Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

inbound

AriAnne Sproat chosen as "Face of the Supply Chain"

Winning entry profiles rise from receptionist to COO.

AriAnne Sproat chosen as "Face of the Supply Chain"

Picture the supply chain, and what comes to mind? Perhaps speeding trucks, whirring conveyors, or self-driving robots? To the trade group MHI, it's a person ... and one person in particular.

In April, MHI announced it had chosen AriAnne Sproat, chief operating officer (COO) of Phoenix-based steel products supplier International Technical Coatings (ITC), as the 2017 Face of the Supply Chain. MHI judges picked Sproat from a field of 16 finalists, citing her inspiring story and calling her a role model for the next generation of workers. She was presented with the award during a ceremony at the ProMat trade show and conference in Chicago.


MHI launched its annual contest through the #iWorkInTheSupplyChain campaign, an effort to highlight the success stories and career paths of supply chain stars (as well as promote career opportunities in the manufacturing and supply chain fields). Supply chain professionals who shared their story at iWorkInTheSupplyChain.com were automatically entered to become MHI's 2017 Face of the Supply Chain.

Sproat, 37, shared her experience in an entry titled "Shattering the Manufacturing Glass Ceiling: How One Woman Rose From Receptionist to Plant Floor to C-Suite." According to the essay, her Cinderella (or maybe Horatio Alger Jr.) story began when she was working as a customer service representative at a department store cosmetics counter in 1999. The then-ITC chief financial officer came into the shop, mentioned an open receptionist position, and encouraged her to apply for it. Over the next 16 years, Sproat seized every available opportunity to learn more about the business, volunteering for tasks that gave her exposure to areas like customer service, parts procurement, shipping, and sales. Among other roles, she served as shipping and inventory manager and as the company's production coordinator. In 2015, she was promoted to chief operating officer, a position she holds today.

The Latest

More Stories

photo of containers at port of montreal

Port of Montreal says activities are back to normal following 2024 strike

Container traffic is finally back to typical levels at the port of Montreal, two months after dockworkers returned to work following a strike, port officials said Thursday.

Canada’s federal government had mandated binding arbitration between workers and employers through the country’s Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) in November, following labor strikes on both coasts that shut down major facilities like the ports of Vancouver and Montreal.

Keep ReadingShow less

Featured

autonomous tugger vehicle
Lift Trucks, Personnel & Burden Carriers

Cyngn delivers autonomous tuggers to wheel maker COATS

photo of self driving forklift
Lift Trucks, Personnel & Burden Carriers

Cyngn gains $33 million for its self-driving forklifts

photo of a cargo ship cruising

Project44 tallies supply chain impacts of a turbulent 2024

Following a year in which global logistics networks were buffeted by labor strikes, natural disasters, regional political violence, and economic turbulence, the supply chain visibility provider Project44 has compiled the impact of each of those events in a new study.

The “2024 Year in Review” report lists the various transportation delays, freight volume restrictions, and infrastructure repair costs of a long string of events. Those disruptions include labor strikes at Canadian ports and postal sites, the U.S. East and Gulf coast port strike; hurricanes Helene, Francine, and Milton; the Francis Scott key Bridge collapse in Baltimore Harbor; the CrowdStrike cyber attack; and Red Sea missile attacks on passing cargo ships.

Keep ReadingShow less
diagram of transportation modes

Shippeo gains $30 million backing for its transportation visibility platform

The French transportation visibility provider Shippeo today said it has raised $30 million in financial backing, saying the money will support its accelerated expansion across North America and APAC, while driving enhancements to its “Real-Time Transportation Visibility Platform” product.

The funding round was led by Woven Capital, Toyota’s growth fund, with participation from existing investors: Battery Ventures, Partech, NGP Capital, Bpifrance Digital Venture, LFX Venture Partners, Shift4Good and Yamaha Motor Ventures. With this round, Shippeo’s total funding exceeds $140 million.

Keep ReadingShow less
Cover image for the white paper, "The threat of resiliency and sustainability in global supply chain management: expectations for 2025."

CSCMP releases new white paper looking at potential supply chain impact of incoming Trump administration

Donald Trump has been clear that he plans to hit the ground running after his inauguration on January 20, launching ambitious plans that could have significant repercussions for global supply chains.

With a new white paper—"The threat of resiliency and sustainability in global supply chain management: Expectations for 2025”—the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) seeks to provide some guidance on what companies can expect for the first year of the second Trump Administration.

Keep ReadingShow less
grocery supply chain workers

ReposiTrak and Upshop link platforms to enable food traceability

ReposiTrak, a global food traceability network operator, will partner with Upshop, a provider of store operations technology for food retailers, to create an end-to-end grocery traceability solution that reaches from the supply chain to the retail store, the firms said today.

The partnership creates a data connection between suppliers and the retail store. It works by integrating Salt Lake City-based ReposiTrak’s network of thousands of suppliers and their traceability shipment data with Austin, Texas-based Upshop’s network of more than 450 retailers and their retail stores.

Keep ReadingShow less