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Noted: The Supply Chain in Brief-2018

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Green Seeds

  • Fast-fashion brand H&M became the first retailer to roll out a line of clothing made from Circulose, a new natural material derived from old jeans, T-shirts, and other cotton clothing, which can help retailers reduce their waste, climate, and deforestation footprint.
  • The CMA CGM Group partnered with the Energy Observer, a hydrogen-powered vessel sailing around the world, to promote the use of hydrogen as a zero-emission fuel source for the shipping industry. The hydrogen is made from seawater using solar, wind, and hydropower. Producing and burning hydrogen does not result in any greenhouse gas or fine-particle emissions.
  • The ReadyRefresh by Nestlé beverage delivery service achieved carbon neutrality and earned the CarbonNeutral company certification in accordance with The CarbonNeutral Protocol, a global standard for carbon-neutral programs. ReadyRefresh plans to further reduce its emissions and explore insetting projects within the land and forest areas the company owns.


M&A

  • Global transportation and logistics company Maersk agreed to acquire Performance Team, a warehousing and distribution company based in the United States.
  • Global logistics solutions provider Odyssey Logistics & Technology acquired RPM Consolidated Services, a full-service logistics and warehousing provider that specializes in Jones Act markets.
  • Trimble Transportation, a solutions provider for the long-haul trucking, field service management, rail, and construction logistics industries, acquired Kuebix, a transportation management system provider.
  • Pelican BioThermal, a temperature-controlled packaging designer and manufacturer, acquired NanoCool, a temperature-controlled packaging solutions provider based in New Mexico.
  • Alabama Motor Express, a trucking and third-party logistics company, acquired all the assets of Powell Transport Solutions, a trucking asset firm specializing in refrigerated freight.
  • A&R Logistics, a North American supply chain services company for the chemical industry, acquired First Choice Logistics, a provider of bulk liquid transportation and logistics services to the chemical industry.

Shovel Ready

  • Stonemont Financial Group, a real estate investment firm specializing in industrial development and net-lease assets, opened the Southwest International Gateway Business Park, a 540-acre rail-served industrial park built for cross-border shippers. Located in El Campo, Texas, the park is designed for up to 8 million square feet of industrial space as well as full intermodal and transload capabilities.

Sealed Deals

  • cargo-partner now provides logistics services to help Minth, an automotive supplier, produce more than 88,000 cars per year, handling approximately 120 different SKUs. The logistics provider set up a full automotive logistics process at its automotive competence center in Dunajska Streda, Slovakia.
  • PlaceMakers, a building materials and hardware supplier based in New Zealand, will use Descartes Systems Group’s cloud-based route planner to centralize its distribution planning operations. The solution will help automate route planning and execution to better serve PlaceMakers’ more than 300,000 retail and trade customers.
  • Saint-Gobain Rigips, a provider of gypsum and plaster products, is adopting Sixfold’s live shipment visibility platform to enable its sales teams and planners to provide customers with real-time shipment data. For the first time, customers will be able to track the status of their goods without calling a carrier.

Good Works

  • Lufthansa Cargo and its joint venture ANA Cargo supported the Australian bush fire relief effort by transporting two tons of relief supplies from Germany to Australia aid stations. The supplies, handmade by more than 20,000 volunteers, included knitted pouches and nests for orphaned and injured animals.
  • Employees at Southeastern Freight Lines, a provider of less-than-truckload transportation services, completed more than 6,200 hours of community service across 94 projects in 2019, which involved serving meals to families in need and volunteering at veteran organizations, homeless shelters, and domestic abuse shelters.

Recognition

  • South Carolina Ports Authority president and chief executive officer Jim Newsome received the Distinguished Service Award from The University of Tennessee—Knoxville’s Global Supply Chain Institute. Newsome serves on the Dean’s Advisory Council of the Haslam College of Business, mentors supply chain students, and established a supply chain management scholarship.
  • Rock-it Cargo earned top honors in the Transportation Company of the Year category at the annual Pollstar Awards. The freight-forwarding logistics provider was one of six companies nominated in a category recognizing integrity, professionalism, and creative achievement in coach, cargo, and other transportation services.
  • Hub Group, a supply chain solutions provider, nabbed The Home Depot’s 3PL of the Year Award for 2019. According to the home improvement retailer, Hub Group continuously delivers high levels of service and innovation across its dedicated, intermodal, and truckload business segments. In addition, it lauded Hub Group’s contributions to its disaster response network, helping to ensure crucial supplies are available to those affected by natural disasters and other emergencies.

Up the Chain

  • Rent the Runway appointed Brian Donato as chief supply chain officer to help resolve its supply chain challenges—the clothing rental company failed to meet deliveries and temporarily stopped taking orders in fall 2019. Donato previously served as the executive vice president of operations at Bowery Farming and held several senior operational roles at Amazon.