LeBlanc was following a tractor-trailer full of supplies out of Mercy Chefs’ Huntsville, Alabama, warehouse when icy highways eventually made travel impossible. The small caravan spent the night parked in a cornfield before LeBlanc returned to Birmingham so he could fly to Dallas instead. The chef wanted to be on-site quickly to supervise an improvised relief plan that relied on local supplies rather than those temporarily stranded on the Alabama truck and others like it.

“You do whatever you have to do to get the job done,” LeBlanc says. “It’s not always convenient. It’s not always easy. It’s not always inexpensive. But you do whatever you have to do.”

In addition to impassable highways, common challenges faced by companies transporting equipment and supplies to communities when disaster strikes include unpredictable weather, physical infrastructure damage, and lack of transportation assets. Here’s how they overcome them.

1. Plan in Advance.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports that climate change will likely increase the number and intensity of extreme weather events that include large, dangerous storms. That means it’s not if Buffalo will receive massive amounts of lake-effect snow or the Florida coast will be devastated by a powerful hurricane, it’s when. Those responsible for delivering aid know that and plan for it.

“The most important thing in disaster preparation is to have a plan in place ahead of time, even if you have to add to it or change it a bit,” says Ann Campbell, a professor of business analytics at the University of Iowa Tippie College of Business. “You’re setting up a whole supply chain in the blink of an eye and you don’t have a lot of time.”

One smaller example of why planning ahead is crucial comes out of the American Red Cross’s experience with Hurricane Katrina. “The Red Cross distributed debit cards so people could purchase basic needs. But they needed more and the blank cards they used for printing were made in China,” Campbell says. “The quantity they needed was way larger than what they could get quickly at the time, so they now store a supply of blank cards.”

2. Establish Supplier Relationships Before You Need Them.

Whether it’s with carriers that transport relief supplies or manufacturers that provide equipment or merchandise, you want to be in good standing with providers that need to respond quickly.

In fact, Chandler Magann, founder and president of Next Exit Logistics, a third-party logistics provider specializing in disaster relief transportation, requires pre-existing relationships with companies needing to respond to a crisis.

“New clients don’t yet know exactly what they want to do,” he says. “Trying to figure all of that out in the middle of a storm distracts us from existing clients who have an agenda, are ready to go, and are engaged.”

With a business centered around disaster relief, LeBlanc needs well-established relationships with both national and regional food suppliers, among others.

“We just need to notify them ahead of time,” he says. “Most of the deliveries come to us through the suppliers’ corporate channels with their drivers and trucks. But we often order in such high volume that we have shipments come directly. That’s when we use independent trucking companies and drivers whenever possible.”

The disaster relief team in the command center at The Home Depot’s Atlanta headquarters counts on vendor relationships for pre- and post-strike merchandise, ranging from plywood for boarding up windows to roofing tarp.

“I can’t stress enough the impact of partnerships with our vendors and transportation providers,” says Paul Larkin, the home improvement retailer’s vice president, supply chain. “They jump through hoops for us, and they’re right there by our side, doing everything they can to get merchandise into our distribution network in time for it to get to our stores.”

3. Use Technology.

The Home Depot relies heavily on technology to monitor weather conditions so it can make decisions about when—and when not—to safely deploy trucks delivering supplies before and after a storm, and to alert stores to delivery timing.

“On the inbound side, we put GPS tracking devices on our pre-strike trailers with generators because customers are lined up waiting for us to deliver them,” says Larkin.

The command center team alerts store managers to arrival timing and what’s in the load so they can advise waiting customers.

State-of-the-art transportation management systems (TMS) also allow shippers and carriers to monitor road conditions and re-route trucks or identify alternative modes if necessary. During a November 2022 blizzard that brought as much as 6.5 feet of snow to parts of Buffalo, New York, Jeremy Forster, director of logistics at Airlite Plastics Co., relied on supply chain network visibility provided by Shipwell’s TMS.

“As we ship these products and move loads around, we can see in real time everything from weather conditions to road conditions, along with the status and location of all of our trailers,” Forster says. “We’ve been able to see road closures in real time and adjust our planning and routing accordingly.”

“Any time there’s a disaster, being able to act quickly matters,” adds Jason Traff, president and co-founder of Shipwell. “A customer might have to add new carriers or think of new ways to ship goods on the fly. Giving them the tools to toggle between modes in real time is important.”

Magann cautions that technology can’t always keep up with highway conditions that change quickly. When his company was delivering generators to the North Carolina coast after Hurricane Matthew in 2016, drivers relying on GPS routes were frequently halted by flooding, barricades, debris, and law enforcement.

“We ended up driving at least 300 miles out of route on that trip,” he recalls. “It was like a giant maze with multiple ways to get there, but you didn’t know which ones were open and which ones weren’t.”

4. Pre-Position Merchandise and Assets.

Pre-positioning during disaster preparation can be tricky—and sometimes near impossible. Place inventory too close and it could get destroyed by the disaster cell.

It’s enough of an issue that Campbell and colleague Philip Jones created a cost model that can be used to select the single best supply point location from a set of choices. The model described in their journal article, Prepositioning Supplies in Preparation for Disasters, can also be embedded within existing location algorithms to choose multiple supply points.

But even with the best planning, pre-positioning isn’t always possible. “The challenge that we ran into with some recent storms is that they form rapidly. Hurricane Ida that went through Louisiana in 2021 made landfall within 24 hours after intensifying, so it’s hard to pre-stage when something pops up that quickly,” says Kathy Fulton, executive director of the American Logistics Aid Network (see sidebar).

Mercy Chefs expedites its response by positioning its six mobile kitchens in Virginia, California, Oklahoma, Texas, Alabama, and Tennessee so they’re close to predictable disaster zones. The nonprofit also uses a recently acquired 30,000-square-foot warehouse near Huntsville as a deployment base for non-perishable supplies that include to-go containers and plastic utensil packets.

5. Be Flexible.

Relief providers know to expect the unexpected, even in the sky. Drones are a newer resource helping companies deliver much-needed supplies to disaster areas.

In Swoop Aero’s home country of Australia, the drone logistics network provider responded to flooding caused by record-setting rainfall amounts by setting up a pharmaceutical delivery network so people cut off by water could still receive critical medications.

“As we continue to experience worsening climate conditions, the need for this type of disaster response will increase,” says Eric Peck, CEO of Swoop Aero.

Working with UNICEF, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and other organizations, the company’s drone network also aids in search-and-rescue missions and monitors disaster area transportation route conditions around the world.

“With emergency management specifically, we provide updated data and situational awareness to decision-makers for the disaster scenario,” Peck says. “That could be a live video of a flood zone or a high-definition survey of the disaster area to understand what’s happening and to help make damage assessments post-disaster.”

Sometimes paying attention to what seems like something small can make a big difference, too.

For example, rather than route trucks to shopping centers or other types of parking lots large enough for tractor trailers, Magann looks for city parks. That’s because they’re more likely to have shade trees that provide drivers and others with relief from the sun and heat.

Most will have picnic tables, too. “A picnic table turns into an office instantly in the field,” he says. “You can easily have a conference with six people around them.”

6. Put Safety First.

Experts agree that safety is always the first consideration when transporting disaster relief supplies. For The Home Depot, that’s especially critical when moving merchandise into a region before a storm strikes.

“The moves are highly orchestrated, and a lot of thought goes into delivering that product in time and safely,” says Larkin. “We don’t want one of our transportation partners to be unable to return out of a market because the winds suddenly picked up and we didn’t plan for that.”

The retailer follows the same process when returning to the storm region with post-strike merchandise.

Driver and asset safety is the top priority for Magann’s 3PL, too. “We don’t want to be a headline ourselves,” he says. “We want to protect the driver, the product, and the driver’s truck.”

7. Collaborate.

One of the worst things well-intended organizations can do is “self-deploy” to a disaster zone. “When a disaster happens, there’s a lot of confusion,” Fulton says. “When people self-deploy and don’t coordinate their activities, there’s duplication of effort that can drain resources other groups have counted on.”

The best approach is to contact your industry association for information about how to help. “For example, a lot of grocery stores are members of FMI, The Food Industry Association,” Fulton says. “FMI does an incredible job of making sure that members are aware of what’s happening, communicating what’s needed for those who want to help, and getting recovery information to members in the disaster region.”

Disaster relief transportation is fraught with challenges, but for many, delivering relief communities need brings intangible rewards. “There is nothing more gratifying for us in the face of those storms and tragedies than to know that we did everything we could do to take care of our customers and communities,” says Larkin.

Align With ALAN

The American Logistics Aid Network—ALAN—is a collaboration of logistics industry associations formed in 2005 to provide donated supply chain assistance to disaster relief organizations and other nonprofits. It coordinates logistics, provides education, and builds cross-sector relationships before, during, and after disasters in a way that delivers relief as quickly as possible.

From its headquarters in Florida, ALAN works behind the scenes before a storm strikes, communicating with government and industry partners, reviewing the infrastructure and industries that are likely to be affected, and checking with nonprofit networks to determine what logistics resources they expect to need. After disaster strikes, it helps coordinate industry relief efforts, including connecting humanitarian organizations with critical contributions of transportation, material handling equipment, warehousing, or logistics supplies.

“ALAN is about trying to democratize logistics access for nonprofits, regardless of their size,” says Kathy Fulton, ALAN’s executive director. “They don’t have to be a huge machine in order to request support from us. In fact, most of the groups we hear from are small and mid-sized nonprofits that don’t have their own logistics staff.”

Companies interested in helping deliver relief to disaster areas can work through their trade associations or view the options in the How to Help section of the ALAN website at alanaid.org.

Contents:

1. The reasons and effects of the global food crisis
2. How can technologies contribute to sustainable agriculture?
3. Drone applications in agriculture
4. Food supply chain disruptions
5. Forecast of the food crisis for 2022
6. Humanitarian crises in developing countries: how to optimize logistics and reduce transportation costs
7. Conclusion: simulation is an instrument for agricultural sector improvement and cost reduction

Overview

In this article, we will demonstrate how technologies such as simulation software enable companies and governments to find the solutions to mitigate supply chain disruptions and the effects of crises.

The reasons and effects of the global food crisis

As we see, geopolitical and economic crises in 2022 have caused a rapid increase in food prices. Also, the global political situation has influenced the significant supply shortages of key commodity crops, such as wheat, corn, and oil seeds around the world.

As Ukraine and Russia together, in 2021, exported 33% of the world’s wheat, 27% of barley, and 73% of the world’s sunflower oil (GRFC 2022), the instability from the Ukraine–Russia conflict affects the global food supply. This has created major uncertainties regarding the production and export capacities of agricultural products from Ukraine due to widespread infrastructure destruction. Severe repercussions are expected at the regional and global level, as many food-crisis countries depend on imports for staple food supplies and fertilizers.

Disruptions to natural gas and fertilizer markets will have a negative impact on production at the global level, especially at the beginning of a new planting season for many parts of the world. Limited availability or shortages of fertilizers are likely to reduce crop yields and result in poor local harvests, particularly in developing countries.

Supply chain disruptions and logistics challenges have caused price increases in fertilizer. The Russian Federation stood as the world’s top exporter of nitrogen fertilizers, the second leading supplier of potassium fertilizers, and the third largest exporter of phosphorous fertilizers (FAO, March 2022). It affects food production as well.

Rising prices for basic food items have already fueled protests in countries around the world, including Argentina, Indonesia, and Greece (Reuters).

In addition, the geopolitical situation has led to fuel price increases. A rise in fuel and transport prices has further increased the complexity of food distribution.

Many food-crisis countries, such as Middle Eastern, northern and sub-Saharan African, as well as South Asian countries, are reliant on wheat imports from Russia and Ukraine. According to the Global Report on Food Crises – 2022, in the event of an extended disruption to food imports from Ukraine and Russia, price increases are expected in food-crisis countries/territories.

Food-crisis countries

Macroeconomics, weather shocks and food supply chain disruptions may intensify and prolong acute food insecurity conditions.

How can technologies contribute to sustainable agriculture?

Major food crises make farming innovation essential. The use of technology and technological innovation can improve the efficiency and output of agricultural processes. There are a lot of technologies that can be implemented with agritech investment.

The utilization of digital technology in agriculture may be transformative. People can use technology to be more accurate in the application of the fertilizer in the field. Increasing the efficiency of fertilizer use might help farmers deal with challenges that they are facing today. It will enable farmers to have good cropping seasons in future. Technologies could be applied from large to small farms.

Drone applications in agriculture

The proper use of drones for farming increases its efficiency and profitability. Drone deployment in the agricultural sector is useful for many tasks such as:

• GIS mapping
• Weed detection
• Crop health monitoring
• Harvest planning
• Storage security and monitoring
• Spraying pesticides and fertilizers

Efficient drone application in agriculture

For example, one of the Indian drone-based service providers used drones for spraying fields. For effective use of drones, consulting company BlueKei Solutions simulated with AnyLogic different scenarios of drone deployment.

The simulation modeling allowed the service provider to find out the number of drones needed without having wasteful redundancies. By using AnyLogic software for planning, the service provider can produce better crop yields. Find out more about using simulation modeling for efficient drone application in agriculture in the case study.

Food supply chain disruptions

Besides food production issues, there are a lot of logistics challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the continuation of sanctions. These factors have significantly influenced food supply chains around the world and disrupted distribution channels at the consumption and distribution stages of the food industry.

Let us look at another example of technology application in the agricultural sector. In previous years, one of the world’s leading manufacturers and exporters of sunflower oil and provider of agricultural products from Ukraine faced challenges in planning, harvesting, and transportation of agro-products.

To analyze logistics operations and perform logistics network optimization in a risk-free environment to avoid extra costs the company used simulation modeling. The developed model helped optimize logistics operations and determine cost-optimized supply chain configuration.

For more details, read the case study on planning agro-industrial logistics with simulation software.

Forecast of the food crisis for 2022

The 2022 Global Report on food crises emphasizes the acute food insecurity in 2021 and alarmingly high levels of hunger in numerous food-crisis countries.

In 2021, around 193 million people or equivalent in 53 countries/territories were in crisis and in need of urgent assistance. This was an increase of nearly 40 million people from 2020. Major increases were reported in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Pakistan, Yemen, Angola, and Somalia. This was a result of intensified conflict, significant economic shocks, and some of the most severe weather extremes in recent years.

Forecast of the food crisis in 2022

As was reported in GRFC 2022, between 179 and 181.1 million people in 41 out of the 53 countries/territories were projected to be in crisis or worse in 2022. Around 329 000 people will likely face catastrophe in Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen.

In addition, the impact of the protracted geopolitical conflict is expected to have severe consequences for food security outcomes.

Countries/territories forecast to be in crisis in 2022

Humanitarian crises in developing countries: how to optimize logistics networks and reduce transportation costs

Logistics optimization is necessary for urgent and less expensive transportation to provide emergency responses for developing countries, such as Indonesia, with a poor logistics infrastructure.

One of the leading humanitarian organizations that builds logistics capabilities to cope with humanitarian crises faced a supply network design challenge. To address this challenge the anyLogistix (ALX) platform was chosen.

Using anyLogistix the optimal configuration for a supply network was defined. Also, the most appropriate locations and optimal flows across the nodes were selected. By focusing on network optimization, the capabilities were improved to cope with disasters. ALX Network Optimization allowed transportation costs to be reduced by 28%. Read more and look at the supply chain model in the case study on logistics network optimization for disaster management in Indonesia.

Conclusion: simulation is an instrument for agricultural sector improvement and cost reduction

Thus, the geopolitical, economic, and climate crises provoked the supply shortages, food and fertilizer price increases, and supply chains disruptions in the agricultural sector. To deal with the shortages of food supplies and increases in food prices, well-developed and developing countries will need to adopt innovative simulation technologies for agriculture and logistics.

Simulation software can help mitigate the effects of disruptions in food supply chains, optimize logistics operations, and produce better crop yields. These are important steps for sustainable agriculture, global hunger decrease, and the improvement of people’s well-being across the world.

Good Works

• Flood victims in KwaZulu-Natal, a coastal South African province, received a donation of more than 400 pairs of shoes from Bolloré Logistics USA. Bolloré partnered with Boots for Africa and sponsored the donation’s transportation and logistics requirements.

Up the Chain

• Long-term Target executive Gretchen McCarthy was named the retailer’s executive vice president and chief supply chain and logistics officer. McCarthy has held a wide range of leadership roles across the company, in supply chain transformation, merchandise planning, and buying.
• Tamera Fenske was appointed Kimberly-Clark’s chief supply chain officer with global responsibilities for procurement, manufacturing, logistics, transportation, safety, and sustainability. Most recently, Fenske served as senior vice president of manufacturing and supply chain for 3M Company.
• Metro Supply Chain tapped Chris Fenton as president and CEO. Previously, Fenton served as managing director and executive team member at Wincanton Plc, a UK supply chain solutions company.

Sealed Deals

• Global athletic brand Puma deployed Manhattan Associates’ WMS at its largest distribution center in China, an approximately 753,000-square-foot facility in Taicang, Jiangsu Province.
• WEG, which manufactures around 19 million electrical motors annually, selected Logility’s Digital Supply Chain Platform to support its global supply network management. WEG chose Logility’s demand planning tool to support inventory replenishment in its U.S. distribution business.
• Valvoline selected OMP’s Unison Planning to drive business transformation. OMP will assist Valvoline with tools to streamline decision-making cycles, increase supply chain visibility, and predict demand more precisely.
• Confluent Medical Technologies, which designs, develops, and manufactures medical devices, now uses the Kinaxis RapidResponse platform to improve planning accuracy and inventory management.
• Parts Town, a global distributor of OEM parts for the foodservice industry, debuted a pilot program with Uber Technologies to provide two-hour, last-mile delivery service to Chicago-area foodservice operators and service technicians.
• Global construction engineering company Aegion selected Ivalua’s cloud-based spend management solution to help digitally transform its procurement and supply chain operations.
• WINIT, a Chinese cross-border warehouse operator, partnered with robotic systems manufacturer HAI Robotics to deploy around 100 robots to help pick and sort at WINIT’s approximately 322,000-square-foot warehouse near Birmingham, England.

M&A

• To strengthen its presence in Mexico and expand temperature-controlled storage and transportation infrastructure, DHL Supply Chain acquired pharmaceutical and healthcare logistics specialist NTA-New Transport Applications.
• Transportation and logistics firm GEODIS acquired Need It Now Delivers to increase its U.S. contract logistics and last-mile delivery capabilities.
• Asset-based pallet management services provider PLA acquired TaylorMade Pallets & Logistics, a family-owned provider of new, recycled, remanufactured, and custom-sized pallets.
• Heartland Express announced a $525-million deal to acquire from TFI International its Contract Freighters non-dedicated U.S. dry van and temperature-controlled truckload business and CFI Logistica operations in Mexico.
• RoadOne IntermodaLogistics is growing its national footprint with two acquisitions: Wilmac Enterprises, a domestic intermodal and drayage company in Fort Worth, Texas, and R&A Trucking Company based in Oakland, California.
• Charlotte-based third-party logistics brokerage HTL Freight acquired Illinois-based 3PL ATTS Logistics to expand its less-than-truckload offering.

Recognition

• CFI won the 2021 Best in Cargo Security Award, large motor carrier category, from CargoNet Group. CargoNet cited CFI for overall exemplary performance, lauding its security and fraud prevention program that uses machine learning algorithms and predictive analytics to identify and anticipate cargo theft threats.
• Schneider was recognized by Forbes as a Best Employer for Women in 2022. Determined by an independent survey from a sample of 50,000 U.S. employees—30,000 of whom are women—the honor validates Schneider’s commitment to workforce diversity. Women make up 10% of Schneider’s drivers and 41% of leadership roles across the organization.

Green Seeds

• Renault Trucks opened a used parts factory in Vénissieux, France, where the company will dismantle trucks and reuse parts. To reduce its natural resource usage and the environmental impact of its fleet, the company is transitioning to a circular-economy approach.
• Lufthansa Cargo now uses a new, thinner type of film consisting of 10% recycled plastic. The company also set a goal to increase the recycled content of its plastic film to 30% by 2025.
• As part of its commitment to tackling climate change, Cathay Pacific extended its Fly Greener program to air cargo services. A carbon-offset program powered by an integrated carbon emissions calculator, Fly Greener enables shippers to purchase carbon offsets via their air waybill number.
• To accelerate its energy transition and achieve net-zero carbon by 2050, CMA CGM Group launched a $1.5-billion Special Fund for Energies. The fund helps support industrial production of new fuels and low-emission mobility solutions to be used across the group’s maritime, land and air freight, port, and logistics services units.

Logistics Plus operates an office in Western Ukraine. As soon as the war began, the company set up operations in Poland and started moving humanitarian aid and goods into the country. It brought in employees from around the world who learned how to navigate complex border issues inherent during wartime. By taking some unconventional steps, such as working with air carriers not traditionally known for freight capabilities, Ostapyak says Logistics Plus was able to outperform many of its larger competitors.

“A lot of this can be achieved with just good communication,” says Ostapyak. “We always treat our vendors, customers, and people the same. That’s helped us build trust and long term relationships”

Logistics Plus’ response to the war in Ukraine has gone beyond normal business operations. The company spearheads fundraising programs and collects donations at its warehouses for Ukrainian refugees.

“It’s been great, for me personally, to see the outpouring of support of the entire U.S. community,” says Ostapyak. “People in Ukraine know that the world is behind them. They don’t feel like they’re alone on an island where nobody else cares.”

Find out how Logistics Plus navigates through a series of game changing disruptions. Listen to the Inbound Logistics Podcast to hear the compelling story.

When you think about it, it’s incredibly funny, because when bad things happen, the first people we think of as being essential are doctors . . . and nurses, firefighters, or other types of first responders. And yet, as that notable blank indicates, other skill sets are often just as important.

As evidence, consider the capabilities and assets that logistics professionals bring to the table, especially during times like hurricane season. In fact, if Doctor McCoy were still practicing today, it wouldn’t surprise me to see him completing his catchphrase in one or more of the following ways.

Darn it Jim, I’m a doctor, not a trucking company.

After disasters hit, a big part of relief organizations’ job is to get critically needed items like food, hydration, and medical supplies to impacted areas as quickly as possible. The only problem is there are a lot of other public and private entities that are usually trying to rush their own items there at the same time. (Of course I probably don’t have to tell you that, because you’re often the ones tasked with replenishing depleted grocery store shelves.)

This can make timely and inexpensive trucking space difficult to come by, particularly for non-profit organizations.

Whether you can spare just enough room to transport a few pallets of bottled water a few states away or you’re willing to lend a few box trucks and drivers to a non-profit organization for a few days at a time, I strongly encourage you to consider offering some form of transportation up free of charge. Your generous offer will be much-appreciated—and in most cases, immediately put to use.

Darn it Jim, I’m a doctor, not a warehousing company/3PL.

Although many relief organizations operate distribution centers of their own, they almost always need extra places to store and stage the vast amount of cargo they’re sending to disaster-impacted areas.

If your company operates a DC near a place that’s been hard hit by a flood, fire, or other event, think about donating a bit of that space so that non-profit groups can use it to pre-position or cross-dock supplies. Ditto if you have a DC that’s located anywhere else, because sometimes corporations donate items that originate far away from disaster zones—and that may need to be stored for a few weeks or months until they’re needed.

Darn it Jim, I’m a doctor, not a forklift owner or forklift operator.

Where would we be without food banks that operate year-round to fight the everyday disaster of hunger? And where would they be without some of the materials handling equipment that enables them to more efficiently process the deluge of incoming goods following a disaster?

A short-term loan of an item like one of your DCs’ pallet jacks or forklifts could be a life-saver to a relief organization that’s operating in a hurricane-ravaged town. So could supplying a qualified driver who can operate it.

Darn it Jim, I’m a doctor, not a logistics professional.

Experts estimate that logistics accounts for as much as 80% of humanitarian organizations’ overall cost during disasters—and that as much as 40% of that goes to waste. And it’s not hard to see why, because most disasters usually don’t provide a lot of advance warning. And even those that do (like hurricanes) have a pesky way of making last-minute changes to their itineraries. As a result, most non-profit organizations have to plan at least a portion of their disaster shipments on the fly, all while contending with worst-case conditions like flooded roads, dangerous debris, damaged railways, or closed ports.

Your company can help offset some of this inefficiency by being willing to lend your expertise to these non-profit organizations. Just as important, you can help by temporarily being willing to team up with other organizations like yours—including competitors—so that disaster-impacted areas can get to a place of supply chain recovery sooner.

Such collaboration goes a long way toward rapid problem-solving—and enabling everyone to avoid duplication of effort.

Darn it Jim, I don’t have any more room in this article.

There’s a lot more I could say about this subject, including how important supply chain volunteerism is, why a box is often more than just a box (especially when it helps to organize donated supplies) and why one of the best ways your company can help is by encouraging all of your employees to have a personal disaster plan in place—and making their safety your top priority.

But for now, suffice it to say that, while you may not come complete with a warp drive, replicator, or teleporter, you and other supply chain professionals like you already have many of the qualities it takes to boldly go and make a positive difference. Because as we often like to say here at ALAN, good logistics really does have the power to save lives.

In other words, thank heavens you’re not a doctor.

Kathy Fulton is executive director of the American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN). Founded in 2005 in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, ALAN is a philanthropic, industry-wide organization that provides free logistics assistance to disaster relief organizations before, during, and after catastrophic events. It does this by bringing the expertise and resources of the logistics industry together with humanitarian organizations so that help can arrive sooner, and each relief dollar can be maximized. Over the years it has coordinated compassionate supply chain services for numerous natural disasters including hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes, and floods. To learn more visit www.alanaid.org

• Maersk will add 300 electric trucks to its North America network—the largest heavy-duty electric truck deployment to date. The trucks will be delivered between 2023 and 2025 for use by Performance Team, Maersk’s North American warehousing, distribution, and transportation business. The trucks will be operated using technology company Einride’s digital road freight operating system and charging solutions.
• The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) aims to reduce carbon emissions across all facilities and become net zero by 2031, coinciding with its 75th anniversary. Its agenda focuses on 100% of the greenhouse gas emissions directly controlled by Massport-owned facilities, equipment, and purchased electricity.
• To increase traceability and transparency in its global palm oil supply chain, Unilever launched a pilot program of the GreenToken by SAP solution. Aiming to achieve sustainability benchmarks, Unilever applied GreenToken to source more than 188,000 tons of palm oil fruit through a pilot program conducted in Indonesia. The solution helps Unilever track, verify, and report the palm oil supply chain in near real time.

Up the Chain

• General Motors named Jeffrey Morrison vice president, global purchasing and supply chain. In this role, he will develop supplier relationships and help the company accelerate electric vehicle (EV) launches, building a scalable and sustainable EV supply chain.
• Outdoor specialty retailer Sportsman’s Warehouse Holdings appointed Tom Clement as vice president, supply chain/omnichannel operations. In this newly created role, he leads the company’s distribution, transportation, planning/allocation, and omnichannel operations.

M & A

• Veho, a technology company that enables next-day package delivery, acquired reverse logistics startup QuikReturn. Veho plans to accelerate the Veho Returns product and expand into 50 U.S. markets by the end of 2022.
• Deutsche Post DHL Group closed the acquisition of J.F. Hillebrand Group AG (Hillebrand) and its subsidiaries. Hillebrand is now part of DHL Global Forwarding, Freight.
• AFS Logistics acquired DTA Services, a freight bill audit, cost allocation, and analytics firm located in Toronto. DTA will continue serving clients under its established brand as an AFS operating company and will maintain its current team, service offering, and location.
• Dayton Freight Lines, a provider of regional less-than-truckload transportation services, purchased the cartage division of Valley Companies. Dayton Freight acquired Valley assets including service centers, trucks, and miscellaneous equipment; Valley Logistics and Warehousing is not part of the purchase.
• Zebra Technologies plans to acquire Matrox Imaging, a developer of advanced machine vision components and systems, to expand its offerings in the automation and vision technology solution space.
• Lineage Logistics acquired MTC Logistics, a cold chain provider with four locations on or near the ports of Baltimore, Maryland; Wilmington, Delaware; and Mobile, Alabama. Through the acquisition of these facilities, Lineage adds nearly 38 million cubic feet of capacity and more than 113,000 pallet positions in the United States.

Sealed Deals

• Republic National Distributing Company, a wholesale beverage alcohol distributor, selected Manhattan Active Warehouse Management to run its growing supply chain network. The distributor selected the cloud-native solution from Manhattan Associates so it could focus on customer service and plans to roll it out in its distribution centers across North America over the next 30 months.
• Consumer goods company Orkla chose HICX, a supplier management platform, to manage its increasingly complex supplier ecosystem and onboard new suppliers with as little operational disruption as possible. Orkla aims to remove friction points from supplier relationships and enable a single version of truth across all supplier data.
• Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, a distributor of beverage alcohol, selected Ryder System to restructure its inbound transportation and implement its visibility and collaborative logistics technology RyderShare. The distributor aims to make its inbound supply chain more efficient and resilient, in order to get its suppliers’ products to market even faster.

Good Works

• The CMA CGM Foundation provided humanitarian supplies to Ukrainian civilians in partnership with the CDCS (Crisis and Support Centre of the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs). The CMA CGM Foundation completed an emergency shipment of 55 tons of humanitarian supplies, including food, tents, and medical equipment, via a cargo plane from Paris to Warsaw, Poland.
• The Trucking Cares Foundation donated more than $40,000 to three organizations involved in Ukrainian humanitarian relief efforts: Save the Children, the International Red Cross, and the United Nations Children’s Fund. These organizations were recommended by the group Trucking & Logistics Professionals for Ukraine, which launched a fundraising and awareness campaign in response to the crisis.
• Union Pacific donated $500,000 to humanitarian relief for Ukraine, its largest-ever corporate disaster relief donation. The funds will be divided between the American Red Cross and Save the Children and come after UP employees drove nearly $50,000 in matching donations from the company earlier in the year.

Recognition

• EnerSys, a provider of stored energy solutions, earned the 2022 Most Valuable Supplier (MVS) Award from the Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association (MHEDA). Every year, MHEDA recognizes fewer than 10% of all member companies with the MVS Award to acknowledge suppliers that have demonstrated commitment to their dealer network, employees, and the community.
• Roadrunner, a less-than-truckload (LTL) carrier, was recognized by Amazon with the On-Time Pickup Performance Award and the EDI Compliance Award. Roadrunner outperformed Amazon LTL carriers with a best-in-class on-time pickup rate and nabbed the second award with its efficient transmission of confidential data via EDI.
• Leonard’s Express, a provider of refrigerated trucking, dry van, warehousing, and freight brokerage services, won the Trucking Association of New York’s (TANY) Fleet Safety Award in the large-class, general commodities truckload category. The TANY Fleet Safety Awards recognize member fleets with the best record of safe operation in New York State.

Shovel Ready

• The Canaveral Port Authority broke ground on a $48-million project to rebuild Port Canaveral’s North Cargo Berth 3. Built in 1976, North Cargo Berth 3 has been out of service since 2014. Demolition of the existing pier began in December 2021; it will be replaced with an 880-foot-long multipurpose wharf with the channel width to accommodate larger cargo vessels simultaneously at berth.

• • Sunset Transportation volunteers worked with the Greater St. Louis Area Boy Scouts, scout leaders, and parents to execute Scouting for Food, the largest one-day food drive in the United States. The 2021 event was the most successful since 2016, collecting 653,026 pounds of donated food in one day.
  • SEKO Logistics is partnering with retail services client Buyer Connected to launch a new logistics training program to create employment opportunities for previously incarcerated men and women in Atlanta, Georgia, as part of the not-for-profit City of Refuge initiative. The two-week program helps recently released, non-violent offenders re-enter the workplace and begin successful careers.
  • Realterm’s Europe Logistics Fund facilitated the donation of 86 decommissioned solar panels to Paam Laafi Hospital in West Africa, which houses 120 beds for patient care. Local power is expensive and unreliable, occasionally going out for more than 24 hours. Given the sun-drenched terrain, solar energy is an efficient and stable way to provide power to the hospital.

• Lineage Logistics launched the Lineage Foundation for Good, an independent nonprofit aimed at reducing food waste and fighting food insecurity. About 30% of temperature-controlled food products in the United States travel through the Lineage warehouse network, allowing the company to identify and facilitate donations of items that may have gone to waste.
• When many Afghan refugees were taken to the Dulles Expo Center in Virginia for quarantine and processing, area residents dropped off donations of clothing, diapers, and other essentials. The American Trucking Associations helped deliver the donations where they were needed as the refugees relocated to U.S. military bases.
• Along with other landmarks around the globe, a ZIM Qingdao container ship displayed purple lights while docked in the Port of Haifa, Israel, to help create global awareness for the International Day for Persons with Disabilities.

Recognition

• Logistics company ArcBest and its chief executive officer Judy R. McReynolds have been recognized by brand reputation platform Comparably. ArcBest received the Best Company for Women award, which is chosen based on feedback from female employees, and McReynolds earned the Best CEO award.
• Arlin Keck, an engineer at Steel King Industries, a manufacturer of storage rack and materials handling products, has received the Material Handling Education Foundation’s Exceptional Contribution Award. The award honors Keck’s extraordinary contributions to engineering standards for storage materials across the industry.
• The Containerization & Intermodal Institute presented the 2021 Connie Award to Eugene D. Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, for leading the port’s response to the pandemic and keeping cargo flowing as an essential service.
• Global logistics company Ascent was named a top-performing supplier at Ford’s World Excellence Awards in the Create Must-Have Products category for providing excellent just-in-time services during 2021’s disruption.

Sealed Deals

• Athletic performance brand Under Armour is rolling out Nedap’s iD Cloud inventory visibility platform throughout 400 of its owned and operated stores across the globe. The goal is to achieve accurate stock visibility in its retail stores, optimizing item availability and enhancing real-time inventory visibility.
• Beauty retailer Sephora selected same-day delivery platform Delivery Solutions to enable on-demand fulfillment for online shoppers in the United States and Canada. The platform provides access to a network of same-day delivery providers, including independent contractors and major parcel delivery services. It also provides e-commerce delivery intelligence while consumers browse, post-purchase tracking, and communication.
• E2open and automotive manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover expanded their multi-year partnership to help address supply chain issues in the automotive industry. In addition to E2open’s multi-enterprise inventory optimization, Jaguar Land Rover will benefit from its unified platform to optimize safety stocks and improve collaboration, supply chain performance, and stability for suppliers.
• Vestas’ wind farms across the United States and Canada will be managed by Hellmann Worldwide Logistics, operating from a new 130,000-square-foot warehouse in Houston, Texas. Hellmann will manage the time-critical supply of spare parts and components, including inventory management, kitting, and load consolidation as well as pick, pack, and ship operations.
• Master Electronics, a global distributor of electronics components, will deploy Swisslog’s warehouse automation solution to streamline fulfillment in its existing warehouse. The system brings together AutoStore and picking stations, optimized by Swisslog’s SynQ software. Its bins are electrostatic discharge compliant to protect Master’s sensitive inventory from static electric discharge.
• Healthcare company Roche Pharma France selected Arvato Supply Chain Solutions as its logistics service provider. Arvato will handle warehousing and fulfillment as well as the distribution of pharmaceutical products throughout France, including the French overseas territories. Its solution covers all pharmaceutical logistics requirements in both ambient and cold temperature ranges.

Up the Chain

• Beyond Meat hired Doug Ramsey, who oversaw Tyson’s poultry and McDonald’s businesses, as its chief operations officer and Bernie Adcock as its chief supply chain officer. The two 30-year Tyson Foods veterans will help Beyond Meat expand into retail and food service in the United States and abroad.
• ShipBob hired Harshal Wanjari as its chief technology officer. Harshal brings more than 20 years of experience in product development leadership roles, spending the past nine years at Amazon, including Amazon Grocery and Amazon Middle Mile Logistics.
• Household appliance e-commerce company Goedeker appointed Mike Barry as its director of home delivery. Barry comes to Goedeker with more than two decades of experience building and managing supply chain, transportation, and distribution operations, holding senior roles at several logistics companies such as Pilot Furniture Direct and Last Mile Home.

Shovel Ready

• Walmart plans to open its first fulfillment center in Salt Lake City, Utah, to support its growing e-commerce fulfillment network. The 1 million-square-foot facility, set to open in 2022, will fulfill online orders and add more capacity to the retailer’s supply chain.
• Toyota is opening an automotive battery plant in North Carolina’s Greensboro-Randolph megasite. The manufacturing plant, set to open in 2025, will have four production lines, each capable of delivering enough lithium-ion batteries for 200,000 hybrid and electric vehicles.
• Elkay, a manufacturer of sinks, faucets, bottle-filling stations, and drinking fountains, is opening a new distribution facility in Lumberton, North Carolina. The 387,302-square-foot custom site will help grow the company’s global manufacturing and distribution network.

M & A

• Dedicated transportation and fleet management company Ryder System entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Whiplash, a national provider of omnichannel fulfillment and logistics services.
• 3PL Central, a cloud-based logistics technology company for third-party logistics warehouses and brands, acquired CIO Technologies and its CartRover e-commerce integration tool.
• The North American Chassis Pool Cooperative acquired the Pratt Industries Intermodal line of business.
• Knight-Swift acquired trucking company MME and its subsidiaries, which operate under the brand names Midwest Motor Express and Midnite Express.
• Quantix, a portfolio company of Wind Point Partners, acquired Delaware Express, a provider of dry and liquid bulk transportation services.
• Global port group PSA International signed an agreement to acquire BDP International, a global provider of logistics and transportation solutions.
• DispatchTrack, a global last-mile logistics software-as-a-service platform, acquired Beetrack, a Latin American route-planning software company.
• Transportation and bulk logistics company Groendyke Transport signed an agreement to acquire all the tank truck assets of Georgia Tank Lines.
• CMA CGM Group agreed to acquire most of Ingram Micro’s commerce and life cycle services, including Shipwire and its logistics businesses in North America, Europe, Latin America, and Asia-Pacific.
• TFI International, a transportation and logistics company, acquired D&D Sexton, a refrigerated transportation company based in Missouri.

Green Seeds

• U.S. Steel, Norfolk Southern, and The Greenbrier Companies are creating a sustainable steel gondola railcar, which transports loose bulk material. Using a formula for lighter-weight steel developed by U.S. Steel, each gondola’s weight decreases by up to 15,000 pounds. Norfolk Southern will acquire 800 of the Greenbrier-engineered gondolas.
• Canadian National Railway (CN) was recognized by global environmental non-profit CDP for its leadership in corporate sustainability, including its actions to cut emissions, mitigate climate risks, and develop the low-carbon economy. CN is one of 200 high-performing companies to make the A list of nearly 12,000 companies.
• Crowley has committed to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, reducing overall emissions by 4.2 million metric tons of greenhouse gases per year. Crowley and Salesforce co-developed a greenhouse gas emissions monitoring platform that provides benchmarking, transparency, and custom disclosures.
• The Rhenus Group, a global logistics service provider, will neutralize the carbon emissions of all its less-than-containerload products by 2030. In 2022, cargo shipped with the Rhenus Consolidation Box out of Hilden Gateway will be carbon neutral. The service will gradually roll out through all Rhenus gateways worldwide.
• Deutsche Post DHL Group introduced a global DHL Green Carrier Certification to reward road transport subcontractors for their efforts to become more sustainable. The company aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to below 29 million tons by 2030 and net-zero by 2050.

Milestones

• • UPS has delivered one billion doses of the COVID-19 vaccine worldwide with a 99.9% on-time rate. The company trains governments of Covax nations on how to safely store and distribute the vaccine and has made millions of in-kind vaccine deliveries to facilitate equitable distribution to remote and rural areas throughout Africa, South America, Asia, North America, and Europe.

Tucker Company Worldwide, family owned and operated since 1961, celebrates its 60th anniversary. Currently owned by third-generation executives Jeff Tucker and Jim Tucker, the Tucker family has built its reputation as one of the leaders in North American freight transportation.

Consolidated Chassis Management’s Denver Consolidated Chassis Pool (DCCP) celebrates 16 years of providing neutral chassis pool management in the region. Launched to bring all chassis in the area together in a cooperative environment, DCCP was one of the first interoperable gray chassis pools in the United States.

• Participating in the Pink October global breast cancer initiative, Bollore Transport & Logistics provided free screenings to employees in Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, and Italy at partner health centers or in their workplace. The company is also working with Florida Mobile Mammography to offer 3D mammograms to employees.
• Ruan and Bobcat accepted an Outstanding Disability Employer Award from the Minnesota Organization for Habilitation and Rehabilitation for partnering with Rise, a nonprofit that supports people with disabilities. Rise provides two groups of people to work six hours per day at a facility where Ruan houses and distributes thousands of Bobcat parts and products.
• Old Dominion Freight Line is partnering with the United Service Organizations (USO) to support active service members and their families, and provide resources that help service members prepare to transition out of the military. As part of the partnership, Old Dominion will make an annual contribution to the USO.

Shovel Ready

• Walmart plans to open a 1.5 million-square-foot automated fulfillment center in 2023 and a 730,000-square-foot grocery distribution center in 2024 near Dallas-Fort Worth to support its growing supply chain network.
• GE Appliances will invest $450 million at its Appliance Park headquarters and manufacturing site in 2023 to upgrade the facilities, expand capacity, and launch new products.

Green Seeds

• Blue Bottle Coffee aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2024 for its products and packaging, from sourcing to end-of-life emissions. The company reduced emissions in its coffee sourcing, electricity, dairy, and waste, and is scaling regenerative agriculture.
• Dachser will only purchase electricity generated from renewable resources, and will ramp up its in-house renewable energy generation. The freight company will also install photovoltaic systems on its European logistics facilities and office buildings.
• Duke Realty targets carbon neutrality for its operations by 2025 as well as carbon neutrality in line with the Paris Climate Accords by 2040. The company continues to build only energy-efficient facilities.

M&A

• Global supply chain solutions provider AIT Worldwide Logistics agreed to acquire New York-based Select Express & Logistics, a final-mile delivery and assembly services provider for oversized goods.
• Rockwell Automation acquired AVATA, a services provider for supply chain management, enterprise resource planning, and enterprise performance management solutions.
• PS Logistics subsidiary P&S Transportation acquired all transportation assets of JLT Services.
• Uber Freight acquired transportation management software company Transplace.
• Denmark-based A.P. Moller-Maersk will acquire freight forwarder Senator International along with two Boeing aircraft.

Recognition

• Geek+, a global autonomous mobile robot company, received the Supply Chain Excellence Innovation Award 2021 for its robotic sorting solution. The award recognizes companies that excel in their global supply chain operations.
• Penske Logistics received the North America Supplier Award from aluminum rolling and recycling company Novelis. Penske is an essential component of Novelis’ closed-loop aluminum supply chain serving automakers. The award recognizes Penske’s outstanding performance in overall logistics while receiving the best score from Novelis’ key carriers throughout North America in 2020.

Sealed Deals

• Port Manatee is collaborating with Del Monte Fresh Produce to keep the company’s fruit imports coming into the seaport through at least 2026, with options through 2036. Coral Gables, the Florida-based Del Monte unit, will lease Port Manatee’s warehouse facilities through at least August 2026.
• Metapack, an e-commerce delivery technology, was selected to run global shipping and returns services for coffee company Nespresso to enhance its consumer experience. Metapack provides Nespresso with a global standardized suite of products as it streamlines delivery and returns operations. It also removes the complexities around carrier integrations and management.

Up the Chain

• Global philanthropy company Good360 named Susan Brownell as the newest addition to its board of directors. Brownell is an experienced supply chain executive, with a 34-year federal career in the Department of the Navy and the U.S. Postal Service, where she oversaw billions of dollars of inventory. She will help utilize more than 100,000 diverse nonprofit partners and socially responsible companies.
• Seattle-based outdoor retailer REI Co-op hired Cameron Janes as its new senior vice president and first-ever chief commercial officer to help create a seamless physical and digital experience. Janes previously served more than 14 years at Amazon, most recently as a vice president working on the company’s physical retail stores.

Milestones

• Georgia-Pacific, a manufacturer and distributor of consumer packaged goods, is the first company to perform autonomous yard operations in a production environment. Autonomous yard operations provider Outrider completed 1,000 autonomous, zero-emission trailer moves at Georgia-Pacific’s Chicago distribution center.
• On-demand transportation management system and freight audit solution provider Fortigo Collaborative Logistics celebrates its 20th anniversary. Founded by George Kontoravdis in 2001, the company provides on-demand decision-making opportunities for optimal supply chain execution on behalf of large, multinational enterprises operating with unique logistics requirements.

• Through support from Penske Truck Leasing and Lineage Logistics and a $2 million grant from the Darden Restaurants Foundation, Feeding America added refrigerated trucks for 10 food banks to support mobile pantry programs and food distribution for communities in need. Each food bank receives a 26-foot vehicle that can transport 12,000 pounds of food in each trip.
• To support aid efforts following an earthquake, Volga-Dnepr Group organized two charter flights to deliver more than 110 tons of essential cargo, such as tents, water purifiers, mobile kitchens, and general cargo, to Port-au-Prince in Haiti.

Green Seeds

• Performance Team, A Maersk Company, is adding 16 Volvo VNR Electric Class 8 trucks to its transportation fleet, replacing 16 diesel trucks. In addition to zero tailpipe emissions, the trucks improve working conditions for drivers with a quieter cab and by eliminating exposure to diesel fuel and exhaust.
• Odyssey Logistics & Technology’s Odyssey Cloverleaf Program is on target to reduce carbon emissions by more than 300,000 metric tons in 2021. In the program, the company’s sustainability and carrier teams calculate emissions and other metrics, offer recommendations, and employ emerging technologies such as alternative fuel vehicles and IoT-enabled devices to enhance customers’ supply chains.
• CEVA Logistics is offsetting 100% of its less-than-containerload logistics, reducing its customers’ carbon footprint at no additional cost. Through the purchase of carbon credits, the company will contribute to the conservation of the Gola Rainforest National Park in Sierra Leone.

M&A

• TrueCommerce, a supply chain cloud solutions provider, acquired DiCentral, a business-to-business application programming interface solutions provider.
• Logistics automation platform Magaya acquired Qwyk, a cloud-based digital freight forwarder platform, and SimpliShip, a freight marketplace platform.
• Global logistics group Deutsche Post acquired ocean freight forwarder J.F. Hillebrand Group.
• Omnichannel fulfillment solutions provider Whiplash acquired Utah-based 3PL fulfillment provider Enlinx.
• Zebra Technologies intends to acquire antuit.ai, a software-as-a-service solutions provider for the retail and consumer packaged goods industries.
• Global air cargo company Worldwide Flight Services acquired Pinnacle Logistics, a U.S. cargo handling services provider.

Shovel Ready

• Saddle Creek Logistics Services plans to open an 864,000-square-foot distribution center in Fort Worth, Texas, in December 2021. The shared-space facility will help the third-party logistics provider accommodate growth from new and existing clients. The newly constructed building has 40-foot ceilings and 120 dock doors, and can be built out to suit specific client needs.
• The Atkins Group is constructing a warehousing and distribution facility in Decatur, Illinois, in the city’s logistics corridor. The 635,000-square-foot facility will boost the region’s position as an emerging logistics and distribution site. Construction will wrap up in the summer of 2022.

Sealed Deals

• Saysh, a community-centered lifestyle brand for women, is partnering with third-party logistics provider SCI Group to fulfill e-commerce orders for its first sneaker, which sold out via preorders. By fulfilling orders out of its Canadian facilities and shipping directly to consumers in the United States, SCI helps Saysh reduce costs through waived or refunded duties.
• MedZoomer, an on-demand prescription delivery platform, selected Delivery Drivers to help deliver medication from the pharmacy to consumers in less than two hours. Delivery Drivers provides the onboarding, accounting, and risk management services that go into partnering with independent contractors for last-mile deliveries.
• Tesco, a U.K.-based grocery retailer, is partnering with E2open to replace its legacy transportation management system. E2open will help modernize and streamline supply chain processes from procurement to payment and improve Tesco’s stock management, visibility, and transportation execution.

Recognition

• Technology manufacturer Lenovo awarded GEODIS with the Logistics Excellence Award. GEODIS played a key role for the company amid the pandemic, ultimately helping Lenovo navigate surging demand and achieve record-breaking sales in 2021.
• The Containerization & Intermodal Institute honored Eugene D. Seroka, executive director at the Port of Los Angeles, with the 2021 Connie Award in recognition of his leadership throughout the pandemic and contributions to containerization, world trade, and transportation.

Up the Chain

• Port logistics platform EDRAY hired Brett Parker as its chief commercial officer. Parker brings expertise in final-mile importing, drayage, freight brokerage, less-than-truckload, and full truckload as the co-founder and former president of Cargomatic, a digital logistics brokerage.
• AutoScheduler.AI hired Andrew Gibson as its chief technology officer to lead the company’s software development efforts. Gibson brings 25 years of experience as a leader in warehousing, transportation, and data science with Nestle.
• Mars Petcare appointed Ruben Cejudo as vice president of the North American supply chain for its Mars Pet Nutrition North America division. Bringing nearly 30 years of experience, Cejudo most recently served as vice president of supply chain for hair care and deodorants at Unilever.

In Memoriam

• John Ruan III, chairman emeritus at Ruan, died at the age of 78 on September 11, 2021. Beyond his dedication to the Ruan family of companies, he was a strong advocate for the transportation industry and played a significant philanthropic role in Iowa and communities around the country.

• Leonard’s Express adopted a new source of alternative energy for its national fleet of long-haul diesel trucks by using the SPI Energy Reaction System. The system alters the chemistry of combustion by reusing the exhaust gases that are being wasted.
• To reduce pollution and noise disturbance, GEODIS invested in a green fleet for urban delivery in France, ordering 200 compressed natural gas vehicles fueled with biogas. GEODIS chose 107 IVECO Daily and 93 Eurocargo vehicles powered by BioGNV, a fuel that reduces carbon emissions by up to 95%. Performance is the same as a diesel-fueled vehicle.
• Food logistics supplier Quality Custom Distribution will deploy 14 Volvo VNR Electric models in its Southern California last-mile delivery routes. By the end of 2022, the company will have 15 VNR Electric trucks in its fleet. Quality Custom Distribution currently operates a fleet of 700 Class 8 tractors, more than half of which are Volvo VNR and VNL models.
• General Motors will increase spending on electric and autonomous vehicles to $35 billion through 2025 to expand its rollout of electric vehicles and accelerate production of its battery and fuel cell technologies. GM plans to sell more than 1 million electric vehicles annually by 2025.
• Following the successful launch of its carbon reduction option service for less-than-containerload shipments, DHL Global Forwarding expanded the option to full containerload shipments. By 2030, DHL aims to invest $8.3 billion in climate-neutral logistics solutions and cover at least 30% of fuel requirements with sustainable fuels.

Sealed Deals

• Circle K Hong Kong launched 100 Geek+ autonomous mobile robots in its distribution center, which handles deliveries for more than 300 Circle K convenience stores. With products ranging from small everyday items to food, Circle K uses the robots to streamline warehouse operations, ensuring effective daily handling of more than one million products.
• GameByte, a community of 6.5 million gamers, partnered with order fulfillment provider 3PL to expand its e-commerce capabilities. 3PL will provide fulfillment, distribution, and a range of other services for all U.K. orders on GameByte’s website, which sells more than 1,000 products including merchandise, gaming accessories, hardware, consoles, and games.
• Lands’ End selected Manhattan Associates’ supply chain technology solutions to deliver a seamless customer experience for its growing footprint. The casual apparel and home products retailer will implement Manhattan’s transportation management system and warehouse management system in its U.S. distribution centers to drive its uni-channel strategy.
• Kencoa Aerospace, a global aerospace and defense manufacturer, partnered with blockchain solution SyncFab to deliver digital transformation for its clients. Kencoa will utilize the smart contracts technology to optimize end-to-end supply chain compliance and traceability supporting Tier 1 relationships.

M&A

• Phoenix-based third-party logistics solutions provider GlobalTranz acquired TAKTIK Logistics Group, a California-based freight brokerage and logistics company.
• Supply chain visibility technology provider project44 acquired San Francisco-based ClearMetal, an international ocean freight visibility platform.
• Enstructure, a U.S. terminal and logistics provider, entered into an agreement to acquire Patriot Ports, a provider of breakbulk, specialty cargo, and cold storage services.
• Supply chain solutions provider AIT Worldwide Logistics acquired Illinois-based Multimodal International, a licensed U.S. customs broker.
• Tank truck transporter and logistics provider Kenan Advantage Group acquired Ag Trucking, a liquid bulk transporter of food products.
• Refrigerated warehousing company Lineage Logistics acquired Dutch freight company UTI Forwarding, which specializes in transporting temperature-controlled and containerized food products to ports across Europe.
• Panasonic agreed to acquire Blue Yonder, an end-to-end digital fulfillment platform provider.
• Global freight forwarder Gebruder Weiss signed an agreement to acquire transportation services provider Rhenus Bulgaria.

Good Works

• Sky One FZE, a full-service provider for aircraft leasing, charters, and support services, covered the full cost of routing a Boeing 747 freighter transporting 50 tons of COVID-19 relief aid to New Delhi. The delivery of oxygen concentrators, N95 and KN95 masks, and isolation gowns from California’s San Bernardino Airport was coordinated by the not-for-profit Another Joy Foundation.
• Crowley Maritime’s Crowley Cares program donated $25,000 to provide groceries and other wellness initiatives to support military families facing food insecurity in Jacksonville, Florida. The money goes to the First Coast American Heart Association in an alliance with the United Services Organization of Jacksonville.
• Allyn International, a supply chain consulting firm, donated $6,500 to Feeding America. The donation will provide 65,000 meals to families in need. The donation is part of the incentive Allyn International offers to all employees who receive their COVID-19 vaccinations.
• Pelican Products, a manufacturer of protective cases, temperature-controlled packaging solutions, and portable lighting systems, partnered with nonprofit group human-I-T to turn its e-waste into reusable products for underserved communities by holding electronics recycling drives at its locations. Twenty two pallets of technology were donated, resulting in 11,000 pounds of e-waste diverted from landfills.
• Freight forwarder Dimerco transported 75,000 N95 masks and respirators, 15,000 gowns and shields, and 50 boxes of tracheostomy tubes to help India manage its COVID-19 crisis. The company’s New York team partnered with the charity Breath for Humanity to source and donate nearly two tons of medical devices. The supplies were shipped from Philadelphia to Bangalore in collaboration with Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, The Islamic Council of North America, and The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

Recognition

• Old Dominion Freight Line’s executive chairman David Congdon received The Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award, the highest award granted by the office of the governor, for his exemplary service to the state and his community.
• Sam’s Club named third-party logistics provider Kane Logistics its 3PL Partner of the Year for 2020. The award recognizes operational excellence and dedication to customer service. Kane operates three of the retailer’s 17 U.S. distribution centers.
• Dayton Freight Lines received the Transportation Excellence Award from Scotts Miracle-Gro for its superior performance in the regional less-than-truckload category. Mike Cronin, executive vice president (left), and Tom Cronin, president (right), accepted the award.
• Sylvan (Sonny) Holtzman was named a Hall of Fame Inductee by the Center for Urban Transportation Research. Known for his dedication to the transportation industry, Holtzman served in numerous volunteer roles and is the founding chairman of the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority.
• Southeastern Freight Lines was named Transplace 2020 Regional Carrier of the Year based on its overall spend and market share, automation metrics, and feedback in a survey measuring carrier performance.

Shovel Ready

• Northwest Grains International broke ground on a transloading facility in South Carolina to serve agricultural producers. The site will handle containerized soybeans, lumber, logs, peanuts, cotton, cotton seed, and yellow peas through the Port of Charleston via rail-served Inland Port Dillon, and then deliver the products to the Port of Charleston for exporting to overseas markets.
• Tractor Supply Company began construction on its new distribution center in Navarre, Ohio. The 895,000-square-foot facility will service more than 250 Tractor Supply stores at full capacity and is designed to meet high energy efficiency and environmental standards.
• Online home furnishings retailer Wayfair is opening a 1.2 million-square-foot distribution center at MRP Industrial’s Eastgate Logistics Park in Maryland. Its location near Interstate 95 will allow Wayfair to reach one-third of the U.S. population in an overnight drive.
• Kroger opened the first of 20 planned automated warehouses for fulfilling online grocery orders. The 375,000-square-foot Ohio facility uses advanced robotics and automation to enable efficient picking and delivery. More than 1,000 bots move across 3D grids to retrieve products and bring them to pick stations, where they are sorted for delivery.

Up the Chain

• Hillebrand, a logistics services provider for the alcoholic beverage industry, hired Jerry Knight as its director of warehousing in North America. Knight will oversee U.S. trucking operations as well as all warehouses in the United States and Canada. Knight previously directed warehousing and supply chain networks for Gallo, Foley Family Wines/Epic Ventures, and PepsiCo.
• Wen-Parker Logistics, a global freight forwarder, hired Shana Riggs as its new vice president of operations. Riggs previously held key operational roles with BAX Global and Ann Inc., and was vice president of operations at Chico’s.
• Bridge Industrial hired David Aschenbrand as its new vice president of cold storage. Aschenbrand will oversee day-to-day operations and management, serving as a liaison between cold storage users and Bridge’s market officers. He previously served as director at Lineage Logistics.