Content about Supply chain management

Don Riley, the former chief information officer of carpet manufacturer Mohawk, has been selected as the new executive VP supply chain and technology for ProBuild. This surprise appointment, announced Nov. 23, reached outside the LBM industry to fill a role overseeing the largest pro dealer’s supply chain, information technology and manufacturing organizations.

ABC Supply, the nation’s largest distributor of roofing, has promoted Mike Boggs to director of operations, a newly created position. In his new role, Boggs is responsible for championing, developing and implementing critical operational initiatives, including continued improvement of the company’s Customer Service Delivery System (CSDS), inventory management, fleet optimization, outside sales management, response to storms, and the leveraging of technology to enhance internal service quality and customer service. 

CoreLogic, a provider of information, analytics and business services, has reported that the current residential shadow inventory as of July 2011 declined slightly to 1.6 million units, representing a supply of five months. 

Also known as pending supply, shadow inventory is an estimate calculated by the number of distressed properties not currently listed on multiple listing services (MLSs) that are seriously delinquent (90 days or more), in foreclosure and real estate owned by lenders. 

The next phase for Home Depot's supply chain transformation is the implementation of a new forecasting and replenishment system within the company's 19 rapid deployment centers (RDCs).

"This new system integrates our store and DC systems and is an important step in improving the throughput and productivity of our overall supply chain," said Ted Decker, the Atlanta-based retailer's senior VP U.S. Retail, speaking at the recent Oppenheimer & Co. Consumer Conference.

Shoplifting, employee theft and organized crime have combined to boost retail shrinkage to 1.58%, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF). These preliminary results, compiled from a survey conducted by Dr. Richard Hollinger of the University of Florida, compare with a 1.44% shrinkage rate in 2009.

According to the survey, total retail losses cost retailers $37.1 billion last year, up from $33.5 billion in 2009. NRF’s recently released Organized Retail Crime survey found that 95% of retailers have been victims of organized retail crime over the last 12 months.

Knoxville, Tenn.-based regional hardware distributor House-Hasson Hardware completed its $2 million, 100,000-sq.-ft. expansion of the company’s Prichard, W.Va., warehouse.

“We’ve moved in, the racks are up, and the bins are being filled,” said Don Hasson, House-Hasson president. “Our West Virginia warehouse will have the same items as are available through our Knoxville warehouse. This means faster and more efficient shipping and delivery of all our products to our customers.”

Wilsonart International has announced the appointment of Sue Rothberg as VP manufacturing. In her new role, Rothberg will oversee manufacturing operations, supply chain and logistics at Wilsonart’s facilities in North America, as well as at the Arborite facility in Montreal, Quebec.

Rothberg brings to Wilsonart more than 25 years of experience in manufacturing, technology, logistics and supply chain management, including 23 years with IBM in a broad range of roles.

An auction to sell off the remaining inventory of Terre Haute, Ind.-based retailer Paitson Bros. Ace Hardware has been set for Dec. 18, according to the Tribune Star. 

LAKE PARK, Ga. —An automated, mechanized distribution center is an amazing spectacle. Products whiz around elaborate conveyor belts at 450 ft. per minute, as if each package had a mind of its own. Thanks to precision placement of laser scanners, sorting shoes will perfectly time their push across the conveyor, gently nudging the right product to the right chute, and hence, the right store.

When watched from above, the entire system takes on a kind of artificial intelligence.

For the past couple of years, Home Depot’s top executives have been talking about the forecasting, assortment management and other IT “tools” being given to its merchants and store managers so they can make better decisions about what goes on the shelf. But while the Atlanta retailer has been vague about some of its new technology initiatives, it’s made no secret of the fact that it fell behind in the IT sector while expanding on the retail front.

Anyone who expected the usual supply chain collaboration discussion at the ProDealer Industry Summit was in for a surprise this year. ProBuild’s Michael Mahre and Standard Pacific’s Scott Hearty went beyond the “we need to communicate better” claptrap and talked about more controversial issues like cost visibility, demand forecasting and the unbundling of labor and materials.