Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 18th April 2024 Issue no. 1110
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Georgia-Pacific opens facility to drive supply chain innovation
Georgia-Pacific is to bring together leading supply chain companies to develop solutions within its new Point A Center for Supply Chain Innovation.
Opening this June in an initial 15,000sq.ft space at Atlanta's TechSquare Labs, the facility will bring together experts from around the world to develop solutions that help build the world's most efficient supply chain. It will, effectively, serve as a collaborative space for businesses and will focus on collaboration, accelerate problem-solving.
Over the next couple of years, Georgia-Pacific has plans to move Point A into a new, dedicated 23,000sq.ft space within its downtown GP Center headquarters building. Also planned is an additional 30,000sq.ft of warehouse space for proof-of-concept testing; its location has yet to be determined.
Point A's members will explore use cases for applying Industry 4.0 innovations, including robotics, artificial intelligence, blockchain, machine learning and autonomous vehicles, among others, to tackle some of the supply chain's most pressing challenges, including retail models, network efficiency and data visibility.
"Now more than ever before we're seeing a greater emphasis on digitalisation, automation and advanced analytics in plants and warehouses," says Kevin Heath, Georgia-Pacific senior vice president and chief procurement officer. "Supply chain leaders are trying to unlock the potential of current and future technologies, and we believe collaborating with the best minds will help drive innovation at a faster pace."
Christian Fischer, Georgia-Pacific president and CEO, adds: "The pressure for business transformation is both a challenge and an opportunity, but there's no wait-and-see. Point A will focus on solutions in the supply chain that will ultimately serve customers faster and more reliably, as well as provide a superior brand experience for an end-consumer."
Beyond its benefits for supply-chain-focused companies, Point A will bolster Atlanta's position as #SupplyChainCity, the transformation of Atlanta's physical supply chain assets into a digital ecosystem powered by the Internet of Things, claiming another area of tech for a city already respected in the FinTech and cybersecurity circles.
Ben Harris, director - supply chain ecosystem expansion for the Metro Atlanta Chamber, says of the scheme: "One of the biggest areas of opportunity for Atlanta is a private industry-led shared space for commercialising supply chain and logistics technologies. Point A bridges that gap, creating a new paradigm aimed at enhancing supply chain flexibility, connectivity, and advanced supply chain planning."
Matt Markham, director of the Center of Innovation for Logistics at the Georgia Department of Economic Development, adds: "We see Point A as a chance to demonstrate how the state's technology resources can be an asset for supply-chain-driven companies and an opportunity to leverage Georgia's unique competitive advantage in logistics infrastructure. By promoting collaboration and developing solutions that will benefit the entire supply chain, we'll strengthen Georgia's leadership position as the South's global gateway."
The company is investing between $5 million and $7 million in the overall facility and has begun actively recruiting members. Among the first member organisations to offer their unique capabilities and expertise include: Chick-fil-A, Delta Air Lines, Genuine Parts Company, Grainger, Siemens, as well as Georgia-Pacific's parent company Koch Industries.
Innovators interested in joining Point A should get in touch via:
31st May 2018