Articles

Case Studies

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Metro Transit Gets on Schedule

King County Metro Transit was missing the bus, using an outdated system to distribute its 12 million transit schedules. The fix? A new WMS, advanced mobile technology, and additional warehouse equipment.

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Masao Nishi: Managing One Big Network

SYSCO Corporation’s supply chain is undergoing a major transformation, and Masao Nishi stands right in the middle of it. The $30-billion food service distributor recently promoted Nishi to assistant vice president of supply chain management, responsible for the flow of product from suppliers to approximately 70 SYSCO broadline operating companies in the United States. Nishi […]

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James Carlin: A Strong Man for the Job

When a construction worker on a job site drops a hammer, and no one on the street below gets hurt, James Carlin is one person to thank. His company, Strong Man Building Products Corp., Fairfield, N.J., distributes tarpaulin and netting used in construction, including the huge nets contractors drape over scaffolding to protect their job […]

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Bryan Goins: It’s All About the Execution

In 1994, Bryan Goins joined Associated Food Stores (AFS) to help re-engineer major business processes at the Salt Lake City-based grocery distribution cooperative. It was not an easy transition. ” I went home almost every day for one year asking myself, ‘What have I done?’” Goins says. Goins spent the previous 18 years at Ryder […]

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Yolande Burnham: Grains, Trains and Supply Chains

Years ago, Yolande Burnham managed shipments of durham wheat, corn, and other grains. Today, rail lines that haul those commodities depend on Burnham’s employer—Union Switch & Signal (US&S), Pittsburgh,Pa.—for the systems they need to operate efficiently and safely. Burnham is vice president, global supply chain and manufacturing for US&S, a leading manufacturer of signaling, automation, […]

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Fred Walker: Logistics at the Speed of Life

In his first job after high school, at a Sears Roebuck catalog warehouse, Fred Walker spent his days on roller skates. “We used to skate into a huge elevator to get to the building’s various floors,” recalls Walker. “We picked items, took them back to our tables, and packed them for shipping.” The eight-story building […]

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Ken Bailey: Logistics Fun-damentals

“Selling fun” is the main priority at Leisure Bay Industries, says Ken Bailey, the company’s vice president of operations. Since 1998, Bailey has been in charge of moving the furniture of fun—above-ground pools, portable spas, billiard tables, tanning beds, gas grills, and patio furniture—from Leisure Bay’s Orlando, Fla., distribution center into retail outlets. Those include […]

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Cutting out the Middleman

Finding third-party middleware an ill fit, chemical coatings manufacturer Colorcon selects software for remote data collection devices that tightly integrates with its Oracle system.

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