Welcome to Procurement News, part of our ongoing aggregate news series covering recent supply management headlines and trends pertinent to Chief Procurement Officers and other procurement leaders. Contact us with your news story here.
CPO News
Kimberly-Clark Appoints Tamera Fenske To Chief Supply Chain Officer
DALLAS — Kimberly-Clark Corporation announced the appointment of Tamera Fenske to the role of Chief Supply Chain Officer.
The company states that Fenske will have global responsibilities for procurement, manufacturing, logistics, transportation, safety, and sustainability, as well as the company’s Global Nonwovens division.
According to Mike Hsu, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Kimberly-Clark, “Tamera’s proven leadership in supply chain and business transformation make her the right leader for our world-class supply chain operation,” he said. “I’m looking forward to her leadership as we continue to maximize the full potential of our global manufacturing footprint to drive our growth strategy for long-term value creation.”
Fenske joins Kimberly-Clark with deep experience leading manufacturing and supply chain operations. Most recently, she served as senior vice president of manufacturing and supply chain for 3M Company where she led the end-to-end supply chain for the company in the U.S. and Canada across all its business groups and markets.
Read the full announcement here.
Target Appoints Gretchen McCarthy to Chief Supply Chain and Logistics Officer
MINNEAPOLIS — Target Corporation announced the appointment of Gretchen McCarthy to Chief Supply Chain and Logistics Officer. Formerly senior vice president, global inventory management, McCarthy succeeds Arthur Valdez.
The company states that McCarthy, an 18-year Target veteran, has held numerous leadership positions across the company. She brings a deep understanding of Target’s business operations, with experience spanning supply chain transformation, merchandise planning and buying. During her tenure at Target, she has built a global team, modernized inventory management technology resources, led through supply chain volatility during COVID-19 and navigated inventory optimization efforts.
According to Brian Cornell, Target CEO, “Gretchen will be an excellent addition to our leadership team. She is stepping into her role as a proven leader who will bring a deep understanding of our business operations, and a highly collaborative, solution-oriented approach to leadership,” Cornell said. “She and her global team will continue to drive our supply chain strategy to deliver for our guests and support strong enterprise growth.”
McCarthy will report to John Mulligan, Target’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, effective immediately. Valdez and McCarthy have been partnering closely to ensure a smooth transition, and Valdez will continue working with the Target team in an advisory role through April 2023.
Read the full announcement here.
Procurement News
GSA Seeks Information from Industry on Domestic Solar Panel Production
WASHINGTON — The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) issued a request for information (RFI) to learn more about the availability of domestically manufactured solar photovoltaic (PV) panels and components.
GSA seeks to better understand how it can encourage domestic manufacturing of PV panels through federal procurement as part of a comprehensive policy to support both decarbonizing the U.S. electric grid and securing a domestic clean energy supply chain.
The information received will help GSA develop a procurement strategy, which will potentially include a standard for use in future solicitations where the use of PV panels and components are required.
According to Andrew Mayock, U.S. Federal Chief Sustainability Officer, “Clean energy technologies such as solar photovoltaics play a critical role in our strategy to modernize the electric power system,” he shared.
“The expansion of our domestic manufacturing capability, incentivized by the Inflation Reduction Act and further supported by government procurement, will result in lower energy costs for all, increase the resilience of our power grid, create good-paying jobs at home, and help prevent further worsening of the climate crisis.”
Read the full announcement here.
Procurement Contract Signed for 36 Lockheed-Martin F-35A Fighter Jets
BERN, Switzerland — Switzerland’s Federal Office for Defence Procurement (armasuisse) finalized its agreement to purchase 36 F-35A Lightning II aircraft, signing a letter of offer and acceptance that calls for the jets to be delivered between 2027 and 2030.
According to the U.S. Embassy in Switzerland and Liechtenstein, the United States welcomes this most recent step in the procurement process and looks forward to delivering these capabilities to meet Switzerland’s sovereign defense. The F-35 will be the fighter jet most widely used by European partners by 2030, with almost 500 aircraft flying for European Air Forces.
Switzerland’s F-35A acquisition will include mission-specific equipment, weapons and ammunition, a logistics package, mission planning systems, training systems, and initial training.
The procurement will be managed through the U.S. Foreign Military Sales process.
Read the full announcement here.
Supply Management News
Steelmakers Idle Manufacturing as Oversupply Dampens Prices
US Bans Chipmakers From Setting up in China
