Software Executive joins Kinaxis: Growth Focus

Kinaxis® Inc. (TSX: KXS), a leading provider of supply chain management software solutions, today announced Margaret Franco (pictured) as chief marketing officer. Reporting to President and CEO John Sicard, Franco will lead the global marketing organisation, including advertising and brand strategy, marketing communications, product and solution marketing, digital marketing, demand generation and business development.

As Kinaxis continues to expand globally, Franco’s base in London puts her at the centre of a growing customer and employee hub and adds strength to the company’s international network with offices in Tokyo, Chennai and Rotterdam, and more than 40,000 users in over 100 countries. Franco’s experience helping companies scale to $1 billion and beyond, her pedigree in shaping global brands and her commitment to customer, partner and employee communities make her a valuable addition to the company.

“Kinaxis is at an exciting inflection point where its technique, product, people and culture are well positioned to transform an industry ripe for change. I’m thrilled to be joining John and the whole team, and looking forward to achieving something special together,” said Franco.

Headquartered in Ottawa, Kinaxis works with many of the largest global brands, including Bose, Carlsberg, Ford, HAVI, Honeywell, Merck, Procter & Gamble, Schneider Electric, Qualcomm, Unilever, and many others. Since its IPO in 2014, the company has more than tripled revenue, and in May 2023, Kinaxis was named a leader in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Supply Chain Planning Solutions for the ninth consecutive time.

Sicard added, “It’s rare to find someone with the depth of experience, global perspective and commitment to people and culture that are necessary to help us, and our customers, make real change in supply chain management. I’m thrilled to welcome Margaret to our team.”

Franco was previously chief marketing officer at Finastra and before that held senior marketing roles in North America, Europe and Asia at Dell during a 13-year tenure. In 2022, Franco was ranked fourth on the Financial Technology Report Top 25 Women Leaders in Financial Technology.

Everyday volatility and uncertainty demand quick action. Kinaxis® delivers the agility to make fast, confident decisions across integrated business planning and the digital supply chain. People can plan better, live better and change the world. Trusted by innovative brands, we combine human intelligence with AI and concurrent planning to help companies plan for any future, monitor risks and opportunities and respond at the pace of change. Powered by an extensible, cloud-based platform, Kinaxis delivers industry-proven applications so everyone can know sooner, act faster and remove waste.

3PL Fast Freights Forward with WMS

One of the UK’s leading logistics and freight companies has upgraded its warehouse management system (WMS) to accelerate market share and expansion.

Simarco, which has extensive experience across all industry sectors and international trade routes, has implemented the award-winning, cloud-based SnapFulfil suite because of its inherent flexibility, multi-site capabilities and depth of functionality.

The fully executed contract is for five years and provides 24/7 critical support and access to SnapFulfil’s multiple billing software and extensive customer portal, which are especially beneficial to 3PLs needing to flex their model. Simarco has also purchased a SnapData license, which amalgamates critical real time data from various sources and locations into one central dashboard.

Simarco went live at their new 108,000 sq.ft high security warehouse in Stoke-on-Trent during March, after a rapid 50-day implementation period – and are already enjoying optimised inventory visibility and fast turnaround of goods receipt.

Phase 2 this summer will see SnapFulfil onboarded at their HQ distribution centres in Witham, Essex, followed by their mainland Europe facility in the Netherlands.

Steve Pyne, Head of Warehousing for Simarco, said: “Onboarding and training went smoothly and the SnapFulfil implementation team were great with our warehouse team, keeping it straight forward and relatable. Simplification of our processes and invoicing also means staff get to concentrate more on managing and improving the customer experience.

“SnapFulfil is a very flexible and responsive system and our first clients onboarded are already appreciating the scheduled reports, ERP-like functionality and online access to their stock. Having a UK-based support team was also a key factor for us, as our previous legacy WMS was based in Australia. It was clunky and slow too, plus cloud-based SnapFulfil contributes greatly to our sustainability plan for going paperless.”

The functionality and connectivity of SnapFulfil was also a big plus point for Simarco. Richard Bartram, Head of UK Implementations for SnapFulfil, explained: “It’s gratifying that Simarco see us as their differentiator and a very easy decision for their growth and attracting new business. They need that robust Tier 1 functionality to drive efficiencies, plus SnapFulfil’s configurability is ideal for the dynamic nature of their diverse customer base.

“We were also able to create some bespoke integration for their main customer and so all orders (and associated data) for the three sites utilise the same API securely and consistently.”

3PL Fast Freights Forward with WMS

One of the UK’s leading logistics and freight companies has upgraded its warehouse management system (WMS) to accelerate market share and expansion.

Simarco, which has extensive experience across all industry sectors and international trade routes, has implemented the award-winning, cloud-based SnapFulfil suite because of its inherent flexibility, multi-site capabilities and depth of functionality.

The fully executed contract is for five years and provides 24/7 critical support and access to SnapFulfil’s multiple billing software and extensive customer portal, which are especially beneficial to 3PLs needing to flex their model. Simarco has also purchased a SnapData license, which amalgamates critical real time data from various sources and locations into one central dashboard.

Simarco went live at their new 108,000 sq.ft high security warehouse in Stoke-on-Trent during March, after a rapid 50-day implementation period – and are already enjoying optimised inventory visibility and fast turnaround of goods receipt.

Phase 2 this summer will see SnapFulfil onboarded at their HQ distribution centres in Witham, Essex, followed by their mainland Europe facility in the Netherlands.

Steve Pyne, Head of Warehousing for Simarco, said: “Onboarding and training went smoothly and the SnapFulfil implementation team were great with our warehouse team, keeping it straight forward and relatable. Simplification of our processes and invoicing also means staff get to concentrate more on managing and improving the customer experience.

“SnapFulfil is a very flexible and responsive system and our first clients onboarded are already appreciating the scheduled reports, ERP-like functionality and online access to their stock. Having a UK-based support team was also a key factor for us, as our previous legacy WMS was based in Australia. It was clunky and slow too, plus cloud-based SnapFulfil contributes greatly to our sustainability plan for going paperless.”

The functionality and connectivity of SnapFulfil was also a big plus point for Simarco. Richard Bartram, Head of UK Implementations for SnapFulfil, explained: “It’s gratifying that Simarco see us as their differentiator and a very easy decision for their growth and attracting new business. They need that robust Tier 1 functionality to drive efficiencies, plus SnapFulfil’s configurability is ideal for the dynamic nature of their diverse customer base.

“We were also able to create some bespoke integration for their main customer and so all orders (and associated data) for the three sites utilise the same API securely and consistently.”

New Freight Forwarder Office in Porto

The international freight forwarder Robert Kukla is opening a second branch office in Portugal on 15th July 2023. The new office with three employees is located in Porto and covers the northern region of Portugal.

It was only in 2021 that the service provider Robert Kukla, specialized in intermodal transport, started its business activities with a first branch office in the Portuguese capital Lisbon. Paula Dias, managing partner of Robert Kukla Portugal, explains the decision for a second location: “With the increased physical presence, we want to better provide the two regional economic centres in the north and south of Portugal with a more customized service. Our goal is to generate further growth, with our focus on shortsea transports.”

Robert Kukla has developed many shortsea concepts for the trade between northwest Europe and Portugal over the past two years. “Demand is particularly high for exports from the Benelux region, the UK and Scandinavia”, Paula Dias explains. Overall, the 54-year-old expects an increase in cargo volume of 15 per cent to 10,000 TEU this year.

Robert Kukla GmbH Internationale Spedition, headquartered in Munich, specialises in multimodal and intermodal transports, tank transports and truck transports worldwide and has extensive experience in warehouse logistics. The Munich-based logistics service provider has locations in Hamburg, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Milan, Breda, Stockholm, Bilbao, Calais, Lisbon, London and Thessaloniki. Kukla has been in operation since 1941, works worldwide with a dense network of high-performance cooperation partners and employs around 280 people at all its locations. Of the approximately 180,000 units transported annually, about 60 per cent are accounted for by short-sea traffic and 40 per cent by shipments by rail and truck

New Freight Forwarder Office in Porto

The international freight forwarder Robert Kukla is opening a second branch office in Portugal on 15th July 2023. The new office with three employees is located in Porto and covers the northern region of Portugal.

It was only in 2021 that the service provider Robert Kukla, specialized in intermodal transport, started its business activities with a first branch office in the Portuguese capital Lisbon. Paula Dias, managing partner of Robert Kukla Portugal, explains the decision for a second location: “With the increased physical presence, we want to better provide the two regional economic centres in the north and south of Portugal with a more customized service. Our goal is to generate further growth, with our focus on shortsea transports.”

Robert Kukla has developed many shortsea concepts for the trade between northwest Europe and Portugal over the past two years. “Demand is particularly high for exports from the Benelux region, the UK and Scandinavia”, Paula Dias explains. Overall, the 54-year-old expects an increase in cargo volume of 15 per cent to 10,000 TEU this year.

Robert Kukla GmbH Internationale Spedition, headquartered in Munich, specialises in multimodal and intermodal transports, tank transports and truck transports worldwide and has extensive experience in warehouse logistics. The Munich-based logistics service provider has locations in Hamburg, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Milan, Breda, Stockholm, Bilbao, Calais, Lisbon, London and Thessaloniki. Kukla has been in operation since 1941, works worldwide with a dense network of high-performance cooperation partners and employs around 280 people at all its locations. Of the approximately 180,000 units transported annually, about 60 per cent are accounted for by short-sea traffic and 40 per cent by shipments by rail and truck

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