MAY 2013
VOLUME 11 NO. 5 inside
32 Creating a better rail hub: interview with William C. Thompson BY MARK B. SOLOMON As Chicago goes, so goes the country’s railroad network. It’s Bill Thompson’s job to see that the region’s historically clogged rail system doesn’t go to hell in a hand basket.
37 Amazon: Just can’t wait to
be king
BY MARK B. SOLOMON
; Amazon rules the B2C online domain. Now, it
has set its sights on the larger B2B space. The plain
may never look the same.
44 On the up and up
BY JOSEPH TILLMAN, KARL MANRODT, AND KATE VITASEK
Our 10th annual study of distribution center metrics
shows that despite some bumps in the road, DC
operations continue to improve.
48 Emerging logistics hot spots:
The Southeast
BY SUSAN K. LACEFIELD
Logistics activity in the southeastern United States is
heating up—and not just in the traditional hot spot
of Atlanta. Here are three more rising stars.
53 Kimberly-Clark connects its
supply chain to the store shelf
BY JAMES A. COOKE
In its quest to achieve a demand-driven supply chain,
Kimberly-Clark turned to software that generates
shipment forecasts based on point-of-sale data. The
move has allowed the consumer products giant to
better serve some of its customers with a lot less
inventory.
59 Is your lift truck ready to retire?
BY TOBY GOOLEY
Wondering whether to keep that lift truck going a
little longer or put it out to pasture? Here are some
things to consider when making that decision.
