E-Retailers Expected to Acquire Companies in 2013

EBay, Amazon, RedPrairie, Google, and Ingram Micro have recently acquired companies to enhance their supply chain and logistics capabilities.

“The drive by e-retailers to create comprehensive, end-to-end supply chain operations will trigger a new round of acquisitions in the logistics industry in 2013,” says Cathy Roberson, senior analyst at research firm Transport Intelligence and author of the North American e-commerce Logistics report.

Advance Auto Parts Acquires BWP Distributors

Advance Auto Parts has acquired BWP Distributors. The company is based in Armonk, N.Y. and currently operates or supplies 216 locations across the Northeast

“We are excited about the combination of our two businesses as it will position us for accelerated growth in the Northeast,” said Darren Jackson, Advance Auto Parts president and CEO. “This new partnership with BWP is another example of Advance’s commitment to long-term growth and serving commercial customers. With our other investments in parts, technology, systems and people, we have enhanced our ability to improve our profitability and increase value for our shareholders.”

Momentum Appoints David Gonzales to SVP, Sales & Marketing

Momentum USA  has appointed David Gonzales to senior vice president of sales and marketing.

“We are pleased to have an industry veteran with David’s caliber of experience and abilities facilitating Momentum’s continued growth and strengthening our management team,” said John Amalfe, president of Momentum USA.

Crowley Makes Executive Management Changes

Crowley Maritime Corporation has announced executive changes within its shipping and logistics team. Changes include the appointment of Nelly Yunta as vice president of sales, marketing and customer care, and the promotion of Pete Noyer as vice president of national accounts, reporting to Yunta.

Nike Plans to Expand in Oregon

Nike plans could invest up to $150 million in new facilities and hire at least 500 additional employees in the Beverton, Oregon area of Washington County, as a result of state legislators voting to extend the length of time tax incentives, based on hiring quotas, are offered to the firm.

While Nike has not stated where it would expand in Oregon, the Governor’s Office said at stake is the potential for up to $400 million in investment and the creation of more than 2,000 permanent new jobs.

Saddle Creek Appoints New Director of Business Development

Saddle Creek Logistics Services has appointed Amy Barnes as director of business development

“Amy excels in developing strategic relationships that produce results,” said Duane Sizemore, Saddle Creek senior vice president, marketing and business development. “Her passion for creating an excellent client experience, combined with her extensive industry experience, will offer real value to our current and prospective customers.”

Graybar Appoints Randall Harwood as SVP & CFO

Graybar has appointed Randall R. Harwood as senior vice president and chief financial officer.

His appointment follows the announcement that D. Beatty D’Alessandro will be resigning from Graybar as senior vice president and chief financial officer and as a member of Graybar’s board of directors at the end of 2012.

Kenco Appoints Steve Perry as VP, HR

Kenco has recently appointed Steve Perry as vice president, human resources, Kenco Management Services.

“Steve is a career HR professional with more than 25 years experience in both human resources and operations at top global supply chain companies,” said Scott Mayfield, president, Kenco Management Services. “His skills and experience include building advocacy, business development, change management, labor relations, leadership development, and mergers and acquisitions. Steve will be a great addition to our team.”

Michael Esposito Named VP, HR at HoneyBaked Ham

The Original HoneyBaked Ham Company of Georgia has named Michael Esposito to the newly-created position of vice president, human resources.

“Michael brings an appreciation for the uniqueness of the HoneyBaked brand, a passion for people and an absolute alignment with our core values,” said Chuck Bengochea, CEO of HoneyBaked. “With him, I am confident we have found a strong leader for our team member strategies and look forward to Michael’s contributions across the organization.”

Laura Moore Joins Easton-Bell Sports as SVP, Corporate Communications

Laura Moore is Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications for Easton-Bell Sports, Inc. In this role, Laura oversees global internal and external communications for the company including employee communications, public affairs, public relations and executive communications.

Prior to joining Easton-Bell Sports, Laura served in a variety of senior management roles with leading consumer goods, retail and financial services companies including the positions of Vice President, Corporate Communications, Kimberly-Clark Corporation; Senior Vice President, Public Relations & Internal Communications, Regions Financial Corporation; and Senior Vice President - Communications and Public Relations, RadioShack Corporation. With broad experience in all areas of corporate communications and public relations, Laura has a strong track record developing and executing global strategic communications programs and teams.

Laura has received honors in her profession including the National Headliner Award from the Association for Women in Communications and the Texas Public Relations Association’s Outstanding Practitioner Award. She is a member of the Arthur W. Page Society and Texas Public Relations Association, and holds a journalism degree from Texas A&M University – Commerce. Laura serves on the Executive Committee of the Dallas Women’s Foundation.

Eaton Corporation Name Pavan Pattada SVP, Corporate Supply Chain Management

Eaton Corporation has named Pavan Pattada senior vice president, Corporate Supply Chain Management, reporting to Nanda Kumar, executive vice president, Eaton Business System.

“Pavan is a global leader who brings a wide breadth of supply chain and operational experiences to this corporate role,” said Kumar. “He has a great track record of developing strategy and delivering results in multiple regions, businesses and functions.”

Pattada joined Eaton in 2002 as director of global sourcing for Corporate Supply Chain Management and has held multiple executive titles in the company.

Energizer Makes Cuts

Energizer has recently announced plans to cut an estimated 10% of their workforce to save money.

Markus Ellenbeck Appointed Director of Operations at Jaguar

Jaguar Freight Services has appointed Markus Ellenbeck as Director of Operations for Jaguar Americas. Mr. Ellenbeck brings more than 14 years of operational supply chain experience with some of the industry’s biggest companies to the leadership of Jaguar Freight’s Center of Operational Excellence (COE).

“The logistics paradigm has changed from emphasizing cost alone to accentuating service, reliability, and process improvement as cost drivers, and Markus Ellenbeck has the supply chain management strengths to integrate constant awareness of that change into our entire regional operational process,” said Simon Kaye, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Jaguar Freight. “Complete and timely delivery is the ultimate measurement of operational service and reliability, and Markus will enhance these key performance indicators as they are fundamental to the operational management of today’s modern supply chain.”

Stibo Systems Named winner of Ventana Research Leadership Award

Stibo Systems has been named the winner of the 2012 Ventana Research Leadership Award for Service and Supply Chain Excellence. Ventana Research awarded Stibo Systems its Operational Leadership Award for Service and Supply Chain Excellence based on innovations in the STEP software suite, including its ability to combine rules, integration, workflow profiling and its use of data quality and governance for product information management.

“We are thrilled to be acknowledged by Ventana Research and for being credited for helping our customers strategically manage the multi-domain information that is necessary to solve their business objectives,” said Andreas Lorenzen, President of Stibo Systems. “By linking all of their product, supplier, and customer operational information, the STEP platform has resulted in faster time to value and a greater return on investment.”

Penske to Lay Off 50 People in Kansas City

Penske Logistics plans to lay off 50 people as it shuts down a warehouse operation at 4900 Deramus Ave. in Kansas City. Randy Ryerson, spokesman for Penske Logistics, said the layoffs will happen by the end of 2012.

2012 U.S. Holiday Sales Above Average

U.S. holiday retail sales are estimated to rise 3.8 percent, according to an outlook report from Wells Fargo Securities, LLC Economics Group. The increase is above average for the last decade, although less than the 5.7-percent increase in November and December of 2011.

Amazon to Hire 50,000 Seasonal Employees

As the holidays get closer, Amazon’s fulfillment centers say they need to hire an estimated 50,000 seasonal workers.

FedEx Hiring for Seasonal Workers

With the rise in holiday hiring, FedEx says they will also need to hire for seasonal workers.

Google is Top Choice Employer

Google continues to provide above average salary ranges to their engineers making them a top choice employer.

Shippers Provide Seasonal Jobs

Shippers are adding to the seasonal workforce. UPS plans to hire 55,000 seasonal workers to help handle the 527 million packages the company expects to deliver between Thanksgiving and Christmas. FedEx anticipates handling more than 280 million shipments during the same time. The company plans to hire 20,000 seasonal workers, the same as last year.