Kenco Logistic Services Named DuPont Responsible Shipper For 14 Years Without Recordable Incidents, Citations

Kenco Logistic Services LLC (KLS), one of the most respected names in the third-party logistics (3PL) industry, has received DuPont's 2009 Responsible Shipper Award for achieving zero recordable distribution incidents and regulatory citations for the period 1995 - 2009 at its Live Oak/Orange, Texas location.

The award recognizes KLS for, "the outstanding efforts of site personnel to ensure that all materials shipped from the site complied with all applicable transportation regulations, DuPont safe transportation policies, standards and guidelines, and the Responsible Care(R) Distribution Code of Management Practices."

According to Andy Smith, KLS president and COO, "This achievement is the direct result of our ongoing commitment to safety and operational excellence. I'm proud that our team met the high standards of DuPont for this remarkably long period. It's great to be recognized by the customer and we will continue to strive for this level of performance."

About Kenco Logistic Services
Kenco Logistic Services is one of the nation's leading third-party logistics providers (3PL), managing over 100 facilities and 25 million square feet of warehouse space in 31 states and Canada. Kenco currently provides logistics services for many industry-leading, Fortune 500 companies such as Whirlpool, Cummins, and General Mills. Kenco specializes in facilities and services for the pharmaceutical, apparel, automotive, food, textile, and appliance industries.

Location Spotlight: Utah Warehouse

Kenco's Utah warehouse services customers in Salt Lake City and surrounding areas.

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• Inbound Services
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• Kitting
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• Cross-docking
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Kenco Toyota-Lift Recognized for Excellence by Toyota Material Handling

Kenco Toyota-Lift (KTL) received Dealer Awards from Toyota Material Handling for 2009. KTL is a member of the Kenco Family of Companies, a group that provides logistic, transportation, real estate management, and material handling equipment solutions.

"In addition to earning a prestigious Service Excellence Award, we are particularly proud that three KTL technicians received Platinum Level status," said Jeff Burns, vice president, KTL. "This is notable because there are only 12 Platinum Level technicians for all of Toyota nationwide. I know this achievement is the result of our commitment to Kenco Toyota-Lift's core philosophy: 'Exceeding our customers' expectations is our obligation and our pleasure."

The three KTL Platinum Level service technicians are: Robert Betton, Teddy Castleberry and Stan McKay.

KTL also received Toyota Material Handling awards for Parts Excellence, Customer Service Specialist Excellence and Sales Elite. Toyota Material Handling USA has been the number one selling forklift brand in the US since 2002.

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Kenco Poised to Help Nashville Businesses Affected by Floods

Like many businesses operating in Nashville, Kenco has been affected by the recent floods. For those that might need assistance we are prepared to help. Kenco has available warehouse space and trucks in nearby Chattanooga, TN.

Please contact us today if we can help you with your recovery efforts. We can be reached by email at info@kencogroup.com or phone at 423-643-3401.

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Kenco Logistic Services Announces Promotion of Jason Minghini

Kenco Logistic Services LLC (KLS), one of the most respected names in the third-party logistics (3PL) industry, has announced the executive promotion of Jason Minghini to director of operations.

According to Andy Smith, Kenco Logistic Services (KLS) president and COO, “Over the past two years, Jason has been instrumental in driving operational excellence as well as providing day-to-day support for our customers. Under his leadership, KLS has achieved improvements in both execution and cost management.”

Minghini will assume responsibilities for overall operations of specific key KLS customers in support of flawless service execution. He will also continue leadership in the KLS Lean Six Sigma program. Minghini joined Kenco in 2007. Previously, he was the technical services manager for Modern Industries (a division of Leggett & Platt). He earned a Bachelors of Science degree in Nuclear Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology; is a licensed lead auditor for ISO/TS 16949; a certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt and a senior member of the American Society for Quality.

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Hungry Fish Media Selects Kenco Logistic Services to Provide US E-commerce

Kenco Logistic Services LLC (KLS), one of the most respected names in the third-party logistics (3PL) industry, has been selected by Hungry Fish Media as the US e-commerce fulfillment partner for Force Factor. Kenco will be fulfilling customer orders from the Force Factor web site.

Force Factor is the premiere men's health-oriented nutritional supplement by Hungry Fish Media. Developed by former Harvard athletes and subjected to cutting-edge research, Force Factor was launched in April 2009 and quickly grew into a dominant sports supplement brand through extremely effective online advertising and consistent, quality customer care.

According to James Sietstra, Managing Director of Hungry Fish Media, “Following the successful launch of Force Factor last year, our needs have grown rapidly. KLS has the national footprint, the ability to scale up as we grow, and the superior fulfillment service our customers require. The company’s strong financial position was also important for us in today’s economic climate.”

KLS is warehousing and shipping all Force Factor products from a 390,000-square-foot warehouse in Chattanooga. “We are proud to have been selected to distribute this popular consumer product,” says Andy Smith, KLS president and chief operating officer. “It’s another confirmation that Kenco’s team is well-positioned to serve the growing direct-to-consumer sector.”

Kenco Logistic Services CEO Gary L. Mayfield Elected IWLA Chairman

Kenco Logistic Services LLC (KLS), one of the most respected names in the third-party logistics (3PL) industry, has announced the election of Gary L. Mayfield, CEO, to the post of chairman of the International Warehouse Logistics Association (IWLA).

“I am honored and delighted to have been selected to lead this great organization for the next year,” Mayfield said. He brings strong experience to IWLA. Since joining Kenco as CEO in 1999, the company has experienced double-digit growth and is now one of the largest family-owned and privately-held third-party logistic solutions in the United States. Kenco serves over 200 clients in 31 states and Canada, with 100 facilities and 25 million square feet of warehouse space. The company’s core capabilities are warehousing and distribution, transportation management, material handling equipment, assembly, cartoning, labeling, reverse logistics, packaging, engineering services, metal cutting, fabricating, and project management.

Mayfield’s expertise in warehousing, transportation and value-added services is founded on more than 30 years of supply chain experience with third party logistics and manufacturing companies.

“The momentum for IWLA has been really building each year with Jere Van Puffelen and previous chairmen steadying the ship and getting it moving in the right direction,” Mayfield said. His top priorities as IWLA chairman will be increasing membership recruitment and retention; getting members more involved in the association—including associate members; and improving communication of IWLA’s government affairs activities at the federal and state levels, as well as its educational, product and service opportunities.

In addition to IWLA, Mayfield is an active member of the Warehousing Education and Research Council and Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals.

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Formation of Team 3 Logistics Announced

Kenco Logistic Services LLC (KLS), through its wholly-owned subsidiary Kal-Serv, has announced that together with Schnellecke of America, LLC, it has formed Team 3 Logistics LLC (www.team3logistics.com). This new joint venture will offer logistic solutions to support automotive production in the Southeastern United States.

As an established global provider of supply chain solutions for automotive manufacturers in Europe, China, Russia, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa, Schnellecke sought a partner with strong capabilities serving the U.S. market, and the Southeast in particular. “Once we got to know Kenco, they were the logical choice for the creation of Team 3,” said Nikolaus Kϋlps, CEO of Schnellecke Group. “Together we will offer logistics and added-value services to the automotive industry.”

Kenco, headquartered in Chattanooga, has unmatched warehousing and logistics experience in the Southeast. “We enjoy a strong cultural alignment with Schnellecke, and we are fortunate to have been selected as the U.S. partner in Team 3,” said Andy Smith, KLS president and COO. Team 3 will leverage Kenco’s extensive U.S. infrastructure, which includes over 100 buildings totaling 25 million square feet. Forty-five percent of the distribution space managed by Kenco Logistic Services is located in the Southeast United States with 4.7 million square feet and 22 buildings in its home city, Chattanooga, TN.

Team 3 Logistics was formed to support the growing number of automotive manufacturing plants located in the Southeast.

About Schnellecke Group

The Schnellecke Group provides transportation solutions, value-added logistics, engineering, supply chain management, production and assembly of automotive parts and components. Clients include most major automotive manufacturers. The Schnellecke Group, based in Wolfsburg Germany, is a privately-held company which was founded in 1939 and started globalizing its operations in the mid-nineties. Today, Schnellecke is a leading company in automotive logistics worldwide. For more information, visit www.schnellecke.de.

About Kenco Logistic Services

Kenco Logistic Services is one of the nation's leading third-party logistics providers (3PL), managing over 100 facilities and 25 million square feet of warehouse space in 31 states and Canada. Kenco currently provides logistics services for many industry-leading, Fortune 100 companies such as Whirlpool, GlaxoSmithKline, Cummins, and General Mills. Kenco specializes in facilities and services for the pharmaceutical, automotive, food, textile, and appliance industries. Kenco Logistic Services is a member of the Kenco Family of Companies. Other members include Kenco Material Handling Solutions, Kenco Transportation Services, and JDK Real Estate. Together these companies offer total supply chain solutions.

Kenco Logistic Services Release its 2009 Year End Report

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Kenco Logistics Services, one of the most respected names in the third-party logistics 3PL industry, has released its 2009 Year End Report.

According to Jim Kennedy III, Kenco chairman and one of the company’s owners, “It’s no secret that most companies are relieved 2009 is over. At Kenco, we posted several significant milestones that provide a cautiously optimistic outlook for the coming year. In terms of the overall health of our business, we are pleased to report $40 million in new revenue, plus the addition of several new major customers.”

Mr. Kennedy continued, “New customers won last year include Ralston, OTTO International, and Wolford, plus we added business with established customers Whirlpool, Mead Johnson Nutrition, Komatsu, Keurig, and Carrier.”

Market conditions also prompted Kenco to streamline its management structure. “Some of these changes were painful,” Kennedy said, “but we are in a strong position going forward.”

Andy Smith, Kenco Logistic Services president and chief operations officer, said, “Embracing Lean techniques throughout the enterprise was a critical element to our 2009 success. We started with a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt (LSSMBB) on staff who trained a cadre of 20 Lean Six Sigma Green Belts using basic Lean concepts of Takt Time analysis, schedule attainment analysis, A3 problem solving method and Kaizen events as major tools for continuous improvements.”

“Did it work?” Mr. Smith asks. “You bet! Improved employee participation resulted in a 30% productivity increase while decreasing operating costs by 25% at sites that implemented Lean. In 2009, Kenco generated 2% in bottom-line revenue savings by leveraging our Operational Excellence programs,” he explained.

Pointing out one of the year’s highlights, Mr. Kennedy said, “Kenco was pleased to host an inspiring presentation by Dr. Stephen Covey, one of the most respected and sought-after leadership authorities of our time and author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Speaking to the Chattanooga business community, his positive approach helped us all through the on-going economic turbulence.”
During 2009 Kenco received numerous awards and recognition for various accomplishments by the company that often go unheralded. These include:

• Whirlpool Corporation’s Warehouse Supplier of the Year
• Invista Chattanooga facility managed by KLS celebrated 32 years with no loss-of-time accidents
• Inbound Logistics magazine Top 100 3PL
• Supply Chain Brain 100 Best Supply Chain Partners
• Business Tennessee’s Hot 100
• American Trucking Association’s Safety Management Council Award for 44% Collision Reduction
• National Safety Council Merit Award for OSHA Lost Time Injury Rate of 0.32 compared to the Warehouse and Storage Industry average of 2.0

About The Kenco Family of Companies
Kenco manages 25 million square feet of warehouse space in locations throughout North America. The company’s core competencies include logistic services, transportation, real estate management and material handling equipment. The Kenco Family of Companies includes Kenco Logistic Services, Kenco Transportation, Kenco Toyota-Lift, Kenco Management Services, and JDK Real Estate.

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