Above and beyond

By Gary R. Forger, Editorial Director -- Modern Materials Handling, 2/1/2001

Last month, this column carried a few comments about productivity and what we can expect for the near future. And as this month's lead news story explains, you have the perfect opportunity to see the most advanced materials handling productivity tools available at the upcoming ProMat 2001 show.

In addition, you should take a look at our 11 ^th annual Productivity Award Winners . It's quite an interesting mix of companies with a couple of firsts thrown in.

The winner in Warehousing is third-party logistics provider Ingram Micro Logistics. It is our first winner ever from the ranks of the 3PLs.

In Distribution, the winner is drugstore.com , another first. Never before have we had a winner from the e-commerce world of either the pure-play type (which drugstore.com certainly is) or of the click-and-mortar variety.

And in Manufacturing, QSC Audio is the winner. Although not a first like the other two, QSC is clearly a pioneer in its management of the manufacturing process.

To honor the winners, this issue carries a 2-page summary of each system. There's also an update prepared by Associate Editor David Maloney on what has happened at each company since it was featured. As you will see, all three continue to go above and beyond on the productivity front. Modern Materials Handling congratulates them on their outstanding achievements.

The competition this year, as in the past, was stiff. All companies featured in either our Manufacturing Spotlight or Warehouse of the Month were eligible. While the editors select the finalists for the Awards, we do not make the final decision. Our Editorial Advisory Board does that.

As their votes come in, sometimes they surprise us, and sometimes they confirm what we were already thinking. But they always say just what they think and then tell us why. One member has long said selecting the winners is one of the toughest decisions he has to make all year.

That brings us to a bit of a crossroads for the Board. The group has been together for quite some time. But change is in the air. Tom Cullinane of Northeastern University and Rick Bushnell of Quad II are leaving the Board this month. They have both been extraordinarily generous of their time and counsel during the past 10 years. They have helped us above and beyond what was originally anticipated. I thank them for their help and hope they will still answer our calls in the future.

Taking their place are two industry veterans, Gary Master of Green Associates and Steve Jessup of SC Print Systems. I want to both welcome them and thank them for stepping right into the fray with this year's voting. Hopefully, they will be part of the Board for many years to come. I'm already looking forward to their input on future Award winners as well as new ideas on how Modern Materials Handling can go above and beyond for you, our readers.