Food & Beverage

Pickle Packager Pares Plant to Pump Up Production

May 31, 2012

In a move it says will improve its supply chain efficiency, Pinnacle Foods Group LLC announced plans to consolidate its Vlasic pickle production into one plant in Imlay City, Michigan. The company's decision to focus on its branded Vlasic business and de-emphasize its lower-margin, un-branded pickle business was the catalyst for this consolidation.

Policy Decisions on Education, Regulations Will Determine if More Manufacturing Leaves U.S., Study Finds

May 29, 2012

University of Michigan

U.S. factories produce about 75 percent of what the country consumes, but the right decisions by both business and political leaders could push that to 95 percent, say University of Michigan researchers.

New Life for Warehouse VMI

May 29, 2012

SupplyChainBrain

The demand for vendor-managed inventory programs in warehouses behaves "as a pendulum swinging back and forth between supplier and retailer," says John Mayer, vice president of sales with Park City Group. Over the last six to 12 months, he says, it has swung back in the direction of favoring VMI. Mayer has seen particular interest in the technique in the grocery industry.

U.S. Maritime Industry Is Vital to nation's Defense, Air Force General Says

May 29, 2012

Maritime Executive

U.S. TRANSCOM Commanding General William Fraser III said maintaining a strong domestic maritime industry is critical to the defending the homeland, describing the sector as the "fourth arm of defense." The Air Force General's remarks came at a National Maritime Day celebration at the Washington Navy Yard.

MASkargo, Cargolux and Alaska Airlines Top Air Cargo News This Week

May 29, 2012

Aviation News Weekly

The cargo division of Malaysia Airlines has launched new intra-Asia freighter service. MASkargo's twice weekly A330-200 freighter operation links its Kuala Lumpur hub to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and Bangkok, Thailand. Mohd Yonus Idris, acting chief executive of MASkargo, said cargo growth via Ho Chi Minh has been steady and the service would help build the carrier's Asian connectivity.

Gartner Releases Yearly Top 25 Supply Chains Report

May 25, 2012

Gartner Inc.

Gartner Inc. has released the findings from its eighth annual Supply Chain Top 25, its initiative to raise awareness of the supply chain discipline and how it impacts the business, and once again Apple topped the list. The supply chain top five included two other mainstays; Dell and P+G; and two that are newer to the ranking, but have been rising steadily; Amazon and McDonald's.

Revamping Inbound Transportation at Sysco

May 25, 2012

SupplyChainBrain

Sysco Corp. has operated very successfully for many years as a decentralized company, distributing $40bn annually in food and associated products to restaurants, schools and other meal-serving organizations. The company felt that it could do better in terms of logistics, however, and decided to centralize inbound transportation operations that previously were distributed among its 70 business units.

Importance of Managing Indirect Procurement Costs Can't Be Overstated, Former CFO Says

May 24, 2012

Industry Week

As the former CFO of such companies as Sprint, Eastman Kodak Co. and Unisys Corp., as well as vice president of finance of General Electric Co.'s plastics division, Robert Brust's management philosophy was to bring procurement into the finance department, at times meeting daily with the purchasing team to go over expenditures line by line.

Mastering Traceability in Milk Supply Chain

May 23, 2012

SupplyChainBrain

Traceability always has been important to dairy cooperative Agri-Mark, but it has become even more of a focus since passage in 2010 of The Food Safety Modernization Act, which gives the Food and Drug Administration the right to make product recalls mandatory, rather than voluntary.

Worldwide Supply Chain Management Software Market Grew 12.3 Percent in 2011

May 22, 2012

Gartner Inc.

The worldwide supply chain management software market totaled $7.7bn in 2011, a 12.3-percent increase from 2010, according to Gartner Inc. It was the second year of double-digit growth for the SCM software market as supply chain investments kept their priority status and moved forward, despite caution from IT budget decision makers.