newsworthy
alliances
; H2O to go. Yale/Chase Materials Handling, the Yale Materials
Handling dealer in City of Industry, Calif., has delivered a fleet
of 32 hydrogen-powered lift trucks to Nestlé Waters’ new Dallas
distribution center. The electric rider vehicles use GenDrive
hydrogen fuel cells manufactured by Plug Power Inc.
; Global reach. Powerwave Technologies, a company that
offers wireless communication networks, has chosen CEVA
Logistics to be its sole provider of worldwide forwarding
services. Under the arrangement, CEVA will manage all of
Powerwave’s heavy air and sea freight. CEVA will also manage a distribution center in Hong Kong and ground transportation in mainland China for its client. In addition, CEVA
will be laying the foundation for Powerwave’s global brokerage business, focusing on expanding operations in India.
; Fits on a utility belt. Itron, a company that provides
metering and data collection products for utilities, has contracted with LXE to develop Itron’s next-generation wireless
handheld computers. The multiyear deal, worth about $5.5
million annually, will give Itron exclusive rights to sell the
LXE-developed rugged handheld computers in the water,
gas, and electric utility markets.
; They’ve got the floor. Pergo, a company that sells laminate flooring, has chosen Transite Technology to provide it
with transportation management solutions. Pergo will utilize
Transite’s My Freight Portal, Contract Manager, and other
products and services to gain visibility into transportation
and improve its carrier selection process.
; Storage by the Gross. Ferdinand Gross, a European industrial supplies wholesaler, has implemented a custom-made
storage and order fulfillment solution featuring the new
Dematic Multishuttle. The Dematic Multishuttle is a flexible
automated storage and retrieval system for applications that
require dynamic, high-rate product sequencing.
; Propose a toast. Stein Mart, a discount fashion retailer
based in Jacksonville, Fla., has hired APL Logistics to manage
two distribution centers it is opening this year in Atlanta and
Dallas. The Atlanta facility will serve as both a consolidation
center and distribution operation for 185 stores, while the
Dallas facility will handle distribution for about 55 stores.
; Hear, here. Vocollect will soon offer a native voice interface
to SAP’s Net Weaver Warehouse Management and Extended
Warehouse Management Solutions. Vocollect’s VoiceWeaver
gives SAP distribution centers the advantage of a native
Net Weaver interface to their existing SAP infrastructure.
; Serious in Syria. Wared Logistics, a company that provides
logistics and transportation services in the Middle East and
North Africa, has secured new business for its Syria-based
Wared Transport specialized truckload operation. New customers include Premco, a manufacturer of pre-cast concrete
and steel beams; the Bahra Steel Co.; and the United Arab
Aluminum Co.
; Bottoms up. New Belgium Brewing Co., a regional craft
brewery based in Fort Collins, Colo., has implemented the
browser-based Fluensee AssetTrack application and passive
RFID tags to provide visibility into its keg fleet. Passive RFID
readers installed on its fill lines capture data on the tagged
beer kegs to help New Belgium determine how often kegs
are used and for which beers.
; More in store. Polar, a manufacturer of
paper-cutting machines, has installed a
tray-based automated storage and retrieval
system (AS/RS) from Westfalia at its new
distribution facility in Hoffheim, Germany.
The miniload system stores some 20,000
items in its 3,345 tray positions.
; Few are called, many are frozen. Birdseye Foods, the
well-known purveyor of frozen vegetables, has selected HK
Systems to provide an automated guided vehicle (AGV) solution for a distribution facility expansion project. The AGVs will
help Birdseye achieve higher levels of productivity and customer service.
; Smart move. Jervis B. Webb has signed a deal to provide
automatic guided carts to two facilities operated by Western
Container, a plastic bottle manufacturer. Webb will supply
five SmartCart AGCs to the Western Container facility in
Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., and three SmartCart AGCs to its
facility in Tolleson, Ariz. Webb previously installed four
SmartCart AGCs at Western Container’s facility in Fife, Wash.
; ’Slots of changes. Keogh Consulting has been hired to
renovate the Greensboro, N.C., distribution center of FedEx
Office (formerly FedEx Kinko’s). Keogh is using Optricity
OptiSlot product slotting software to identify and locate
items within the facility’s various storage areas.
; Betty Crocker would be proud. Exel has been chosen to
run a new warehouse in Social Circle, Ga., for its long-time
customer General Mills. The facility, due to open next year,
will occupy approximately 1. 5 million square feet of space
and serve customers in the Southwestern states.
