Second AHFA Global Supply Chain Management Conference Set For July

Furniture World Magazine

Establishing clear supply chain strategies for 2008 will be the focus of the second Global Supply Chain Management Conference sponsored by the American Home Furnishings Alliance. The 2007 event is planned July 12-14 at the Embassy Suites Kingston Plantation in Myrtle Beach, S.C., and is open to all manufacturers, retailers and suppliers to the industry. Navigating the murky waters of global sourcing, identifying the next generation of domestic supply chain solutions and, for some companies, merging the two – these are the challenges for today’s supply chain managers. Home furnishings companies striving to find the right supply chain strategy for 2008, as well as the “best practices” to support that strategy, are invited to attend the July conference. Kurt Cavano, chairman and CEO of Tradecard Inc., will open the conference program on July 13 with “Sourcing as a Competitive Advantage.” In addition to addressing best practices for strategic sourcing, Cavano will discuss the key advantages of product cost and customization. He’ll also address “operational agility” – the ability to rapidly identify the right suppliers. A new wave of customs enforcement initiatives have kept compliance issues at the forefront of supply chain management in the home furnishings industry. AHFA has secured Robert Pisani, a nationally known international trade lawyer with more than 25 years of government and industry experience, to provide its customs update at the 2007 conference. Pisani, who has provided compliance training at every major customs port of entry and presented over 300 trade-related seminars in the U.S. and abroad, will: - explain “quick response audits;” - provide compliance recommendations for imports subject to antidumping orders; - outline how an import compliance program can save your company money; and, - invite questions on C-TPAT. Also on July 13, Jeff Heller, assistant vice president of international marketing for Norfolk Southern, will provide attendees with an update on capacity issues in the intermodal system. With 25 years in international transportation, Heller will bring a wealth of insider expertise to the conference audience. He’ll offer important strategies for addressing rail capacity constraints and provide an update on legislative issues impacting U.S. intermodal systems. Whether sourcing from domestic factories, overseas factories or a combination of the two, U.S. furniture companies must develop concrete strategies for positioning inventory in the supply chain. Addressing this issue will be Cecil Bozarth, professor in the College of Management at North Carolina State University and a recognized expert in the area of supply chain management. Bozarth’s consulting experience cuts across a range of industries, including such companies as Bayer, Daimler-Benz, John Deere, CAT, Duke Energy, IBM and others. His topics for the 2007 conference include: - Fast delivery and wide selection versus the costs of producing, transporting and holding inventory. - Tiered positioning, postponement and inventory pooling strategies. - Improved planning and information-sharing among supply chain partners. Concluding the information-packed agenda for this first day of the conference is Gene Winters, vice president of sales for Global Link Logistics. His presentation, “Next Generation Supply Chain Solutions for the Furniture Industry” covers strategic use of less than container load shipping; cost effectiveness of consolidating orders, reducing inventory and increasing procurement flexibility; and improving product visibility in transit. Three more hard-hitting sessions are planned for the half-day agenda on July 14. They include: Specialized Furniture Carrier Panel: Evolution Through Change. Featuring T.J. Alfuth, president of Milwaukee Delivery Service; Ray Kuntz, president of Watkins Shepard Trucking; Eric Clark, president of Four Truckers; and John Donahue, vice president of operations for MGM Transport. This Is Not Your Grandfather’s Home Delivery Service. Maury Mussa, president and CEO of Mainstreet Delivery, will address the old delivery model versus the new furniture consumer and what this means for retailers, manufacturers, motor carriers and home delivery companies. The West Coast Review: What Does the Future Hold? David Bennett, vice president of sales and development for Globe Express in Charlotte, N.C., will address West Coast port congestion concerns, labor issues and pending environmental/legislative issues and their potential to impact your supply chain. This three-day event includes an optional golf outing at Arcadian Shores at 8:30 a.m. July 12, and an opening reception that evening at 5:30 p.m. Registration fees also include lunch on July 13 and a second reception after the business program that same day. Hotel accommodations should be arranged directly with the Embassy Suites by calling 843/449-0006 or 800/876-0010 and mentioning the AHFA group code “AHT.” Cutoff for reservations at the group rate is June 11. Meeting registration is $350 for AHFA members and $450 for non-members. The optional golf outing is $62. Online registration is available online at www.ahfa.us. Click on the AHFA logo to access the Alliance website, then go to EVENTS and click on Global Supply Chain Management Conference. A complete agenda also is available on the website. Registration information also is available by calling 336/884-5000, ext. 100. The American Home Furnishings Alliance –located in High Point, N.C. and Washington, D.C. – is the largest association of home furnishings companies in the world and represents more than 250 leading furniture manufacturers and distributors, as well as 225 suppliers to the furniture industry worldwide.