NOTED: The Supply Chain In Brief

NOTED: The Supply Chain In Brief

Green Seeds

  • CMA CGM Group will no longer transport plastic waste aboard its ships. Ten million tons of plastic waste end up in the sea each year due in part to open-air storage and the absence of processing infrastructure for plastic waste that does not get recycled. CMA CGM’s move prevents this type of waste from being exported to destinations where sorting, recycling, or recovery cannot be assured.
  • PepsiCo is using material developed by Israeli startup UBQ to develop a sustainable pallet made with unsorted household waste. The company will redirect more than 1,629 pounds of mixed waste from landfills and loop it back into the material as a valuable resource. During the manufacturing process, waste is diverted and greenhouse gas emissions are prevented.
  • The Environmental Protection Agency awarded the Port of Baltimore a $1.8 million grant for its Diesel Equipment Upgrade Program, which replaces older cargo-handling equipment and dray trucks with cleaner and more efficient models. The additional funding will help further reduce emissions at the port and its surrounding residential neighborhoods.
  • Logistics technology company Odyssey released first-year results from its Cloverleaf Sustainability Program aimed at reducing carbon emissions. The program reduced emissions for its clients by 489,831 tons in 2021, surpassing the original projection of 300,000-plus tons. Odyssey anticipates a reduction target of 529,017 tons in 2022.

M & A

  • Logistics software-as-a-service company Descartes acquired NetCHB, a provider of customs filing solutions in the United States.
  • International technology group Körber signed an agreement to acquire the global mail and parcel business of Siemens Logistics.
  • FleetPride, a truck and trailer parts distributor, acquired the assets of Nationwide Truck Service of Louisville, Kentucky.
  • Charlotte-based third-party logistics brokerage HTL Freight acquired Wilmington, Delaware-based third-party logistics provider Matchmaker Logistics.
  • FourKites, a provider of real-time supply chain visibility platforms, acquired European supply chain visibility provider NIC GmbH.

Shovel Ready

  • Amazon started construction on a massive fulfillment center in Los Lunas, New Mexico. At more than 1 million square feet, the facility is slated to open in 2023. Workers at the facility will pick, pack, and ship items for delivery.
  • Canada-based online furniture retailer Article is building a 507,000-square-foot warehouse in the Houston metro area at TGS Cedar Port Industrial Park, its first fulfillment center in Texas. The new warehouse will help get products delivered quickly and easily. By focusing on a digital-first experience, Article is able to pass along savings to consumers.

Sealed Deals

  • About You, a European fashion platform, selected CEVA Logistics to manage a new 40,000-square-meter fulfillment operation in Poland. CEVA’s automation and technology capabilities help deliver greater productivity and shorter lead times for About You’s e-commerce activities.
  • Sheetz, a restaurant and convenience chain in the Mid-Atlantic, will partner with RELEX Solutions, a provider of unified retail planning solutions. The partnership helps position Sheetz for store growth and unifies its demand-planning processes to ensure an efficient flow of products from suppliers to stores. The supply chain management solution improves collaboration and visibility throughout the vertically integrated network.
  • DHL Supply Chain is investing $15 million in robotics solutions from Boston Dynamics to further automate warehousing in North America. Boston Dynamics will deliver a fleet of its Stretch robots, which are specifically designed to automate the unloading process in distribution centers, to multiple DHL warehouses during the next three years.

Recognition

  • Hyster’s J155-190XNL high-capacity lift truck series won the 2021 Good Design Award. The sit-down, counterbalanced lift truck is powered by a factory integrated 350-volt lithium-ion battery. It offers a zero-emission alternative with performance comparable to the internal combustion engines typically used in high-capacity applications.
  • The Home Depot recognized Hub Group with the Domestic MVP Award for supply chain support across intermodal, over-the-road, emergency, and transfer freight. The home improvement retailer presented its Online Final Mile Carrier of the Year Award to Hub Group’s final-mile business for providing the best service, flexibility, and solutions for online home delivery and named Hub Group the Intermodal Carrier of the Year for its dependable intermodal capacity and solutions.
  • Global logistics company Ascent was named a Partner-Level Supplier for 2021 in John Deere’s Achieving Excellence program. Partner is the highest level in the program for strategic suppliers to Deere & Company. Ascent provides on-demand, mission-critical air and ground expedite solutions across North America.

Good Works

  • Jim Berlin, chief executive officer at Logistics Plus, created a fundraising effort at lpukrainerelief.com to help support the company’s employees in Ukraine with the goal of reaching $1 million. The company’s Ukraine team consists of about 50 people.

Up the Chain

  • Wiliot, an Internet of Things solution for manufacturers, named Manish Bansal as its chief product officer, responsible for developing and scaling the platform. Bansal joins the company after a 15-year career with Amazon, serving as director and general manager in supply chain optimization technology.