ED KRUPKA JOINED BURRIS LOGISTICS
over 30 years ago as a computer programmer.
Today, he is CIO and president of information
technology for the company, managing a 40-
member IT staff. Headquartered in Milford,
Del., Burris Logistics specializes in temperature-controlled food warehousing and distribution, and is both a wholesale distributor
and a third-party logistics service provider. It
operates refrigerated warehouses all along the East Coast.
Ed Krupka
resource planning system] and WMS [ware-house management system], and it ties into our
voice systems and provides customers with visibility into our operations. We have also integrated with many of our customers’ SAP systems. We continue to enhance and embellish
the system as we develop additional interfaces.
You’ve been with Burris Logistics for over three
decades. I imagine a lot has changed in IT during that Q
time. Other than the obvious advances in technology, can
you share what is different now from when you started at
Burris?
A I think the biggest change is that you no longer focus on only one area at a time. It used to be that IT
changes were made just in one area, but now changes have
several layers. Today, what you do affects everything else. It
is an all-encompassing connection.
What have you been working on lately?
A We h
Q
ave recently implemented engineered labor standards. Our voice system has been the enabler for that,
as it provides real-time communication. We capture data
on the performance of our team members and then analyze
the information. This provides a real-time performance
assessment that we can then compare against the engineered labor standards.
During your time at Burris, you’ve worked on a number of initiatives. What has been the most satisfying Q
and rewarding to you?
A We developed our own software in house. We started building the platform in the early ’90s, and Version 4
was introduced in 2003. That was the most satisfying project, as we had so many pent-up demands for our business
that we had to address.
We run two distinct businesses within our organization. We
are a wholesale distributor, and we also act as a 3PL service
provider. I’m not aware of many companies that operate both
of those businesses under the same roof. So the software must
support both. It basically consists of our own ERP [enterprise
How has the economy affected your business? Q
A We, of course, do food distribution. We have been blessed that our business has not taken a huge hit. We still ship
both lobster tails and pizzas, but probably more pizzas now.
What advice would you give to a college graduate
seeking an IT job in logistics? Q
A There are few candidates who will have the luxury of going into a technical job with only technical skills. They
will need to know how that technical job fits into the overall
operation. Most will need to supplement what they have
learned with internships and business courses. They may also
have to spend a year working to gain operational experience,
such as working in a warehouse. If they are just a technician,
they may find that their job will be offshored. It is all about
building solutions and not just being a good technician.
Craig Adkins
CRAIG ADKINS IS VICE PRESIDENT OF
services and operations at Zappos.com, an
online retailer of shoes and clothing that
continues to grow despite the current recession. The company ships as many as 70,000
units a day during peak periods. Adkins is
responsible for fulfillment operations, customer service operations, information technology, and computer network systems
administration. His background includes 10
years in direct-to-consumer online retail,
including the past three years at Zappos.com. He also spent
three years in tier-one automotive manufacturing, following a 20-year Navy career. He characterizes himself as a
technologist who specializes in operations
management.
looking for
How did you get into operations and
fulfillment after your military career? Q
A One of the things I did in the military was electronics. When I retired, I started working in an electronics manufacturing
facility in the automotive industry. After
about three years, I became plant manager.
Then I was recruited by Amazon, which was
people with process experience. I went there in
1999 and stayed until 2005, when I transitioned to
Zappos.com.
