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.
Procurement Executive News
Jeff England Joins Target as EVP, Chief Global Supply Chain and Logistics Officer
MINNEAPOLIS — Target Corporation announced that Jeff England will join the company as executive vice president, chief global supply chain and logistics officer. England will report to Lisa Roath, Target’s chief operating officer, and will be responsible for accelerating Target’s supply chain plans to improve its shopping experience.
Target stated that it is entering a new chapter of growth with a focus on leading with merchandising authority, elevating the guest experience, accelerating technology, and strengthening its team and communities. A critical part of that plan is continuing to build the company’s supply chain capabilities to deliver greater speed, reliability and precision.
According to Michael Fiddelke, chief executive officer for Target, “Guests come to Target for great style, design and value – and they trust we’ll be in stock and ready for them every time they shop,” he said.
“Elevating that guest experience is one of our top priorities, and Jeff’s deep expertise across operations, engineering, technology and automation, along with a strong track record of leading operations of various sizes and complexities, is exactly what will be required to strengthen how we deliver for our guests,” Fiddelke added.
England joins Target from QXO, where he served as chief supply chain officer and improved inventory availability, reduced transportation costs and strengthened operational excellence. Prior to that, he was chief supply chain officer at Genuine Parts Company and spent nearly two decades in a variety of operations, strategy and finance leadership roles at Walmart.
Read the full announcement here.
Kevin Carpenter Named as SVP, Chief Supply Chain Officer for Atmus
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Atmus Filtration Technologies Inc., a global leader in filtration and media solutions, announced the appointment of Kevin Carpenter as senior vice president and chief supply chain officer.
Carpenter is responsible for procurement, manufacturing, health, safety and environment transportation and logistics across the enterprise, advancing Atmus’ strategy specific to transforming its supply chain to better support its global customers.
According to Steph Disher, CEO and president of Atmus, “Kevin is a proven operations leader with a strong track record of building resilient, customer-focused supply chains at scale,” she said. “His deep global experience and people-first leadership approach will be critical as we continue to strengthen our capabilities and execute on our growth strategy.”
Carpenter brings more than 25 years of experience leading global industrial organizations through transformation, growth and operational excellence. He joins Atmus from The Toro Company, where he served as vice president of global operations and integrated supply chain.
Read the full announcement here.
Supply Management News
Critical Minerals and Rare Earths Pact Signed Between India and US
As reported in The Economic Times, the U.S. and India signed a critical minerals and rare earths agreement to offset dependence on China’s dominance in these commodity sectors. The pact provides diversification in critical minerals and rare earths, helping to secure supply chains within clean energy, semiconductor, and EV technology industries.
The agreement came during the Quad Foreign Ministers’ meet between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
“I have spoken often during my time here over the last few days about the strategic alliance between the United States and India and how important that is for our national interest in the United States. And today is a tangible example of it. We are two countries that have strategic interests in ensuring reliable long-term access to critical minerals and supply chains that are important for our innovation economy,” said Marco Rubio.
Walmart Enhances Supply Chain with New Program
BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart announced a new supply chain strategy, Prepaid Consolidation, that aims to get products to shelves and customers faster by simplifying inbound supplier logistics and building a more connected, scalable, tech-enabled supply chain that improves service and lowers costs.
The company stated that the program expands Walmart’s first-mile capabilities for prepaid suppliers by using its national supply chain network to create a scalable way to merge shipments, creating greater transportation efficiency. Suppliers send products under a single national purchase order to one location, and from there, Walmart combines the inventory and distributes it across its 42 regional distribution centers (RDCs).
According to Mike Gray, senior vice president of supply chain at Walmart U.S., “We’re focused on making our supply chain simpler, faster and more efficient for suppliers, while also keeping products in stock for our customers,” he said. “By strengthening our first-mile capabilities, we’re reducing complexity and keeping goods moving, so we can deliver even more value every day.”
Through the process, suppliers pay a transparent, price-per-case rate, covering case handling at the automated consolidation center (ACC) and outbound transportation to Walmart RDCs. Suppliers working with participating providers will access region-specific pricing through Walmart’s published rate card, with no additional markups applied by participating providers to services performed by Walmart.
Read the full announcement here.
