The Oregon-based sportswear company finds France's labor rules are a perfect fit for its new European distribution center operation.

Improvements in warehousing and transportation have created a profit center at the publisher's centralized distribution facility.

As off-price stores moved upscale in recent years with the creation of attractive, shopper-friendly outlet malls, the demands of consumers and value retailers changed. Low prices were still expected, but shoppers also wanted a better selection of style and colors. To meet this need, Levi Strauss revamped its value-channel logistics.

Unreliable advance planning in the building trades, multiple manufacturing sites and the fragile nature of its products were just some of the logistics challenges faced by Pella Corp. It needed a total set of logistics solutions throughout its widespread enterprise.

Rapid growth, acquisition of a company with different distribution characteristics and a troubled ERP implementation created supply-chain problems for Hershey Foods in the late 1990s. A new strategy that focused on fulfillment speed and agility helped turn things around.

The pioneer of the office-products superstore has big plans to boost sales and market share in Europe by increasing stores, catalog orders, contract stationery business, and internet retailing. But it must balance growth with the challenge of a multi-channel supply chain.