Made in America: Former Walmart VP takes over top role for supply chain, manufacturing at Hallmark

Editor’s note: Each Sunday, Talk Business & Politics provides “Made In America,” a round-up of state and global manufacturing news.

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FORMER WALMART VP TAKES OVER TOP ROLE FOR SUPPLY CHAIN, MANUFACTURING AT HALLMARK
Former Walmart executive Beth Ward, managing director of Hallmark’s Asia Pacific procurement organization, has been named senior vice president – supply chain. Ward will replace Pete Burney who retired after 25 years with the company.

In this role, Ward will have responsibility for supply chain planning, manufacturing, logistics, global procurement, product integrity and supply chain technical resources. She also has been named a corporate officer and will report to Hallmark president Dave Hall.

Ward joined Hallmark in 1996 and has served in a number of roles including retail operations vice president for team Walmart, facilitating the creation of Hallmark’s new Walmart office in Bentonville, Arkansas.

MEINEKE TO OPEN UP TO 8 NEW LOCATIONS IN CENTRAL ARKANSAS AREA OVER NEXT 5 YEARS
Meineke Car Care Centers, which has nearly 1,000-unit franchises, announced plans to open up to eight locations in the Central Arkansas area over the next five years. According to Jim Alley, president CEO of Meineke of Central Arkansas, the first location will open up this month and will be located in North Little Rock on 7121 JFK Boulevard.

Alley said the opening of the Central Arkansas location, which will also offer a hospitality area and consumer education classes for the local community, comes during a strong growth period for Meineke as double-digit growth in new car sales trickles down to the aftermarket automotive industry.

OSHA RELEASES ‘YEAR ONE’ REPORT ON SEVERE WORKPLACE INJURIES
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently released the first year of its severe injury reporting for U.S. manufacturers and other industry worksites, as part of a new requirement that took place in January 2015 mandating employers to report work-related amputation, in-patient hospitalization, or loss of eye within 24 hours.

In the first full year of the reporting program, employers notified OSHA of 10,388 incidents involving severe work-related injuries, including 7,636 hospitalizations and 2,644 amputations.

Until last year, OSHA lacked timely information about where and how most of those injuries were occurring, limiting how effectively the agency could respond. Agency officials said past investigations of fatal injuries often found a history of serious safety issues and other problems at the same workplace. To see the full report, click here.