SupplyChainBrain and The Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) have announced the six finalists in the sixth annual Supply Chain Innovation Award competition. The first- and second-place awards will be presented at the organization's annual global conference, September 26-29, in San Diego.

The finalists and their supply chain innovations are:

~ Amway used a kaizen approach that identifies waste and builds cross-functional alignment in its SKU-revision process, leading to reduced costs and changes in the way its supply chain partners manage revisions.

~ Bakers Footwear, Transmodal Corporation, and IES Ltd. consolidated cargo shipped via small-parcel carrier to the same destination, resulting in 40-percent lower shipping costs based on volume weight rates.

~ IPC-Subway and C.H. Robinson Worldwide redesigned a supply chain strategy through the collaboration of suppliers, academics, and leaders, reducing carbon emissions and supply chain costs while creating environmental benefits and delivering fresher products to customers.

~ Intel Corporation used a low-cost supply chain project to break down silos and drive organizational alignment, setting the stage for future coordinated, high-impact projects.

~ Navistar and Menlo Worldwide Logistics transformed an old-line supply chain into a strategic, competitive enabler through the development of a collaborative, innovative model and road map after implementation, achieving multimillion-dollar benefits.

~ Pepsi Beverages Company implemented automation technology and network optimization strategies to "crack the code" on labor-intensive direct store delivery activities, significantly impacting quality, service, production and ROI.

The Supply Chain Innovation Award recognizes a collaborative supply chain team's outstanding innovations as demonstrated by quantifiable and sustainable cost-savings, revenue-generating, or customer-satisfaction achievements. This year's six finalist teams, selected from dozens of entries, will present their case studies in a special supply chain innovation track on Monday and Tuesday at CSCMP's conference.

Each team will discuss the creative and nontraditional approaches, operations, and cost-saving initiatives that resulted in their supply chain achievements.

Source: SCB & CSCMP