The Supply Side briefs: Kimberly Clark honored, Nestle R&D
by June 28, 2013 9:46 am 121 views
• Kimberly Clark garners procurement honors
Kimberly-Clark Corporation earned top honors from the Procurement Leaders Awards in London.
These awards recognize and celebrate the excellence in the world of procurement and supply chain management. More than 300 entries were received from 140 different companies in 28 countries for this year's awards.
Cynthia Dautrich, global procurement officer, was named top procurement leader in recognition of her achievements within the industry. She was recognized for her strong leadership ability, proven track record in achieving goals, along with her willingness to take smart risks and build trust with her clients.
In addition, Kimberly-Clark's global procurement organization became a finalist in the transformation category.
"The value that the procurement team has delivered to Kimberly-Clark over the past several years has been enormous and the alignment with the business teams the past two years has been exceptional," said Dave Faddis, vice president of the company’s European consumer supply chain segment.
Kimberly Clark is a major supplier of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. with a sales office in Rogers.
• Nestle invests $53 million in R&D
Nestle S.A. will invest $53 million to expand its existing R&D facility in Solon, Ohio.
The new center will be designated as a global Product Technology Center (PTC), dedicated to frozen and chilled foods research, and will serve Nestle's businesses worldwide.
Construction is expected to begin this summer and Nestle expects the new facility to be operational in late 2014.
The decision to expand the research and development capabilities in Solon reflects the growth in size and complexity of Nestle's frozen and chilled food businesses.
"We are pleased that the R&D effort first established in Solon in 2001 to serve our regional needs has matured into a global Product Technology Center. We currently operate 11 Product Technology Centers around the world. PTC Solon will become the twelfth of these important centers of excellence for Nestle. Here we will establish a critical mass of technology expertise and product knowledge for our global Nestle frozen and chilled foods business," said Johannes Baensch, Nestle's Global Head of Research and Development.
Sean Westcott will serve as Director of the new PTC in Solon. Westcott is an expert in leading product innovation, operations and quality control teams. He replaces Roberto Reniero, who with his team, gained rezoning approval from the Solon community in 2011 and designed the facility to comply with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards.
In March, Reniero completed his assignment in the U.S. and took over as head of PTC Lisieux in France, the Nestle center of excellence for chilled dairy products and healthy drinks.
Nestle is a larger supplier to Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and maintains a larger sales and marketing office in Rogers.