Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Press releases are provided by companies as is and have not been edited or checked for accuracy. Any queries should be directed to the company issuing the release.

PECO Pallet Partners with Optilogic for Next-Generation Supply Chain Modeling and Optimization

PECO using advanced modeling and cost analysis tools to optimize pallet depot operations, improve network efficiency leading to enhanced customer service and reduced supply chain risks.

PECO Pallet Partners with Optilogic for Next-Generation Supply Chain Modeling and Optimization

ITASCA, IL – FEBRUARY 8, 2023 — PECO Pallet Inc. (PECO), one of North America’s largest providers of rental pallet services, has entered into an agreement with Optilogic, which provides supply chain design and modeling solutions that combine powerful optimization, simulation, and risk rating capabilities to model the most resilient supply chain designs.

PECO is leveraging Optilogic to model and optimize scenarios across its entire network, which encompasses some 90 operating depots, serves over 2,000 customers and maintains a rolling inventory of some 23 million of its signature red, nine-block high-quality wooden rental pallets.


“We are using Optilogic to help us better understand and manage the nodes and flows in our network, and how best to plan, operate and deploy our pallet inventory in the most optimal, responsive and cost-effective manner for our customers,” said Eric Sobanski, PhD, Senior Vice President of Operations at PECO.

“A large, nationwide rental pallet network such as PECO has many of the same characteristics and challenges as any complex supply chain involved in sourcing, storing, and delivering physical goods,” said Sobanski. “Continually measuring and optimizing such networks, how and where goods flow, making sure inventory is in the right place at the right time, and identifying what risks can derail expected performance, is critical for managing cost and delivering for customers,” he noted.

Employing a strong set of modeling and analytical tools that provide fast and accurate results is necessary to effectively perform regular re-evaluation and scenario modeling of the network, identifying the impact–and risks–of many influencing factors, explained Marc Downs, Senior Director of Network Design and Supply Chain Planning at PECO. Such factors include shifts in customer mix, inventory repositioning, shortages, changes in pallet demand, or other unanticipated market disruptions.

“Importantly, these tools help us understand much more precisely how a new customer impacts our network, and how we can plan and optimize to incorporate and operate that customer’s business most efficiently,” Downs said. Previously, PECO’s operations analytics team used other software to run a single model at a time, in a very heavy manual-data-entry process, Downs noted. With Optilogic, the team can batch run multiple model scenarios, with results in minutes instead of hours.

“We’re more agile, we’re learning faster and more accurately how certain changes can impact our network, and what that means for sales and customer service,” Downs said. “It’s taken out a significant amount of time, which we can now devote to more value-added activities, better network planning and faster resolution of customer issues.”

Beyond cost reduction, customer service improvements, and model agility, “we have better visibility into ESG metrics within our transportation operations,” Downs added. “By plugging in all the dispatches, routes, volumes and delivery sites, we can optimize truck capacity, reduce empty miles, and with fewer trucks on the road, reduce our carbon footprint, which supports our ESG goals.”

This year, using Optilogic, Downs estimates that PECO will be able to reduce truck miles by an additional five to seven percent.

“PECO and their supply chain team has been an amazing partner to work with. Their ongoing goal to drive additional speed, agility, and resiliency into their supply chain while simultaneously improving their carbon impact has helped us battle test the innovations that we’ve built into our cloud-native supply chain design platform,” said Oscar Torres, Senior Vice President of Revenue Operations for Optilogic.

“Working with PECO’s team of veteran supply chain practitioners allowed us to extend and validate these capabilities that are applicable to virtually any enterprise with a supply chain. PECO leaned in early during our collaborations and was a catalyst in driving our roadmap and our platform-wide hyper-scaling capability. We’re excited to continue working with the PECO team to find the next big opportunity for supply chain improvements.”

About PECO Pallet, Inc. – Itasca, IL-based PECO Pallet is one of North America’s largest providers of rental pooled pallet services and provides tens of millions of its red block pallets to major grocery and consumer goods manufacturers in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. PECO Pallet’s tremendous growth over the last 25+ years reflects the company’s commitment to quality and service. Customers using PECO’s superior pallets experience less product damage, greater efficiency, improved safety, and significant cost savings. For more information about PECO Pallet, please visit www.pecopallet.com and follow us on LinkedIn

Media Contact: Gary Frantz, PECO Pallet, gary@gnfcomms.com, (925) 594-1434

About Optilogic – Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Optilogic offers cloud-native supply chain design solutions that enable businesses to evaluate trade-offs across financial performance, service levels, and systemic risk to design resilient supply chains even in the most dynamic, challenging environments. Its Cosmic Frog supply chain design solution tackles enterprise data at scale, runs models faster than ever, automatically converts legacy models, and requires no IT footprint. Cosmic Frog is the only supply chain design platform to combine optimization, simulation, and risk engines, and include a risk rating on every model. Solutions include network design, intelligent greenfield analysis and site selection, M&A analysis, near-shoring/reshoring, CAPEX planning, cost-to-serve, product flow-path, and many more. Stay in touch with Optilogic on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube and visit www.Optilogic.com.

Media Contact: Jennifer Randall, Optilogic, jennifer.randall@optilogic.com, (218) 341-1318

https://www.pecopallet.com

The Latest

More Stories

Warp Announces Preparation for U.S. Government Partnership to Enhance Service and Efficiency

Los Angeles, CA, Jan. 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Warp, a tech-powered network of cross-docks and carriers offering various vehicle sizes, announced that 2025 it will extend its solutions and services to the U.S. government. Warp aims to modernize government freight logistics with machine-learning-driven planning, optimized network strategies, and flexible solutions to create efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable supply chain transportation.

Focused on optimizing every load, every time, Warp employs machine learning (ML), artificial intelligence (AI), and groundbreaking consolidation techniques to blur the traditional lines of freight shipping by combining the best elements of LTL, FTL, and parcel delivery. Using its homogenous fleet including cargo vans, sedans, box trucks, and 53-foot trailers, Warp facilitates carrier injections, inbound vendor consolidation, pool point distribution, zone-skipping, store replenishment, and national retail distribution for some of the world’s largest shippers.

Keep ReadingShow less

Featured

Toyota Material Handling MidSouth’s Forklift Donation Raises $40,000 for Higher Education

Toyota Material Handling and Toyota Material Handling MidSouth partner to donate 5,000-pound-capacity pneumatic forklift at Concrete Industry Management’s annual charity auction.

Photo courtesy of Toyota Material Handling

Toyota Material Handling MidSouth’s Forklift Donation Raises $40,000 for Higher Education

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 28, 2024 – Toyota Material Handling MidSouth, a full-service dealer for Toyota Material Handling, showcased its dedication to fostering the next generation of industry professionals by donating a 5,000-pound-capacity Toyota Core IC Pneumatic forklift to the Concrete Industry Management’s (CIM) annual charity auction on January 22.

The forklift’s winning bid of $40,000 significantly contributed to the auction’s total proceeds of $2.15 million, supporting CIM’s mission to address the growing demand for skilled professionals in the concrete industry. Offered at five universities, CIM equips students with technical, communication and management expertise, preparing them for successful careers in a rapidly evolving industry. Proceeds from the auction are used to assist CIM in funding higher education programs that offer degrees in concrete industry management.

Keep ReadingShow less

Chang Robotics launches 'The Chang Robotics Fund' - A Seed Stage Venture Capital Fund targetting a $50M Raise to Specialize in Disruptive Technology

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Jan. 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- 2,750 miles away from Silicon Valley, Matthew Chang, founder of Chang Robotics, today announced his next business venture: The Chang Robotics Fund. The Fund is targeting a $50M raise to address the numerous needs and market opportunities the Chang Robotics engineering team identified in their daily operations by investing in disruptive technologies designed to confront the industry's most urgent challenges—from labor shortages to energy efficiency to environmental remediation. By utilizing innovative intellectual property and the engineering and management expertise of Chang Robotics, the Fund seeks to scale its targeted innovations into impactful, transformative, and profitable businesses.

Global industries, from manufacturing to healthcare, face mounting pressures such as intensifying global competition, workforce constraints, escalating expenses, and the urgent need for environmental restoration. Tackling these issues demands a new paradigm of intelligent automation, energy efficiency, and sustainable innovation.

Keep ReadingShow less

Adelante SCM and Magaya Release Report on the 2025 State of Digitization in Freight Forwarding

Miami, FL – January 28, 2025 – Magaya Corporation, the leading freight management platform for logistics service providers (LSPs), today released a report detailing the state of digitization in freight forwarding and the divide that presently exists between shipper expectations and forwarder capabilities.

In November 2024, independent research firm Adelante SCM and Magaya surveyed executives in the logistics services industry, as well as supply chain and logistics executives from manufacturing, retail, and distribution companies. The research found a substantial gap between what the shippers expect in terms of technological capabilities and what their logistics service providers currently offer.

Keep ReadingShow less

ORTEC Joins Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA)

Atlanta, GA – ORTEC, a leader in advanced analytics and optimization solutions, is excited to announce its membership in the Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA), the only national membership organization dedicated to wine and spirits distributors.

“Joining WSWA is an important milestone for ORTEC toward our goal to become a trusted technology partner to wine and spirits distributors,” said Mat Witte, CEO of ORTEC Americas. “We envision a future of collaborating with fellow members to drive innovation and optimize operations that benefit their business, their customers, and the industry as a whole.”

As a member of WSWA, ORTEC is committed to leveraging its expertise in advanced analytics and optimization to support the goals of the wine and spirits distribution industry. This collaboration will enable ORTEC to share insights and innovative solutions that can help streamline loading and delivery while improving efficiency across the sector.

About ORTEC
ORTEC is a leading provider of advanced analytics and optimization solutions, dedicated to helping organizations enhance their operational efficiency and decision-making processes. With a strong focus on innovation, ORTEC leverages cutting-edge technologies and data-driven insights to address complex challenges across a number of industries, including logistics, manufacturing, and healthcare. The company’s commitment to continuous improvement and collaboration with clients enables businesses to optimize their resources, reduce costs, and drive sustainable growth. By integrating advanced analytics into their operations, ORTEC empowers organizations to make informed decisions that lead to transformative outcomes and a competitive edge in the market. Discover more at ORTEC | NEWS.

About WSWA
WSWA plays a vital role in advocating for the interests of distributors on federal, state, regulatory, and legal issues that impact the beverage alcohol industry. The organization focuses on critical policy areas, including taxation of family-owned businesses, state-based alcohol regulation, social responsibility, and impaired driving prevention. Additionally, WSWA offers programs designed to promote the careers of its members and help their businesses thrive in a diverse and dynamic industry. Learn more at wswa.org.