United Natural Foods selects the Manhattan SCOPE supply chain process platform from Manhattan Associates to optimize its supply chain from planning through execution.

"Our supply chain transformation is driven by an overall goal of improving our service to customers while better managing inventory and ultimately the operating performance for our company, as well as our vendors and suppliers," said John Stern, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, UNFI. "In addition, a fully optimized supply chain will support our plans for growth over the next 3-5 years."

UNFI's Manhattan SCOPE portfolio selections include:
-Solutions from the Manhattan Distribution Management product suite will be implemented within UNFI distribution centers across the country.

-Solutions from the Transportation Lifecycle Management suite will optimize the logistics of delivering more than 60,000 products to more than 17,000 customers.

-Manhattan Inventory Optimization and Demand Forecasting solutions will replenish inventory and free cash flow while getting the right products to the right place at the right time.

-Solutions from Manhattan's Order Lifecycle Management suite will help enhance UNFI's industry-leading order fulfillment rate.

- Manhattan's Supply Chain Intelligence and Supply Chain Visibility applications will provide real-time insight into supply chain performance.

 

Mi Pueblo Food Centers, a California-based grocery chain, upgrades to version 6.1 of the Kronos Workforce Central suite. The new version will help Mi Pueblo further balance labor costs, variable staffing needs, and complex labor laws with customer loyalty, employee satisfaction, and profitability.

Mi Pueblo standardized processes with Kronos to improve organizational visibility and better manage labor to sales. Also, through biometric data collection terminals, Kronos enables the retailer to eliminate buddy punching (the costly act of employees punching in for one another).
By automating error-prone processes, including timekeeping, attendance tracking, and leave management, Mi Pueblo minimizes risks of non-compliance with federal, state, and union labor regulations including complex California meal and break laws.

The new version from Kronos offers hundreds of ease-of-use, integration, and deep functionality enhancements. Through integration with Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS), the latest version of the Workforce Central suite helps Mi Pueblo transform enterprise data into critical information. Additionally, managers are able to analyze sales-per-labor-hour through seamless Microsoft Excel integration.

Workforce Central 6.1 also helps Mi Pueblo further simplify key HR processes of compensation planning, performance reviews, and employee training and development.

"At a time when we are rapidly expanding, it is a big bonus to have our critical workforce business processes completely automated and optimized with Kronos," says Hector Salas, vice president of human resources, Mi Pueblo Food Centers. "With the new version, we are looking forward to further improving productivity, customer service, and employee satisfaction. This aligns with our core values of care and respect for each employee that translates to a satisfying customer experience across our stores."

 

Rite Aid’s Inventory Reduction Initiative Cuts 13% of SKUs

Rite Aid has reduced its SKU count by about 3700 SKUs, or about 13 percent since launching its inventory reduction initiative last year. "I think we are through the steepest part of the inventory reduction," says John T. Standley, President, Chief Operating Officer of Rite Aid.

According to Standley, ongoing initiatives include the company's back-room inventory reduction program and its SKU optimization initiative.

"These two initiatives will provide some smaller more gradual inventory reduction over the remainder of the year and should help us put the disciplines in place to help keep our inventory under control going forward," says Standley.

Other initiatives that began last year and continue to roll out this year include more efficient transportation, routing, bi-weekly deliveries in 1800 low volume stores, a reduction in administrative headcount in its distribution facilities, lower fuel costs and lower product handling costs resulting from a significant reduction in inventory.

Also, the Bohemia Long Island facility and the Atlanta facility are now closed.