Reverse Logistics Speeding onto the Information Technology Super Highway

by Paul Rupnow

When everyone else is traveling down the information super highway, more and more Reverse Logistics teams are looking to speed ahead of the competition. To achieve their goals in a competitive environment, Reverse Logistics teams are looking for assistance from Information Technology IT solutions staff, partners and vendors. Unfortunately, there are still a lot of reverse logistics teams spinning their wheels when it comes to understanding best practices, best processes, available reverse logistics software and IT solutions, who can help, or where to best spend their limited time and financial resource budgets. Full Article

Surplus Sourcing recently renewed and upgraded to a gold membership. New Breed Logistics recently renewed their RLA Gold Membership.

RT Outsourcing Services Ltd., Ozark Electronics Repair Inc., Teleplan International, Repair Group Limited, Tech-Ed Networks, AMCOR, ALOM and Memory King each recently joined or renewed their Silver Level RLA Membership.

RLA Members can display the RLA membership logo on their website. Membership provides passes to RLA events and access to RL Quote and conference presentations. Go online for a complete list of membership benefits.

The RLA Consumer Electronics Focus Committee would like to congratulate Guido Kuckartz, Transport and Project Manager at Arvato Digital Services whose name was selected at random from all CE survey respondents. Guido will receive a Toshiba SD-P2900 DVD Player. Thank you to all participants. Survey findings will be published in the September/October 2008 issue of Reverse Logistics Magazine.

Elbit Systems of America, a leading provider of high performance products and system solutions focusing on the defense, homeland security, commercial aviation and medical instrumentation markets, recently announced that L. Bryant Underwood has joined the company as Director, Supply Chain. Bryant's responsibilities and that of his team include Procurement, Contract Management, Vendor Management and Job Pricing. Bryant was previously Director, North Americas Service at Foxconn Technology Group. Past positions include GM, Director and VP level assignments in support of Operations, CRM, Materials and IT.

SalvageSale, Inc., the leading online auction marketplace and services provider for the insurance industry and corporate end-of-life assets announced today the promotion of two significant employees.

Jim Reilly, Executive Vice President and COO, has been promoted to President and COO of SalvageSale. Having held many key operational and sales positions since joining the company in early 2000, Reilly will be responsible for guiding the company's continued expansion of all lines of global property and casualty insurance markets.

Chad Farrell, currently Vice President of Sales Operations, has been promoted to the newly created position of Senior Vice President of Strategy and Operations.

Karen van Driel joins Repair Group Limited's management team in the position of Team Manager, responsible for the Consumer team. This is a newly created role arising from the expanding technical team at RGL. Karen was previously a senior member of RGL's Materials team.

RLA Breaking Barriers in Amsterdam

by John Mehrmann

In June 2008, something special happened in Amsterdam. It may have appeared to be rather subtle. It was not controversial, political, or related to global warming. On the contrary, the event was appropriate, engaging, and necessary for the advancement of international business. It was so natural that most people did not even notice the change, and yet so significant that the impact will continue to grow for many years. Full Article

In light of the recent downturn in global economy, now is the time for companies to be ramping up marketing efforts to increase visibility and gain attention of Manufacturers and Retailers.

We constantly hear of many companies wanting to outsource some of their programs, but they don't have the resources to manage or accomplish this. Well now is the time to use RL Quote. RL Quote provides OEMs, ODMs and Retailers a way to connect with 3PSPs. With RL Quote a manufacturer or retailer can send out RFIs anonymously to our worldwide database of service providers, screen through the 3PSP responses and narrow down the prospects. It is a great program where RLA members are able to build business relationships with other RLA members.

3PSPs that are members of RLA at Silver Level or above can respond to RFIs.

Current posted RFIs:

• RFI ID 106 - A Large E-Retailer Needs a 3PSP to Manage Assets of Returned Products
• RFI ID 111 - A Large Electronic OEM Looking for a 3PSP in Canada to Handle Reverse Logistics
• RFI ID 112 - Large Mobile Communication OEM Seeking 3PSP In North America to Manage RL Operations
• RFI ID 113 - Large OEM is seeking a 3PSP Partner to Manage Electronic Equipment Using Multiple Recovery Channels to Increase Revenue

More RFIs will be posted in the coming weeks, be sure to check back regularly. Please visit us at RL Quote for more details about these RFIs.

The fifth annual RLA Conference & Expo Singapore will be held on October 7-9, 2008 at the Le Meridian Hotel. Companies from the South Pacific, Asia and many other international delegates will be in attendance. ODMs and OEMs will be looking for 3PSPs that can manage Reverse Logistics in North America and Europe, along with identifying Service Logistics solutions for the Far-East.

This premier Reverse Logistics Event is just two months away. The chance to meet with peers and competitors to discuss Reverse Logistics issues along with meeting key industry professionals make this Conference & Expo second to none.

Speaker and Panelist positions are still open. There are great benefits for speaking or participating on a panel. Also, it is never too late to make a good decision, so exhibit now to showcase your products and services!