Content about Supply chain

Sears Holdings announced that former UPS executive Raj Penkar is joining the company as SVP and president of the company's supply chain.

In his new role, Penkar will be accountable for all aspects of the company's supply chain, including logistics, warehousing, inventory management and distribution. Prior to joining Sears, Penkar worked at UPS for 24 years and most recently served as president of UPS' customer solutions division. 

Lighting manufacturer Leviton has announced the appointment of Steve Nikrant to the position of VP supply chain. Nikrant will be responsible for designing, developing, implementing and recommending policy and procedures for the distribution, transportation, order fulfillment, procurement/sourcing and customer service functions.  He will also be accountable for ensuring customer satisfaction and controlling costs.

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.

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.