OCTOBER 2009
VOLUME 7 NO. 10 inside
20
upbeat on WERC:
interview with Michael
Mikitka
BY MITCH MAC DONALD
In good economic times and bad, says
Michael Mikitka, there will be a need for
professional education—and for groups
like WERC that provide it.
27
logistics technology
flowers in China
BY TOBY GOOLEY
; Five years ago, a facility with a
warehouse management system was
considered cutting edge. Today, China’s
top-tier operations are abloom with
mobile computers, RFID systems, and
wireless networking devices.
33
taming the oil beast
BY MARK SOLOMON
From packaging redesign to driver training
programs, companies are doing whatever it
takes to get a handle on fuel costs before
costs get a handle on them.
39
under the hood of the
O’Reilly-CSK network
merger
BY PETER BRADLEY
Merging the distribution operations of
two auto parts suppliers should have been
as easy as replacing a windshield wiper
blade. But it turned out to be more like an
engine rebuild.
44
a need for speed
BY SUSAN LACEFIELD
As its empire grew, apparel retailer
Children’s Place had to face facts. Not only
did it need another DC; it needed a
streamlined, high-speed automated facility
that could handle millions of units a week.
