42 YAMAHA’S “HYBRID” APPROACH TO
FOREIGN TRADE ZONES
BY TOBY GOOLEY
The musical instruments maker wanted to
import through an FTZ, but neither of the
traditional approaches seemed a good fit.
That’s when it decided to improvise.
18 SHARING SUPPLY CHAINS FOR MUTUAL
GAIN
BY JAMES A. COOKE
Kimberly-Clark helped to pioneer the concept of
collaborative supply chains. The benefits have been so
great that the practice is now sweeping through Europe.
46
GREEN AND GROWING
BY TOBY GOOLEY
A retrofit helped fast-growing Other World
Computing boost throughput and efficiency at
its LEED Platinum distribution center without
compromising its green principles.
22 ROBOT REVOLUTION
BY SUSAN K. LACEFIELD
Twenty years ago, Frito-Lay relied on workers to
hand stack cases of chips, nuts, and cookies in its
trucks. Now, it has more colorful loading options,
including the “T. Rex” and robots.
26 WEHKAMP.NL TAKES IT ONE DAY AT
A TIME
BY JAMES A. COOKE
When the Dutch online retailer worked with a key
supplier to switch from weekly to daily replenishment,
inventory levels improved—as did sales, service, and
working capital.
30 TAILORED FOR PERFORMANCE
BY DAVID MALONEY
Apparel maker Desigual’s new automated picking and
sorting solution may use standard components found in
other systems. But there’s nothing ordinary about it.
50 INSIDE DELL’S GLOBAL COMMAND
CENTERS
BY JAMES A. COOKE
The technology giant’s global command
centers coordinate parts logistics and field
technicians to respond swiftly to customers’
requests. They even monitor potential
problems like natural disasters and work
with customers to develop contingency plans.
54 SIZING UP YOUR SHIPMENTS
BY DAVID MALONEY
Gathering dimensional data has traditionally
helped with slotting, picking, and order filling.
But there are applications on the shipping side
as well.
34 HOW MERCEDES-BENZ TURNED RESEARCH
INTO REALITY
BY MUSTAFA BAYÜLGEN
By adopting proven practices from the supply chain
literature, a Mercedes-Benz bus factory in Turkey avoided
“reinventing the supply chain wheel” while making big
gains in production and efficiency.
