- Coffee or tea. Mother Parkers, a supplier of coffees and teas, has implemented new scheduling software from Supply Chain Consultants. The installation at the company's Fort Worth, Texas, facility is designed to improve customer service and reduce overtime.
- The road to Morocco. The Virginia Port Authority has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Tangiers Mediterranean Special Agency signifying the agencies' intent to boost bilateral trade between the ports of Tangier in Morocco and Hampton Roads in Virginia. Located in North Africa, Tangiers is a growing port facility on the Suez trade lane.
- Bought in bulk. Union Pacific has transferred its BulkTainer Service to ChemLogix, a company that provides transportation management and supply chain consulting services to the chemical industry. BulkTainers are intermodal tanks used for the transport of bulk liquids. ChemLogix will now directly service BulkTainer customers, while Union Pacific will continue to provide rail transportation for the BulkTainers.
- Pumped up. VARGO Companies has designed and installed a warehouse management solution for HyTec Automotive, a large supplier of water pumps for automobiles, trucks, marine engines, and other industrial applications. VARGO Integrated Systems also designed and installed conveyors, racking, and other storage systems at HyTec's facility in Columbus, Ohio.
- Mail call. The U.S. Postal Service has contracted with Clayco Inc. to renovate its mail processing and distribution center in Palatine, Ill. The renovation project also includes the construction of a 55,095-square-foot addition to the building, which is located northwest of Chicago. The additional floor space created by the renovations and expansion will enable the company to install a flat sequencing system at the facility.
- A leg up on the competition. DePuy Orthopaedics, a Johnson & Johnson division that supplies orthopedic implants, has incorporated RFID solutions from ODIN technologies into its day-to-day operations. UHF Gen2 DogBone tags are now placed on DePuy products to streamline processes within the company's supply chain.
- Riding the rails. CIT Rail has signed an operating lease agreement for 1,000 covered hopper cars with Canpotex, the world's largest exporter of potash. The 4,275-cubic-foot railcars will transport potash from Canada's Saskatchewan province to the West Coast for global export.
- Sounds good. Harmon International, a manufacturer of audio and infotainment products for the automotive, consumer, and professional markets, has outsourced its warehousing and distribution management to Ryder System. Under the multi-year deal, Ryder will manage two distribution facilities for Harmon in California and Georgia.
- A cut above. Wurttembergische Metallwarenfabrik (WMF), a German producer of high-quality cutlery, cooking utensils, and other household goods, has installed viastore's High Performance Picking System at its distribution center in Geislingen, Germany. The system features six storage and retrieval machines, automatic replenishment capabilities, and a pick-to-light system to increase efficiency and speed up the movement of orders through the DC.
- Cool deal. Lennox International, a maker of heating, cooling, and ventilation equipment, has selected HighJump Software's manufacturing execution system, HighJump Manufacturing Advantage. The software will help Lennox manage its lean production environment at its Marshalltown, Iowa, facility. Lennox says it has plans to roll out the application at 10 additional North American sites.
- Map quest. RedPrairie and Telogis have announced a partnership under which RedPrairie will integrate the Telogis GeoBase software into its transportation and fleet applications. Telogis provides location-based software and services. The agreement will provide RedPrairie's customers with robust map rendering capabilities for more efficient routing and transportation management.
- Wheeling along. Colson Associates has announced that two new businesses, Pemco and Colson Monette, have joined the Colson Group. The Colson Group, which is the world's largest caster group, now consists of 21 businesses worldwide.
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