Experts Offer Future Trends-Solutions-European Supply Chain

The conference, sponsored by the St. Onge Co. (www.stonge.com) and Buck Consultants International, will provide an insider view of the latest developments in supply chain designs and will have a direct impact on the European supply chain and a subsequent impact on consumers.

Press Release

Oct. 30, 2002

Contact:

Tom Peric'

(856) 874-0049                    

(856) 874)0052 (fax)

tsperic@worldnet.att.net

Future Trends, Future Improvements

For European Supply Chains

St. Onge Co. & Buck Consultants International

Host International Conference

York, Pa. - Supply chain experts from across Europe will meet during a two-day period to examine topics that will have an impact in the way European businesses conduct their supply chains.

The gathering is part of a two-country conference, "Optimizing Your European Distribution Network From Strategy to Execution." The first day of the conference will be held Nov. 19 at the Novotel Hotel in Leuven, Belgium, followed by the identical lineup of topics the next day, Nov. 20, at the Bilderberg Hotel in Garderen, The Netherlands.

The conference, sponsored by the St. Onge Co. (www.stonge.com) and Buck Consultants International, will provide an insider view of the latest developments in supply chain designs and will have a direct impact on the European supply chain and a subsequent impact on consumers.

Topics range from a strategic overview of the European-focused supply chain to a case study of Kraft Foods, a pioneer in retail supply chain logistics. [Ed. Note: See sidebar. A key topic "Inventory Optimization", considered the last frontier for significant supply chain improvement, will focus on emerging techniques and case studies.

"As Europe accelerates its movement toward commercial unity, companies servicing the European region are re-thinking their logistics networks," said Arthur St. Onge, president of York, Pa.-based St. Onge Co.

"Logistics networks originally designed with in-country presence now are candidates for consolidation and hub and spoke designs. This raises many questions relative to logistics efficiency, inventory optimization, security and the "how-to's" of Pan European network designs."

The importance of the supply chain and its effect on the economy received widespread publicity in the United States recently when a lockout resulted in a complete standstill of goods arriving at or leaving the West Coast. Retailers in particular feared this interruption of the supply chain could hurt sales immensely during the crucial Christmas season. President Bush ordered the parties back to the bargaining table by invoking the Taft-Hartley Act.

While this free conference has been designed for senior and middle-level executives, it is open to anyone interested in supply chain issues.

After the conference, a networking reception at both locations will provide participants with an opportunity to meet and exchange ideas with their peers.

For more information and registration details, please contact: (USA) Jeanie Richcreek 717.840.8181 or e-mail conference@stonge.com. In Europe, contact Irwin de Jong 24-3790222 or e-mail Irwin.jong@bciglobal.com.

Headquartered in York, Pa., St. Onge Co. is an independent, internationally respected consulting firm providing strategic logistics services including supply chain optimization, distribution and manufacturing facility design, and operations planning and training.

Buck Consultants International, headquartered in Nijmegen, The Netherlands, is a leading authority on European logistics and site selection that provides services for both the public and private sectors in the areas of supply chain optimization, strategic outsourcing and site selection.

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Sidebar

Conference Topic List:

* Single Center Concept. Is the single distribution center concept sill viable as a model for the European Market? (After success in the '90s, companies are beginning to question this approach.)

* Maintaining A "Perfect" Inventory Count. You have the right network but must still maintain the right inventory and the proper location and in the right quantities. New tactical tools bring you closer to that "perfect" number between demand for product and inventory sitting in a distribution center.

* Model Case Study. Kraft foods launched a bold logistics initiation that became a model for other consumer products companies. A St. Onge expert will provide a detailed case study not only of the strategic components that comprise this model but also information about key indicators that ultimately demonstrated how successful the model is.

* Productivity Improvement. Increasing distribution productivity & throughput by 15 percent. A bottom-line, no-nonsense way to immediately improve productivity by using emerging intelligent planning/scheduling tools developed by St. Onge Co.

* Controlled, Dependable Information Flow. A live demonstration of an ASP-based solution that provides all essential features for an integration information flow to your Supply Chain.

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