Content about Supply chain

Chicago -- ShopperTrak announced Monday the acquisition of interior analytics provider RapidBlue Solutions Oy, based in Helsinki.

RapidBlue uses radio frequency technology to collect shopper movement information, then transforms the anonymous data into information and insights that retailers can use to manage the marketing, merchandising and operations of their businesses.

Seattle -- Starbucks Coffee Co. has appointed Deverl Maserang as executive VP leading the company’s global supply chain organization, effective June 3. He will be accountable for end-to-end supply chain operations globally spanning manufacturing, engineering, procurement, distribution, planning, transportation, inventory management and worldwide sourcing.

Maserang joins Starbucks from Chiquita Brands International, where he led the Global Value Chain for Chiquita and Fresh Express.

Stockholm, Sweden -- Starcounter announced that its high performance in-memory NoSQL database powers the supply chain management application utilized by Gekas, a superstore in Sweden visited by 4.5 million customers each year. With 100,000 different products in stock and all items in its warehouse sold out more than three times per week, Gekas uses the low-cost system from Heads, a real-time retail application vendor, to integrate and streamline its entire supply chain, from procurement and its central warehouse to customer sales.
 

Oakland, Calif. -- Global footwear brand Deckers Outdoor Corp. announced it is using the GT Nexus cloud-based supply chain platform to improve supply chain collaboration and visibility.

The parent to the Ugg Australia and Teva labels said the platform will replace EDI and point solutions with a multi-enterprise network solution connecting external supply chain partners to Deckers’ ERP system and providing real-time performance updates.

Washington, D.C. -- Import volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to increase 3.3% in May over the same month last year, but growth could trickle to a standstill by the end of the summer, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released Tuesday by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

Perryville, Md. -- Ikea said Tuesday it has plugged-in the solar energy system installed at its distribution center in Perryville, Md.
 
The 768,972-sq.-ft. PV array consists of a 2,674.9-kW system, built with 18,576 panels, and is the state’s largest rooftop array.

The Ikea distribution center will produce approximately 3,397,178 kWh of clean electricity annually, the equivalent of reducing 2,397 tons of carbon dioxide, eliminating the emissions of 499 cars or powering 359 homes yearly.  
 

New York -- Macy’s announced that it will expand its online order fulfillment center in Goodyear, Ariz., to accommodate continued sales growth as part of the company’s omni-channel strategy. The company is expected to invest more than $35 million in capital in the project.

By Greg Kefer, keferg@gtnexus.com

The latest study on the risk posed by supply chain disruptions by Deloitte just hit the news. Executives were surveyed regarding feelings (or fears) about their exposure to unexpected events in their global supply chains. As you can imagine, most feel unprepared and report disruptions have become more costly. Negative outcomes in the global supply chain like costly margin erosion and demand change are all too common for most companies.

Woodcliff Lake, N.J. -- Wireless solution provider I.D. Systems said Tuesday it has received a series of purchase orders from Walgreens for the latest generation of its PowerFleet wireless Vehicle Management System, to be deployed on hundreds of material handling vehicles across multiple Walgreens distribution centers.

Walgreens originally implemented I.D. Systems' wireless technology in 2003 and is systematically upgrading more than a dozen of its facilities to the current generation of PowerFleet VMS.

Washington, D.C. -- The National Retail Federation expressed disappointment on Friday over the failure of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union's Local 63 Office Clerical Unit and the Harbor Employers Association to reach a contract agreement.

An eight-day strike in November and December 2012 shut down most terminals at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach before the parties agreed on a tentative new contract with the help of a federal mediator. But union members on Wednesday voted down the contract.

Mooresville, N.C. -- Lowe’s Cos. has named Stephen Szilagyi to the post of supply chain executive, reporting to Rick Damron, COO.

In his new role, Szilagyi will oversee Lowe’s logistics and distribution network that expedites the replenishment of merchandise and supplies to all Lowe’s stores.

Szilagyi has more than 25 years of supply chain experience, including leadership roles prior to Lowe’s in wholesale distribution and retail/consumer products supply chain consulting services.

Charlotte, N.C. -- National IT infrastructure and cloud solutions provider Peak 10 Inc. has been selected to host the data center of Tractor Supply Co., the largest retail farm and ranch store chain in the United States.