FORTE Named to the 2012 Supply & Demand Chain Executive 100

MASON, Ohio, May 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- FORTE, the pioneering design-build firm in the distribution sector of the supply chain, was recently named to the 2012 Supply & Demand Chain Executive 100 for helping a national fashion retailer increase productivity and efficiency, improve accuracy and better utilize space by automating the manual processes in its distribution center to accommodate extremely rapid growth.

Each year, Supply & Demand Chain Executive (SDCE) magazine evaluates and selects "100 Great Supply Chain Projects" for inclusion. In 2012, the magazine focused its selection criteria on supply chain transformation projects having a significant impact on a company going through the implementations.

"FORTE was asked to develop a strategic plan to optimize the distribution center operations and prepare the Midwest-based company for a multi-year growth strategy," said Gene Forte, FORTE's founder and CEO. "The recognition by SDCE of the work we did for this organization further demonstrates why the fastest growing companies are coming to FORTE with their most demanding supply chain and distribution center challenges," added Forte.

Based on planned store openings of this fast-growing fashion retailer and same-store sales growth projections through 2019, FORTE recommended the automation and expansion of the distribution center to eventually accommodate up to 1,300 stores.

FORTE implemented a state-of-the-art, put-to-light system, which is controlled by FORTE's Smart Warehouse Suite™ warehouse control system (WCS) software. The Smart Warehouse Suite's Automation Director^® receives the store requirements from the warehouse management system (WMS) and dynamically routes the cases to the appropriate put lanes. Additionally, Automation Director re-routes residual products from cases that aren't fully depleted in one lane into other put lanes. Automation Director also includes a unique algorithm that automatically assigns excess units to the highest volume stores.

Through an online submission process, SDCE collected information on supply chain transformation projects, including information on the objectives, scope, timeline and results of the project. The submissions were evaluated by the magazine's editorial staff primarily based on: ambitiousness/scope of the project; creative application of technologies/solutions/services used; extent of the business results/impact; and clarity of submission.

About FORTE
FORTE (www.forte-industries.com) is the pioneering design-build firm in the distribution sector of the supply chain. FORTE provides client-side, network-wide engineering, systems integration and operations optimization services on a consulting-only or single-source turnkey basis for existing distribution facility upgrades or new greenfield operations. FORTE's expertise and services include supply chain and facility optimization, distribution center design and build, systems integration and supply chain execution software. 

SOURCE FORTE