Ian Hobkirk Joins FORTE As Director of Supply Chain Consulting

June 2008 – FORTE, a supply chain consulting and integration firm, is pleased to announce the appointment of Ian Hobkirk to the position of director of supply chain consulting. Hobkirk will play a strategic role in leading FORTE’s consulting practice with a focus on helping clients identify and implement supply chain process improvements.

Business Shift Grows FORTE
The Cincinnati Enquirer

May 2008 – “FORTE, a 28-year-old firm that helps corporations improve the efficiency of their supply chains, is undergoing dramatic growth as a result of its decision to expand into software integration and consulting services.

The company, whose client list includes Procter & Gamble, JC Penney and Bayer, is at 50 employees and expects its headcount to grow to about 100 in a couple of years as a result of its growing pipeline of projects.”

Sortation Basics
Modern Materials Handling

March 2008 – “Today's plants and distribution centers have a range of options for automatic product sortation, from simple pushers to sophisticated crossbelt sorters.”

Gene Forte Named to Supply & Demand Chain Executive Magazine’s List of “2008 Pros to Know”

March 2008 – FORTE, a supply chain consulting and integration firm, announced today that founder Gene Forte has been named to Supply and Demand Chain Executive magazine’s list of supply chain industry innovators in the Provider Pros to Know category.

Andrew Breckenridge Appointed President of FORTE

February 2008 – FORTE, a supply chain consulting and systems integration firm, is pleased to announce the promotion of Andrew Breckenridge to the position of President. This promotion follows several years of significant growth at FORTE and recognizes the key role Breckenridge played in both building on existing strategic relationships and broadening FORTE’s footprint into key new client relationships.

WMS: Start With These 7 Questions
Modern Materials Handling

February 2008 – “When it comes to selecting the right warehouse management system (WMS), the questions you answer at the start of the process may determine your success at the end.”

How Camping World Got WMS Right
Modern Materials Handling

February 2008 – “When Camping World, a retailer of RVs, RV accessories and outdoor goods, goes live with a warehouse management system (WMS) from RedPrairie a few months from now, it will be the culmination of a careful WMS selection process the retailer conducted in conjunction with FORTE…”

Eight Signs Your Network Should Be Optimized
O+F Advisor

January 2008 – “A network optimization study can be time consuming and involved and result in fundamental changes to your supply chain. For multichannel merchants, network optimization might be even more critical to your future competitive viability.

But is it worth undertaking the effort? If you can identify with eight factors affecting your business today, then yes, network optimization is for you.”

Value-Added Services: Getting Value From Adding Value
Modern Materials Handling

December 2007– “More customers are demanding value-added services, but there are ways to do it so it's worth your while.”

Make Room for Fashion
Stores

December 2007– “Annual growth in the neighborhood of 30 percent would not generally be thought of as a problem by most companies. But for Vera Bradley, a Fort Wayne, Indiana-based provider of handbags and fashion accessories, such rapid growth was putting a severe strain on its distribution system… In early February, Vera Bradley went live with a new 200,000 sq. ft. facility in Fort Wayne… Now, orders which used to take two days to fulfill can be completed in as little as 10 minutes…”

Best Practices for M&A
Supply & Demand Chain Executive

November 2007– “Supply chain considerations rarely are the driving factor behind mergers and acquisitions. But… the supply chain function typically plays a crucial role in ensuring the success of any union of two or more companies.”

Vera Bradley Revisited
Material Handling Management

November 2007– “Eighteen months ago, Vera Bradley Co. was planning a major move to a new manufacturing and distribution center. Here's an update—with some lessons learned.”

Are Distribution Center and Material Handling System Audits a Good Value?
Supply Chain Digest

October 2007– “Like almost any system, a distribution center, or elements of the system, such as a warehouse management system (WMS) or material handling automation system, can degrade in performance over time.

A variety of system consultants and solution providers offer “audit” services, in which they will come in and perform a review of operations and systems, and offer recommendations about how to get the system back to more peak performance or identify other areas for improvement.

Are these audits services worth the cost and effort? Generally yes – but as always with a few caveats.”