But attention isn’t anything new for Walmart. The project that earned Buna his nomination entered the media spotlight when the retailer introduced its supercube transport trailer to the public.

The supercube is a longer, lower trailer which can carry 30 percent more cargo. It’s mated to a cab-over-engine (COE) tractor with a dromedary (aka drome) box behind it. The drome holds four pallets, (about 10 percent of a trailer load) meaning the combined unit can haul 40 percent more cargo in one trip.

While longer trailers aren’t anything new—LCVs (long combination vehicles) are on the roads in a number of provinces—the combination of the longer trailer, which measures 18.4m (60ft, 6in), and the shorter tractor means the full rig is the same length as a standard tractor-trailer.

Michael Buna, Walmart Canada

“It’s not just a 60ft, 6in trailer,” says Buna. “There’s more to it than just that. We have LED lighting in it. We have low-friction tires. We have an aerodynamic drag system put on it with skirting and cab fairings. The hydraulic system that raises this trailer to bring it up to loading-dock height means we don’t need to have our vendors or our stores modify their loading-dock height to be able to work with this. It’s quite a tricked out set of wheels.”

Mississauga, Ontario-based Innovative Trailer Design (ITD) designed the hydraulic system that raises the trailer to dock height, the sliding drome box—which permits the tractor’s storage unit to move directly against the dock during loading and unloading operations—and the trailer itself. Walmart also worked with Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation (MTO).

The project began in March 2012, when Buna devised the concept. By November 2012, the company had MTO approval to run a pilot project and had the trailers and one truck ready to roll.

When the company unveiled the new trailer and the modified tractor (a 2003 model purchased used, since COE tractors are no longer manufactured in North America), the new design caught the attention of the trucking industry and the worldwide media.

Some of that attention, however, was less than positive. Representatives of the trucking industry in Ontario expressed concerns about how the pilot project was going to operate. Walmart owns the trailers, which it purchased from ITD, but the truck hauling them is owned by one of the company’s transportation partners.

“I guess there was a misunderstanding that Walmart was the one actually handling the trailer. We don’t actually own any tractors. We don’t have our own private fleet in Canada. Everything we do is through a third party. I think it was more of a misunderstanding that Walmart was actually going to be operating this equipment, when a third-party carrier would be operating this equipment and they would be the ones that would be held permitted with the equipment and be reporting into the MTO. If you’re asking me what was the biggest hurdle, that was it: channels of communication.”

The pilot, which allows the supercube to travel between the regional DC in Mississauga and a test store in Belleville, approximately 200km away, is expected to run for one year. “Our goal is to get it put into regulation. And not have it on a permit program.”

Buna’s other goal is to expand the program outside Ontario. Walmart has already entered into discussions with other provinces. In particular, Buna said the company would like to use them at the Calgary, Alberta distribution centre.

For complete MM&D coverage of the Walmart Supercube story click here.

FROM THE MM&D PRINT EDITION

The revamped interface also provides new navigational aids and formatting controls which make it easier to rearrange data.

The software suite from HighJump Software also has enhancements to its lot tracing functions, including new reporting tools that offer greater visibility to inventories during product recalls, and features that make it easier to process returns accurately.

Also part of the suite is an expanded portfolio of configurable voice solutions, including distribution voice-enabled workflow for areas such as picking, receiving and replenishment.

While the system has been configured to run on Windows 64-bit servers and thereby handle larger amounts of data better than previous versions, the Minneapolis, Minnesota-based company says it has also performed the engineering required to reduce the bandwidth demands the software places on the server by up to 75 percent.

Other code enhancements means that now users can access the software with any web browser, and not just Internet Explorer.

Over 375 shipping containers full of military supplies remain stranded at Kandahar Airfield nearly 18 months after Canada’s withdrawal from the war-torn province, and almost two years since combat operations ceased.

National Defence says the material is considered low priority and that all high-value and sensitive equipment has been returned to Canada.

A spokeswoman for the country’s operational command, Captain Jennifer Stadnyk, said certification of as many as 150 of the containers has expired and the technical assistance team will have to access whether they can still meet the standards set out by international shipping companies.

Defence sources said if the containers don’t pass, the military will have to find a way to dispose of the materiel.

The seemingly endless delay in repatriation of the containers, which were supposed to travel overland, was brought on by the extended closure of the Afghan border with Pakistan.

It has turned into a long, costly logistics nightmare for the military, which had intended to have everything home to fully re-equip and refurbish the army.

The equipment includes tires, spare parts, tents and other gear, and officials say their absence does not directly impede the army’s regeneration.

Last fall documents obtained by The Canadian Press under access-to-information legislation showed the Canadian government has faced increased withdrawal costs because the containers still have to be stored and guarded.

Pakistan cut off NATO’s supply lines through its country in November 2011 after a US air raid mistakenly killed 24 Pakistani soldiers, and the border remained shut until July 2012.

In winding up Canada’s five-year involvement in Kandahar, the military funneled its gear into two streams.

The first was an air bridge that saw Canadian C-17s and rented transports fly sensitive equipment and vehicles out to a friendly port, where it was loaded on cargo ships bound for Canada. The second route was to drive non-sensitive material over land through Pakistan, where it was loaded on a cargo ship in the port of Karachi.

When the Pakistan border shut, only 186 of the estimated 632 containers destined for overland transport had made it back to Canada. Of those, a significant number were pilfered from.

The documents show an average loss rate among the containers of 27 percent. Thieves who pried open the metal containers stole the contents, replaced them with sandbags and weights, and resealed the containers.

Defence planners expressed concerns about maintenance costs a year after the Conservatives signalled they wanted the jet, the documents show. Internal briefings released under the Access to Information Act show air force officials worried in 2011 about the project’s “affordability,” and the impact on future operation, maintenance and national procurement budgets.

The Harper government announced in 2010 it had selected the F-35 as the country’s next manned fighter.

More than 1,120 pages of documents, obtained by The Canadian Press, highlight concerns about the radar-evading jet and its potential impact on both the military and the federal treasury.

Retired air force colonel Paul Maillet, a critic of the F-35 program, said he was surprised by several aspects of the briefings, describing the sustainment plan as a potential “rabbit hole for money.”

The government put the project on hold last fall and launched a market analysis of other fighter jets, but the F-35 remains a contender.

A spokeswoman for Public Works Minister Rona Ambrose emphasized no decision has been made, and that promises made in the aftermath of last year’s scathing auditor general’s report are being implemented.

“No money has been spent on the purchase of new fighter aircraft and we will not purchase a replacement aircraft until our seven-point plan is complete,” Amber Irwin said in an email Tuesday.

A 2011 slide-deck presentation by the F-35 project’s sustainment manager noted long-term affordability was an “issue,” and that a “bow wave” of higher costs was expected when the jet entered service, then expected between 2016 and 2020.

The stealth fighter is still in development and the system of spare parts and weapons delivery will be globally operated and under the control of the U.S., Maillet noted.

“I would not be comforted by this model that they have here,” he said. “It really, really gives them (the US) a lot of control over our defence capability.”

Unlike previous military aircraft, there will be no mid-life upgrade on the F-35s. Rather, the jets, which are largely run by computer will receive regular software and hardware upgrades in a system known as blocks.

Because there are several partners, each country will have to pay into a collective pool for those computer upgrades, something that will be expensive, Maillet said, especially if Canada wants specific features such as those dealing with Arctic operations.

“We have no idea how much these block upgrades are going to cost,” he said. “Canada will have to participate in the sustainment and upgrade over the life of the airplane and presumably of all the owners…These are phenomenally expensive things you are being asked to commit to without any idea what is it going to cost.”

The auditor general in an explosive report released last year said Defence didn’t have a handle on sustainment costs and that planners were still developing their assumptions for operating the fleet.

In testimony before a Parliamentary committee last year, the former top civilian at National Defence insisted sustainability wasn’t an issue and that the stealth fighter would cost the same to fly and maintain as the existing squadrons of nearly 30-year-old CF-18s.

But the documents show that at least a year before Robert Fonberg’s testimony and the auditor’s report, the project planners had not only identified the issue as a major consideration, but warned of a “significant funding shortfall” related to base infrastructure.

When asked about the contradiction, a Public Works official would only point to what was written on the Defence Department website, noting that the next version of the F-35′s long-term budget will be submitted to the federal Treasury Board this year.

“The estimated sustainment cost for the F-35A is also affordable within the department’s long-term budget prorated over the entire life cycle of the fleet,” says the website. “To the extent that the sustainment costs could rise beyond the department’s long-term budget, despite the substantial contingency allowances built into the estimate, the department will manage pressures through adjustments to the use of the aircraft and/or adjustments to the long-term budget.”

That means the radar-evading jets would be flown less often compared with the CF-18s.

Rick Marshall, ONE

Ontario New England Express Inc (ONE), an Ontario-based full-service transportation provider is pleased to announce that Rick Marshall has joined the executive team in the role of VP business development. Marshall brings over 10 years of sales expertise, and specializes in container freight movement, complementing ONE’s cross-border focus. His responsibilities will include expanding ONE into a full-service provider for its customer base.

John A Schiller has been appointed to the board of directors of ONE. Schiller will be working directly with the president and CEO, David Carruth, to facilitate the transformation from a regional cross-border LTL service provider into a full-service logistics company. Schiller is a respected expert with a wealth of experience and will be taking an active role in developing the sales team at ONE.

The Warehousing Education and Research Council (WERC) has named its board of directors. Michael Wohlwend, vice-president, of SAP Americas will serve as president of the Oak Brook, Illinois-based organization and the vice-president will be Paul Avampato, vice-president of customer service and logistics North America at Mondelez International. Sheila Benny, executive vice -president of Optricity Corporation is secretary-treasurer. Past-president is Gregory Javor, senior vice-president of supply chain operations global logistics at Starbucks Coffee Company. Director of the 2014 annual conference is Tim Hotze, corporate head of the logistics competence centre North America for Panalpina Inc, and 2015 conference director is Ken Woodlin vice-president of logstics, AP, compliance and safety of Walmart Stores Inc. Tony Ward, a partner at Kurt Salmon Associates, is director of marketing membership, Sylvia Spore, technology manager at RightSourceRX is director of webs services and Frederick Rake, executive vice-president senior group advisor at EP America Inc is director of industry relations. The following people are directors at large: Stan Danzig, executive director at Cushman & Wakefield; Stuart Rosenfeld, vice-president distribution at Pep Boys; Deb Parmé, vice-president North American logistics, and global supply chain and technology at Amway Corp and Tom Nightingale, president of Rectrix. Michael Mikitka is CEO of WERC.

John Tighe, president of Tighe Logistics Group has become a member of the board of directors of the International Warehouse Logistics Association (IWLA). He will serve as rail council co-chair and insurance and legal committee board liason for the Des Plaines, Illinois-based organization.

Robotics company Seegrid Corp has hired Evan Rago as an application engineer. He will perform pre-sales engineering of robotic industrial truck systems for Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based Seegrid.

ViSalus, a Los Angeles, California weight-loss company, has named Greg Schwartz as senior vice-president of global supply chain. His role will be to provide strategic direction, planning and leadership for the ViSalus’ supply chain management operations. He previously held the title of senior vice-president of supply chain at Jamba Juice.

Hickory Farms of Toledo, Ohio, has made a number of management changes includes some that affect the food and holiday gift retailer’s supply chain. Joe Loch, who served as the vice-president of supply chain is now vice-president of franchise and retail sales and Ty Hanline has moved from director of logistics to vice-president of supply chain.

The mills in Hunan province’s Youxian county were ordered to suspend business and recall their products after samples showed excessive levels of cadmium, according to an official notice issued by the county government.

It said the mills had been operating legally and sourced their rice from local farmers.

The announcement followed reports over the weekend that government inspectors discovered that 44.4 per cent of rice and rice products tested this year in the southern city of Guangzhou in Guangdong province showed high levels of cadmium. The carcinogenic metal can seriously damage the kidneys and cause other health problems.

Hunan is a heavily agricultural province that borders on Guangdong, although it wasn’t clear if there was a direct connection between the mills and Guangzhou’s tainted rice.

While investigations are continuing, cadmium is believed to have entered the rice from soil polluted with heavy metals. Air and soil pollution are chronic problems in China, caused by poor regulation of industrial emissions and heavy dependence on coal to generate electricity.

China’s food supply also suffers from deliberate faking or adulterating by unscrupulous operators, leading to occasional public panic over products from infant formula to cooking oil and a deep lack of trust in the government’s ability to ensure food safety.

In one of the worst scandals, at least six babies died and 300,000 became sick in 2008 after being fed milk powder tainted with the industrial chemical melamine, which was illegally added to watered-down dairy products to make their protein content appear normal.

The contract includes a firm order of 22 buses with options to purchase an additional 58.

Financial terms were not immediately available.

Production of the buses is expected to be start in the third quarter and be completed by the end of the year.

New Flyer builds heavy-duty transit buses in Canada and the United States.

Canadian Pacific Railway spokesperson Andy Cummings says the trains were conducting yard operations east of Medicine Hat on Saturday when the collision occurred.

Cummings says four cars derailed but none was carrying hazardous commodities.

He says it wasn’t a head-on collision, and that one of the trains made contact with the other.

The Transportation Safety Board says it is sending a team to investigate.

Cummings says the conductor has since been released from hospital.

He couldn’t immediately say what effect the interruption would have on the railway’s operations, but noted that there was capacity to re-route trains around the area.

Mike Doherty, a partner at Cambridge, Ontario-based Demand Clarity Inc, and André Martin, vice-president of flowcasting for JDA Software Group Inc in Scottsdale, Arizona, presented those figures at a technology session held during the 2013 Supply Chain Canada conference.

The pair told the audience in Mississauga, Ontario that although the out-of-stock figure hasn’t changed in decades, there is no reason for that situation to continue. They believe that by using the flowcasting methodology, the out-of-stock number can be reduced to zero (or near zero).

Flowcasting collects data at the retail point-of-sale (POS) and uses it exclusively as the sole source information throughout the entire supply chain. Rather than having multiple forecasts (one compiled by the retailer, one by the distributor, one by the manufacturer, etc), the flowcasting process sends one POS forecast throughout the entire supply chain.

Doherty and Martin provide a more complete explanation of flowcasting, and discuss the advantages it brings and the challenges it presents in the video below.

To see more MM&D original videos click here for the full list.

In addition to the flowcasting session, delegates to the conference had the opportunity to listen to a wide variety of industry experts including:

• Robert Vallender, head of physical logistics CO-Supply Chain, at Nestec Ltd, who spoke about the some of the security challenges Nestlé has faced—including having thieves using fake documents to pick up loads from the company’s DCs and steal them—the need to alter recipes in order to adapt each product to the tastes of the geographical market, and how today’s VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) world market keeps adding demands onto supply chains.
• Derrick Lio, operations manager for Lexmark Canada Inc, who explained how the printer manufacturer stopped dealing with over 20 different carriers and consolidated all of its transportation needs with one company —Ryder Canada—and now benefits from simplified, standardized reporting, and improved capacity.
• Bryan Tremblay, vice-president of supply chain and logistics at The Source, whose presentation focused on how the electronics retailer incorporates its bricks-and mortar store into its e-commerce distribution network, and how the company manages to serve both its retail and online customers out of one common, centralized distribution centre.
• Douglas Harrison, chief operating officer at Day & Ross Transportation Group, who told the audience how the transportation company is evolving its corporate culure and its approach to business with the help of coaches and industrial psychologists. He also explained how the company has moved away from the RFP processes and now prefers to use RFIs (requests for information) when negotiating new contracts.
• Aaron Hutcherson, vice-president of global supply chain planning and procurement at McCain Foods Ltd, who shared with the audience the lessons his company learned when McCain’s supply chain couldn’t support the surprisingly successful launch of a new food product overseas, and how subsequent launches into new markets now take the supply chain into greater consideration.

For more Supply Chain Canada coverage, see the coming May-June issue of MM&D magazine.

In its export forecast for the province, Export Development Canada (EDC) said huge increases in B.C.’s global exports in 2013 and 2014 will push it to the top of the pile.

Delivering the forecast in back-to-back speeches in Victoria, B.C., and Vancouver, EDC chief economist Peter Hall predicted the province’s exports will grow by 11 per cent this year, followed by another 12 per cent in 2014.

“British Columbia’s exports are on track for a vibrant expansion, sharing top spot among the provinces with Nova Scotia,” Hall said. “B.C. is enjoying an exceptional recovery in forestry and very strong gains in ores and metals. Following recent ups-and-downs, B.C. is in an international sales sweet spot this year and next.”

The forestry sector accounts for approximately 32 per cent of the province’s international sales, the largest share of B.C.s total.

Hall predicted that provincial exports of forestry products will grow by 25 per cent in 2013 and another 17 per cent in 2014, this after only two per cent growth in 2012.

“Forestry exports are set to experience impressive growth, with demand and prices for lumber driven upwards by rising U.S. housing starts that are expected to expand by 34 per cent in 2013 and 24 per cent in 2014. Those are big numbers,” Hall said.

“The recovery of China’s construction sector will also add momentum. Looking forward, though, supply constraints will start to emerge after 2014, suggesting potential for significant investment in lumber capacity.”

The energy sector is also an important contributor to the province’s export picture, accounting for 27 per cent of total international sales.

EDC’s forecast predicts a four per cent decline this year, ahead of 10 per cent growth in 2014.

The forecast also noted that the recovery in the United States will mean solid growth for the province’s machinery and equipment producers and agri-food sales through 2014.

Nationally, Canadian merchandise exports are forecast to rise nine per cent in 2013 and five per cent in 2014, while economic growth (GDP) is expected to rise 2.2 per cent this year and 1.9 next year.

EDC is forecasting global growth of 3.5 per cent in 2013 and 4.2 per cent in 2014.

According to ATCO Structures and Logistics, a subsidiary of Alberta-based energy and utilities giant ATCO, it has been awarded a sub-contract from engineering and project management firm Bechtel to supply the buildings for the Chevron-operated Wheatstone LNG project in western Australia.

The contract kicked off last month.

The company expects to create 137 new jobs, including 42 manufacturing jobs in Perth and Brisbane, Australia, and 95 jobs based on-site at Ashburton North, 12 kilometres west of Onslow in western Australia.

The new roles created on site include engineering, plumbing, carpentry, electrical trades, general labouring and administrative positions.

According to ATCO, the agreement also supports 70 existing manufacturing, in-house subcontractor and support staff positions.

The units will be built at ATCO’s manufacturing facilities in Brisbane and Perth.

The 150,000 sq. ft. facility in Perth is the newest addition to ATCO’s construction operations in Australia.

The plant is expected to be fully operational in September 2013 and will supply approximately 60 per cent of the required units for the Wheatstone Project.

ATCO’s portion of the manufacturing work is expected to begin in July 2013 and completion is scheduled for the end of the second quarter of 2014.

This is ATCO’s fourth major contract win supporting LNG projects in Australia.

In 2011 and 2012, ATCO delivered three large workforce housing projects for LNG facilities on Curtis Island, providing more than 6,000 beds for workers constructing LNG terminals.

The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) has officially authorized the passage of vessels up to 44m wide to navigate the Quebec-Montreal section of the St Lawrence. This means the 6,000 TEU post-Panamax ships are now permitted in the channel. The previous limit had been 32m wide.

The decision was made based on the results of a study commissioned by the Montreal Port Authority (MPA) and conducted by Transport Canada, the Laurentian Pilotage Authority, the Corporation of Central St Lawrence Pilots and the CCG.

MPA president and CEO Sylvie Vachon explained what the decision will mean for the port.

Shipping lines, no matter what type of cargo they carry, will be able to substantially increase capacity on their services to Montreal, which will inevitably lead to benefits for the port’s broad customer base.”

The Fair Labour Association says Apple’s largest supplier, Foxconn, has made all recommended improvements to working conditions that were due by the end of December.

The group says there have been “notable increases” in workers’ participation in union committees. Foxconn has reduced working hours, though not enough to comply with the Chinese legal limit of 49 hours per week. Foxconn is scheduled to do that by July.

Foxconn is also known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. Apple joined the Fair Labor Association in January 2012.

©The Associated Press

The companies were selected based on their performance in 2012, said Spirit AeroSystems, and the award took into consideration quality, on-time delivery, commitment to cost reductions and willingness to partner with Spirit for overall improvement in value delivered to Spirit and subsequently to Spirit’s customers. The platinum suppliers were honored at Spirit’s Annual Platinum Supplier Recognition Event.

“In today’s aerospace environment, it is increasingly important to seek suppliers that provide the best total value for cost, quality and delivery,” said Rob Mattinson, Spirit vice-president, corporate supply chain management & global strategy. “Our 2012 Platinum Suppliers were committed to providing best total value through cost reduction initiatives while maintaining quality and delivery standards contributing to Spirit’s competitive global cost structure.”

The list of the Spirit 2012 Platinum Suppliers is as follows:

• All Metal Services Ltd—London, England;
• Dynamic NC—Udall, KS USA;
• Globe Engineering Company, Inc—Wichita, KS. USA;
• Labinal Services—Wichita Office—Wichita, KS. USA;
• Logistics Resources, Inc—Wichita, KS. USA;
• M.Torre—Pamplona, Spain; and
• ZTM Inc—Wichita, KS USA.

“If you have a happy customer that’s coming into your store and he’s leaving satisfied it helps to get him to come back,” Robert Sawyer, a former food retailing executive, said after speaking to shareholders for the first time.

He said lessons he learned in the highly competitive grocery business are just as useful in the home renovation industry.

Sawyer said his predecessors didn’t do a bad job but were unable to digest years of acquisitions once the recession hit.

“So I have to get back to basics, to look at merchandising, procurement, supply chain and marketing to see how we’re going to address to our consumers all over every region in Canada,” he told reporters.

That could mean producing regional flyers that cater to varying consumer demands instead of offering uniform specials across the country.

Sawyer said he plans to unveil his strategy next quarter, but the chain has decided not to sell its network of big box stores outside Quebec even as it focuses on smaller, proximity stores.

“We have all the ingredients for success. Now we need to optimize the recipe to achieve the full potential of this magnificent organization,” he told shareholders.

Prior to his arrival five weeks ago, the Quebec-based company said it was taking “a hard look” at either selling or reducing the size of its 30 big box retail stores outside Quebec that generate about $750 million of annual sales but together are losing money.

But Sawyer said most of the stores are profitable and selling them would have a big impact on the company’s distribution network.

Rona chairman Robert Chevrier said the stores are part of a network of stores of varying size that provide a competitive advantage over US-based rivals such as Home Depot and Lowe’s.

Selling the stores would diminish the value of the remaining network and tarnish how people perceive the brand, he said.

Chevrier conceded that the company’s new leadership is under pressure to turn things around.

“It’s obvious that if collectively, the people up here, Robert’s team, does a bad job I think we deserve to be kicked out,” he said.

Rona will announce in a few weeks whether it will sell its commercial and professional division that has about $500 million of annual sales.

Its current strategic plan calls for the closure of 10 underperforming big box stores and reducing the size of 13 others. Five stores have been closed so far.

In Quebec, the company has also started to reposition its Reno-Depot banner as a warehouse by reducing the number of products, but offering bigger quantities at better prices.

Rona said it has achieved $17 million of savings, or about 40 per cent of the up to $45-million target from administrative job cuts and the renegotiation of major service agreements.]

Revenues were $929.4 million, down $4.6 million from a year ago. Same-store sales fell 0.8 per cent, or three per cent in the retail division as cold weather caused a 28 per cent drop in the sale of seasonal items.

The company’s distribution segment experienced higher sales but that was offset by lower revenue from Rona’s retail and commercial segments.

Rona attributed the weaker results to disruptions in its operations due to changes at its Reno-Depot and Totem banners, increased costs of building materials, difficult market conditions and a late spring.

“We expect that fiscal 2013 will be another demanding year, because of the repositioning that will temporarily disrupt our operations,” said chief financial officer Dominique Boies.

He said the outlook for 2014 is better as Canadian housing starts are expected to increase and Rona will fully benefit from cost reductions.

Irene Nattel of RBC Capital Markets said that with a new CEO and chief commercial officer, 2013 “is best viewed as a transitional year.”

“Weaker than expected first-quarter results underscore the macro headwinds and operating challenges,” she wrote in a report.

From the small Northern French town of Onnaing, near Valenciennes, TMMF will now export its vehicles to more than 40 countries, including destinations like South Africa, Egypt, Canada and the US.

“With Quebec accounting for 65 percent of Yaris’s Canadian sales, a warm welcome will be assured for this ‘Made-in-France’ vehicle,” said Seiji Ichii, president and CEO of Toyota Canada Inc.

The Toyota Yaris became the first vehicle ever produced in France to be certified with the new “French Origin Guaranteed” (“Origine France Garantie”) label. This certificate was created in order to help customers identify products that have more than 50 percent of their value manufactured in France. On the occasion of the ceremony at TMMF, Yves Jego, Member of the French Parliament as well as founder and president of the non-profit organization Pro France, in charge of promoting the brand “France” and the label “French Origin Guaranteed”, officially presented the certificate to TMMF.

The agency says the decline largely reflects lower sales in the petroleum and coal product and in the chemical manufacturing industries.

Excluding these industries, Canadian manufacturing sales rose 0.3 per cent.

Overall, sales declined in 10 of 21 industries, representing approximately one-third of Canadian manufacturing.

Sales of non-durable goods declined 0.8 per cent to $24.4-billion and were partially offset by a 0.2 per cent increase in sales of durable goods.

Sales fell in six provinces in March with most of the decreases reported by manufacturers in New Brunswick and Saskatchewan.

Sales jumped 30.7 per cent in Newfoundland and Labrador and there was very little change in the sales in other provinces.

The Cornwall, Ontario campus of St Lawrence College will be welcoming its first cohort of university and college graduates who are looking for some supply chain training. The three-semester graduate certificate program will be divided into two parts: two semesters of in-class instruction and one semester of job placement at a local 3PL or DC.

Frank Lockington, director of the St Lawrence College Foundation, said students will graduate with a wide range of skills, from purchasing to materials handling to using computer-based logistics tracking tools.

“When they come out they should be qualified to be a management trainee in any aspect of the supply chain,”he said.

“The curriculum is actually based on what companies in the area have told us are their requirements, and an examination of what else is being offered across the country for curriculum at this level.”

The program, which is the third in supply chain topics developed by the college in recent months (the others are an ongoing 15-week supply chain techniques course for entry-level workers and a now-finished eight-week materials handling course for warehouse workers) has gone from idea to reality very quickly.

“It was expedited for us. With a new program we’d normally have 18 months to get things up and running, but with what’s happening in the Cornwall region right now, the Eastern Canadian distribution centre for Target is scheduled to open in a few weeks, so their needs will be huge. Rather than wait a whole year for this to roll around, we’re going to try to bring in enough students to make it run in the first year,” Lockington said.

In addition to Target, Cornwall is also home to a Walmart Canada DC operated by SCM Inc and a Shoppers Drug Mart DC run by Matrix Logistics Services Ltd, adding to the heavy demand for supply chain employees.

The curriculum has been approved and the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities has granted approval for the course. No teachers have been hired yet—Lockington said they will mostly be drawn from local industries and will teach part-time—but the student recruitment process is already underway.

The college will be recruiting students locally and from across the country and further beyond. International students with a credential from their home country, can come to Canada, study for a year and then get a visa to stay in Canada and work for a year. The students will be ready for their placements beginning in April 2014.

FROM THE MM&D PRINT EDITION

Algoma Central Corp, a St. Catharines, Ontario-based owner and operator of dry and liquid bulk carriers, has elected its board of directors. Michael Burns, Richard Carty, Blake Hutcheson, Duncan Jackman, Clive Rowe, Harold Stephen, Eric Stevenson, WS Vaughan, and Greg Wight will serve until the next annual meeting of shareholders.

The National Shippers Strategic Transportation Council (NASSTRAC) has named Marc Fesser as secretary. Fesser, who is Dell Inc’s senior manager of Americas fulfillment and logistics, also joins the officer team of the Minneapolis, Minnesota-based organization.

Salt Lake City, Utah temperature-controlled carrier CR England Inc has two new chief operating officers. Brandon Harrison and Zach England were both promoted into the positions. In his role, Harrison will oversee the national, regional, and Mexico divisions and also be responsible for safety. England will be responsible for dedicated and intermodal operations and will serve as chair of the board of subsidiary England Logistics.

The Mullen Group Ltd an Okotoks, Alberta-based transportation service provider for the oil and gas sector has elected is board of directors. The following people will serve until the next annual shareholders’ meeting: Alan Archibald, Greg Bay, Steven Grant, Dennis Hoffman, Stephen Lockwood, David Mullen, and Murray Mullen.

Made by Cybra Corp in Yonkers, New York, the UHF RFID tags are built for a single use and are programmable by the end customer. They operate on frequencies ranging between 860MHz and 960MHz using a Alien HiggsTM-3 integrated circuit, and can be read from up to 5.8m (19ft) away when used with a circular polarized antenna.

There are two models of Lock&EnCode seals available: basic and custom. The basic seal accepts ASCII and Hex data and can be programmed by the customer using EdgeMagic EPC or EdgeMagic Mobile editions. The custom version comes pre-preprogrammed with the customer’s data and is permalocked to match the serial number supplied by customer at time of order. It are also laser printed with the customer’s logo or name, serial number, and Code 128 bar code.

The polypropylene locks were created for use on direct-to-store shipments of plastic distribution totes and containers, but can also be applied to high-value consumer items or bundles of perishable goods. The tags also work with automated order and shipment validation systems