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alliances: who's sealed a deal

  • Package deal. HK Systems/Irista and Intermec Technologies Corp. have teamed up to deliver RFIDenabled solutions for consumer packaged-goods distributors. With this alliance, HK Systems/Irista and Intermec will collaborate on developing supply chain solutions that help clients achieve improved inventory visibility, greater operational flexibility, more detailed transaction history and improved customer service.
  • Pet project. Working Machines Corp., a company that provides order fulfillment solutions, has announced that Petco Animal Supplies Inc. has improved both picking productivity and order shipment accuracy through the use of its SwiftPIC pick-to-light solution in Petco's Mira Loma, Calif., and Monroe, N.J., distribution centers.
  • No carbo loading on these docks! ProLogis, a provider of distribution facilities and services, has signed a 240,000-square-foot lease agreement with Atkins Nutritionals Inc. at ProLogis Park Greenwood in Atlanta. New York-based Atkins will use the facility to distribute its low-carb diet products to retail outlets.
  • Gone live. Provia Software, a provider of supply chain execution software, has announced that consumer electronics retailer Wireless Retail Inc. has gone live with Provia's ViaWare warehouse management system and ViaView event management and decision-support software products. The systems are currently in use at the company's new 175,000-square-foot national distribution center in Southaven, Miss.
  • Ready for action. Texas Instruments Radio Frequency Identification Systems, which provides radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology, has announced that it has joined the Hardware Action Group of EPCglobal Inc., the group responsible for developing RFID technology standards. TI was one of the first companies to join EPCglobal after its formation in October 2003 as a non-profit joint venture of the standards organizations EAN International and the Uniform Code Council Inc.
  • Daily grind. Diamond Phoenix, a provider of material handling systems, has secured a multi-million dollar contract with Green Mountain Coffee Roasters. Green Mountain chose Diamond Phoenix to design and integrate a state-of-the-art material handling system for its new warehousing and distribution center, which is located in Waterbury, Vt.
  • Ready to party. Forte Industries has completed the implementation phase of a new distribution center for Custom Marketing Services, the third-party warehouse operator for Southern Living At Home, a fast-growing party plan company. The comprehensive plan, design, and build project called for an automated 500,000- square-foot facility located in Calera, Ala.
  • A frozen DC for the frozen tundra. Joining Lambeau Field on the list of Green Bay's chillier spots is a new distribution center and cooler/freezer being built to handle Packerland Packing's finished meat products. Packerland Packing, a division of Smithfield Foods, has signed a contract with Tippmann Group to build the 115,000-square-foot refrigerated/frozen distribution center as an addition to its manufacturing plant.
  • Pouvez-vous m'entendre maintenant? (Can you hear me now?) Intermarché, a leading French retailer, has successfully implemented the VoiceLogistics system from Voxware Inc. at its distribution center in Meung, France.
  • Anything for a buck. FKI Logistex Automation Division has won a contract to automate a new 1.2 million- square-foot distribution center for Dollar Tree Stores Inc. in Joliet, Ill. The project marks the fifth time FKI Logistex Automation Division has automated a Dollar Tree distribution center. Previous installations include sites in Savannah, Ga.; Chesapeake, Va.; Briar Creek, Pa.; and Olive Branch, Miss.
  • Making a pick. Inther Logistics Engineering has recently expanded with the opening of an office in the United States. The new branch is located near Chicago and houses staff responsible for sales and customer support in North America. Headquartered in the Netherlands, Inther is a systems integrator specializing in pick and put to light solutions.
  • Sight and sound. Vocollect, a company that provides voice-directed distribution systems, and Psion Teklogix Inc., which sells solutions for mobile computing and wireless data collection, have signed a reseller partnership agreement. Under the agreement, Psion Teklogix will provide Vocollect's voice-directed distribution system, an integrated solution of Vocollect VoiceLink software and wearable mobile computers, to customers in the automotive, electronics, retail, cold storage, pharmaceutical, third-party logistics and distribution markets

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