Articles

Case Studies

Robert Swanson: Developing Colleagues with Passion

Robert Swanson’s first employer helped put him through college while he worked. Today, at Pfizer Global Research and Development Michigan Labs, Swanson is paying that favor forward, not with tuition assistance, but with extensive on-the-job training. A major part of Swanson’s mission is to help the people in his organization live out “the passion to […]

Read More

Tank Goodness

A materials management system gives Army depot and its partners a better view of parts used to rebuild M1A1 Abrams tanks.

Read More

Kim Brown: Keeping the Home Fires Burning

When work goes well for Kim Brown, people stay warm. Brown’s company, Hearth and Home Technologies, manufactures stoves, fireplaces and related products for home heating. As materials manager at the Lake City, Minn., plant, she’s responsible for getting materials to the production line and transporting finished goods to distributors and direct customers. Like many supply […]

Read More

Rob James: The Pepsi Challenge–Taking Charge of Inbound

Promoted to logistics manager at PepsiAmericas’ St. Louis plant, Rob James had a revelation. The operation was giving money away. Instead of managing its inbound freight, the plant relied on vendors to book loads and pass on the charges—whatever they happened to be. Research showed there was plenty of room for improvement. “I quickly found […]

Read More

Todd Horne: Master of Disaster

Every logistics professional handles the occasional crisis. But for Todd Horne, crisis is the core of the job. As a disaster logistics officer with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Horne moves relief supplies such as food, blankets, plastic sheeting and water purification kits to help victims of war and natural disaster. Horne […]

Read More

Mark Davis: Logistics at the Speed of Flight

Like many logistics professionals, Mark Davis spends nearly every day racing the clock. At Tracer Corporation, his department rushes aircraft parts to meet airlines’ just-in-time requirements, or to get grounded planes back in the air. Along with time, though, Davis’ department faces another sort of pressure: they have to maintain precise records on every part […]

Read More

John Henderson: A Man of Parts

Over the past few years, John Henderson has pulled off a double logistics coup. He led an effort that cut $20 million out of Gerber Technology’s service parts inventory, and he did it while boosting next-day customer service delivery from 40 percent into the high 80s. A division of Gerber Scientific International, Gerber Technology sells […]

Read More