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Gross & Associates Merges with TranSystems

Bill Elenbark — Mon, 12 May 2008 16:20:04 +0000

On April 29, TranSystems and Gross & Associates, consultants in material handling logistics focusing on operations design, management and distribution, closed on the merger of the two firms. The combined strength of the integrated companies results in a national powerhouse of nearly 1,500 professionals in 46 offices.

Gross & Associates continues to operate out of our Woodbridge, NJ, offices, with the same people and services our clients have learned to appreciate for over 40 years. We will be able to now offer a wider array of services using Transystems’ expertise in transportation and logistics. TranSystems provides engineering, architecture and planning; management and supply chain consulting; real estate consulting; and security services. The shippers and distributors sector is one among many dynamic transportation markets TranSystems serves, crossing public and private, passenger and freight, and land, sea and air.

Scott Pribula, Market Sector Leader for the Shippers & Distributors Market Sector and President of the Management and Supply Chain Consulting Line of Business said, “The reputation of this firm, now under the TranSystems umbrella, further enhances our drive to have TranSystems become a household name in the supply chain management field. Gross & Associates’ expertise in optimizing operations “inside the box” and its broad resume in consumer goods will provide new revenue streams for our clients and widen our current client base.”

Gross & Associates specializes in designing material handling operations in manufacturing, warehousing and distribution, filling an important link between TranSystems’ work in facility design and management and supply chain consulting. Strategic services offered by the merged firm encompass warehouse management systems integration, material handling, simulation analysis, analytical modeling, market demand analysis and forecasting, bulk ocean carrier economics and site selection assistance.

President Brian Larson said “we couldn’t be prouder to bring this fine firm into the TranSystems family. Our growth in the supply chain and goods movement side of the world, already impressive under Scott’s leadership, can only be enhanced with the addition of the expertise and client list that Don [Derewecki], Jack [Kuchta] and Geoff [Sisko] have nurtured.”

Visit Transystems website and check back for updates on the Gross & Associates website, which will remain fully functional, including the Rules of Thumb calculator.

From the Golden Zone

Adeel Fudda — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 06:36:26 +0000

In this month’s edition of Distribution Center Management, Geoff Sisko of Gross and Associates penned an article titled: “From the Golden Zone: Finding the balance between throughput and capacity is the key to good facility design.”

The key to good facility design is balancing the frequently incompatible requirements of throughput and capacity. Increasing dock space, for example, will allow for more goods to flow through the facility, but it does so at a cost of storage space, which adversely impacts capacity. You must strike a compromise between these factors to optimize design in many areas of the operation, including dock space, building clear height, aisle width, number of cross-aisles, rack opening sizes, storage depth, and processing space. Productivity generally benefits if the majority of activity can take place at the floor level, while the use of a building’s height will generally increase the storage capacity. How do you find that balance? Some areas to consider are: Building Clear Height, Aisle Width, Cross-Aisles, Rack Openings, and Depth of Storage.

The article details the trade-offs required in these areas, as well as some practical solutions to meeting your throughput and capacity needs. Read the full article by clicking on this link (caution: PDF) or access DCM’s featured articles at this link.

Zooming in on the Perfect Site

Bill Elenbark — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 14:41:36 +0000

In Part 2 of the Logistics Management series on distribution network modeling, Gross and Associates senior engineer Maida Napolitano details specifics about the location selection process, from the development of candidate sites to the final selection of a building. Maida interviews several logistics and real estate professionals, including Gross & Associates senior VP Geoff Sisko, for insight into the building selection process once the network modeling process described in Part 1 has been completed. Also included in the article is a location criteria checklist that will help to ensure the best available site is selected.

“Keep in mind that you’re making a 10 or 15 year decision,” says Sisko. “Let’s say you move into a 100,000 square foot building with an annual lease of $14 per square foot. Your site selection decision just translated into a 14 million dollar decision over that 10 year period. That’s huge,” adds Sisko. “You have to make sure you’ve picked the right site.”

Click here to read the full article. You can read the first part of the article here. For more information on how Gross & Associates can help you select a distribution location and site, click here to obtain free PDFs via email.

Re-Engineering Your Distribution Network

Bill Elenbark — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 12:42:19 +0000

In February’s Logistics Management, senior Gross & Associates engineer Maida Napolitano wrote a featured article on distribution network modeling, the first in a two-part series titled “Locating Your Distribution Centers: Re-Engineering Your Distribution Network.” In this article, Maida describes the use of network modeling software to optimize a distribution network by reducing transportation and warehousing costs or improving service levels, or both.

This article features interviews with two Gross & Associates staff members who specialize in network modeling, Jack Kuchta and Bill Elenbark, along with two clients who worked with them on an engineering effort to optimize their own networks.

The most common driver for distribution center (DC) network re-engineering, says Kuchta, has been the realization that freight costs have a significant dollar impact on the bottom line. “With today’s rising energy costs, reducing transportation costs across the network has certainly become more pervasive and cannot be ignored,” he says. A network study may simply stem from operational growth resulting in a need for an additional warehouse in a different geographic area.

“Opening more stores in the West Coast, for example, may trigger a need to add a West Coast distribution center (DC),” adds Elenbark. Other reasons for studying your network may include mergers or acquisitions resulting in overlapping or excess warehouse space, new company policies and buying incentives forcing a shift in freight modes, or a need to reduce warehouse costs by investigating other areas with more affordable labor pools.

John Goione, who oversees the distribution of service parts and accessories to BMW’s retail group of car dealers and showrooms, found that transportation costs were just part of his bigger concern. “In 1999, we had two distribution centers, one in the East Coast and another in the West Coast,” recalls Goione. “But continued growth volumes, a hypercompetitive premium luxury automotive market, and rising transportation costs all compelled us to revisit our network.”

Click here to read the entire article. Click here to learn more about distribution network modeling.

DC Automation: Taking the Plunge

Bill Elenbark — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:10:12 +0000

In the January issue of Logistics Management, Gross & Associates senior engineer Maida Napolitano published an article about three companies’ efforts to automate their warehouses by using material handling technology to improve productivity. The companies profiled were JTM Food Group, Victorinox Swiss Army, and Corporate Express Canada. These companies found that investments in new technology resulted in productivity gains and labor cost savings that translated into more than satisfactory returns on their investments.

Most logistics managers seem to be satisfied with just “getting by” with what they have or profess not having the deep pockets that they associate with high-tech innovations. However, software has become cheaper and more standardized. Hardware has become more generic and maintenance-free. DC technological upgrades have not only become more powerful, but also more affordable. With increased customer demand and cost control efforts coming down from the C-suite, just “getting by” no longer makes sense.

Read the entire article here.

The Distribution Center Evolution Rolls Along

Bill Elenbark — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 13:40:04 +0000

In the November issue of Logistics Management, Gross & Associates senior engineer Maida Napolitano published an article concerning Value Added Services in warehousing operations. Don Derewecki, president of Gross & Associates, is featured in the article, which includes the results of the 2nd annual Warehouse Operations Survey. An excerpt appears below.

“Eighty percent of respondents are currently dealing with some form of value-added services (VAS) in their DCs,” observes Don Derewecki, president of Gross & Associates (G&A), a logistics consulting firm based in Woodbridge, N.J., and Logistics Management’s partner for the survey. VAS is a collection of specific requirements mandated by customers, involving additional processing of a product or an order, above and beyond the simple picking of the product for an order. The survey shows VAS is rapidly becoming the norm rather than exception. Case in point: Wal-Mart is requiring RFID tags on supplier pallets; Home Depot and Lowe’s are calling for special labels on their products; other mass merchandisers and groceries are demanding display-ready promotional packs. With the rise of VAS, small manufacturing cells are inevitably making their way into the layout of what were once pure storage and distribution operations. “To cope,” adds Derewecki, “warehouse managers have been forced to adopt ‘production tools’ specifically in areas of workstation design and labor planning/balancing.”

Click on this link to read the entire article.

Logistics Management - How to go Greenfield

Todd Richter — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 15:14:36 +0000

In the September 2007 issue of Logistics Management, Maida Napolitano, Senior Engineering Consultant at Gross & Associates and contributing editor to the magazine, discusses the process steps involved in the design of a new distribution center, or Greenfield facility.

The following is an excerpt from the article:

“Over the past 10 years, my colleague, Bill Elenbark, and I have worked together on a number of greenfield projects with a wide variety of clients for Gross & Associates, a consulting firm based in Woodbridge, NJ. Together, we’ve christened many brand-new facilities, sited them in better locations with improved layouts, more efficient equipment and a whole lot more of space. We both agree that the key to success is planning and scheduling details - beware of the manager who can’t be bothered by them.

Now a senior engineering consultant for the company, Elenbark’s expertise lies in distribution network modeling and determining the location of a new warehouse, while I’ve been mostly involved with new facility design and implementation. In this article, which includes insight from two of our top greenfield clients, I’ll relate all of the process steps Bill and I go through when locating, designing, planning, and implementing a new DC. In turn, logistics professionals can get a better feel for what needs to be accomplished if a greenfield project is in the plans.”

To read the rest of the article in Logistics Management, please follow this link:

How to Go Greenfield

Inbound Logistics - Designing the Perfect Warehouse

Todd Richter — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 15:11:21 +0000

Don Derewecki, President of Gross & Associates, discussed the steps needed for “Designing the Perfect Warehouse” with Inbound Logistics for a feature story in the May 2007 edition of the magazine.

To read the article, please click on the following link:

Designing the Perfect Warehouse.

Jack Kuchta selected by DC Velocity as one of the 2007 Rainmakers

Todd Richter — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 15:06:02 +0000

Jack Kuchta, Executive Vice President of Gross & Associates, has been selected by DC Velocity as one of its 2007 Rainmakers. The winners were selected by DC Velocity in conjunction with members of the magazine’s Editorial Advisory Board from candidates nominated by readers and previous year Rainmakers. This award recognizes those who have worked to advance the practice of supply chain management. Jack was one of eight professionals selected for the recognition. The other recipients include members from the academic, operations, consultant and vendor communities.

Congratulations to all the recipients ! Please click the following link to read the full article in DC Velocity:

The Rainmakers