America produced its 10,000th railcar at its purpose-built state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Castaños, Mexico, marking a major milestone in the company’s completed manufacturing transformation.

• Bettaway is celebrating its 40th year in business. The family-owned firm started as a small soda-bottling business then expanded into trucking, warehousing, and pallet delivery. Today it operates one of the nation’s largest pallet supply and management networks.

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In Memoriam

← A trailblazer who paved the way for women in the male-dominated maritime industry, Barbara Spector Yeninas died on May 31, 2024 at the age of 84. She was the founder of marketing communications agency BSY Associates, which specialized in maritime, supply chain, and logistics.

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