1. CHARLES EDWARDS
cedwards23@mindspring.com
3504 Chastain Glen Ln.
Marietta, GA 30066
404-915-7691
BACKGROUND
Experienced supply chain professional with over 28 years experience in logistics management, analysis and
consulting. Focus areas have included supply chain software design and implementation, distribution and
transportation operations, and logistics strategy development and optimization.
I have successfully identified and applied cross-disciplined approaches towards achieving optimized
performance using the proper balance of strategy, process, and technology, including best of breed ERP, WMS,
and TMS solutions to address my customer’s business needs and objectives.
I make a difference for my customers because I listen, learn, and creatively apply my abilities and experience
to understand, address and solve their unique business problems.
VALUE OFFERING
An experienced professional that can effectively “work” both sides of the project table to address and
solve business problems
o Understanding the business challenges and constraints
o Understanding technology capabilities, strengths and weaknesses
o Applying process definition and design as the glue to build a strong solution
o Recognizing and addressing change management challenges both on the floor and in the
boardroom
Exposure to a wide variety of operating and business environments
o Ability to apply and adapt solutions from diverse experiences
Create value and achieve results by effectively empowering clients at all levels of the organization – build
ownership of the solution
CORE COMPETENCIES
PROJECT AND PROGRAM MANAGEMENT
FULL-CYCLE WMS/TMS SYSTEM INTEGRATION
o Selection, Requirements, Design, Configuration, Testing, Implementation, Support
LOGISTICS PROCESS DESIGN & IMPROVEMENT
o Distribution Facility Operations
o Transportation Operations
LOGISTICS STRATEGY & NETWORK DESIGN
PROFESSIONAL AND BUSINESS HISTORY
Coca-Cola Refreshments / Coca-Cola North America 11/13 – Present
Senior IT Business Analyst – Managed and supported full-cycle
supply chain systems evaluations and implementations
Synergy Solutions Group 12/04 to Present
Partner/Principal – Business development and direct project delivery
responsibilities for an independent supply chain consultancy
The North Highland Group 02/12 to 11/13
Contract Project Mgr. – Supply Chain Systems (Coca-Cola)
Fortna Inc. 01/11 to 10/11
Manager, Supply Chain Services – Distribution operations process
and facility design project management and delivery
Deloitte & Touche / Deloitte Consulting 10/97 to 12/04
Senior Manager – Consumer Business & Retail – Project delivery,
client relations and business development responsibilities in
support of the Consumer Products and Retail practices
2. Charles Edwards Page 2
cedwards23@mindspring.com
PROFESSIONAL AND BUSINESS HISTORY (CONT.)
Garr Consulting Group 7/90 to 9/97
Vice President 12/95 – 9/97
Manager 9/94 – 12/95
Consultant / Sr. Consultant 7/90 – 8/94
Ace Mailing Services, Inc. 9/82 to 7/90
Milliken & Company 7/79 to 9/82
EDUCATION
B.S. in Industrial Management, Georgia Institute of Technology, 1979
PROFESSIONAL AND BUSINESS EXPERIENCE
Supply Chain System Integration
Managed two major work streams over several years for an ongoing implementation of SAP/R3 warehouse
management and procurement systems for a major global beverage company. Focus areas included project
management, process improvement and integration, defining business requirements and facilitating delivery of
required functionality. Adaptation of business processes to SAP standard functionality and definition of
required modifications to accommodate business needs.
o Developed virtual receiving and installation processes for direct ship goods using existing SAP
functionality. Reduced cycle time on direct ship PO closure by average of 65%. Eliminated need for
internal warehouses to account for direct ship inventory.
o Implemented SAP-based EDI processes and data transmissions for electronic management of
purchase orders and inbound shipments. Enabled 33% improvement in response to PO’s from
manufacturers by eliminating follow up communication as to model configurations and details.
o Developed and put in place tools for automatic creation of purchase orders in SAP from MRP planning
feeds. Enhanced capacity for new centralized buying activity and allocation control with limited staff
and more accurate conversion of inventory planning calculations. Weekly labor savings of 10-15%.
Design/Build and Implementation support for Manhattan WMOS at a leading home improvement retailer in the
US, focusing on process and systemic design and integration and configuration. Facilitated conceptual design
of flow distribution processes.
o Improved merchandise cycle time by 35% and enabled deferred allocations that reduced inventory
requirements by pooling demand
Implementation support of Red Prairie WM in process modification and design as well as system testing and
functionality fixes for a major manufacturer of consumer food products
o Enabled an accelerated functional and integrated testing agenda that was accomplished in eight
versus the typical 12-week period
Evaluated operating processes relative to WMS configuration in existing WMS implementation (JD Edwards)
and recommended both process and configuration modifications to optimize operating performance.
o 25-40% reduction in order processing time and reduction in inventory shrinkage/write-off
Warehouse automation initiatives achieved an 83% reduction in time required to prepare equipment for
deployment, 30% reduction in time to deliver and install equipment to customers, and a 15% reduction in
headcount needed to staff the make-ready facility.
Defined and mapped a harmonized data structure for materials and service activities to enable the integration
of two disparate business units across multiple supply chain and ERP platforms for a global beverage
manufacturer and distributor.
Defined and implemented integration of transportation invoicing and payment information across a multi-
platform business environment (SAP & OTM) to streamline monthly and quarterly reporting and closing
activities.
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cedwards23@mindspring.com
Logistics Process Design and Improvement
Performed operational and capacity diagnostic to address excessive cycle times and increases in overtime and
labor costs for a national retailer of specialty apparel faced with quick-turn, fashion-oriented merchandise
cycles.
o Identified capacity savings opportunities of $478,000 annually, and pushed capacity utilization below
100% in all process areas. Cycle times reduced by approx 12 hours, a 30% improvement.
Defined and documented business process improvements, including deployable job aids, in support of an SAP
implementation, converting the business from manual to system automated processing.
Designed and integrated (with WMS) a velocity-based cycle counting strategy and inventory control processes
for a leading national retailer of pet food and supplies.
o Reduced inventory adjustments from 4.6% to 2.7% and safety stock investment by $4MM
Developed a merchandise flow channel selection process and tool for a major North American multi-line retailer
based on activity level costing and key handling characteristics.
o Distribution costs as a percent of revenues decreased by 10-16% from previous levels
Performed extensive in-store surveys of labor and management activity and evaluated staffing effectiveness
for a leading grocery and food retailer in Puerto Rico.
o Annual savings estimated at $2.6MM or .9% of sales in an industry averaging margins of 2-3%.
Logistics Strategy and Network Design
Designed a long term phased logistics strategy for a national soft lines retailer to accommodate and facilitate
phased growth over a ten year period. Key features included definition of transitional strategies for new
markets.
o Costs over the ten year phased implementation decreased from 1.6% to 1.2% of sales and generated
annual savings equivalent to budgeted earnings of 14 new stores
Rationalized a network of regional distribution centers for core businesses of a major national chain drug store,
identifying separate channels for seasonal and high value items. Developed interactive models to help
evaluation of options in an aggressive acquisition strategy over five years.
o Enabled the closing or avoidance of four under-performing or redundant facilities, as well as a reduction in
annual operating costs ($19MM net of capital charges) accommodating realized and planned growth.
Designed an integrated supply chain strategy for multiple divisions of a national co-op producer of consumer
and industrial food products. Features included leveraging volumes into select geographies, use of co -producer
partners and new shipping methods for logistics efficiencies, and re-definition of regional distribution concepts.
o Savings over an extended base case scenario were over $4MM and 13% of total logistics cost, or roughly
2.1% of sales
Developed an integrated manufacturing and distribution strategy for a North American producer of private label
food products. Requirements were to balance capacity and demand across the distribution network and
accommodate the needs of a diverse customer base as to lead times and product mix.
o Total benefits amounted to $14.8MM annually in network operating costs or approx. 6% of total costs
including capital charges.
Distribution and Facility Operations
Performed facility operations diagnostics for a national distributor of hunting and fishing products to identify
opportunities to increase fulfillment capacity to meet forecast peak demand.
o Identified process, slotting, and material handling modifications that increase throughput capacity to
double current lines per hour, while reducing the travel component of work by 8-10%.
Evaluated fulfillment process capacity for a distributor of prescription pharmaceuticals to address forecasts of
dramatic volume growth, while avoiding capital expenditures that were needed for other operations.
o Reduced current space occupied by 75% by redesigning pick process and work station layout and
flow. Accommodated SKU growth of 5x and order volume growth of 14x with space required only
growing by 2x. Avoided the need to transplant the operation to a more expensive facility.
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Transportation Operations and Strategy
Performed an assessment of transportation management processes for a national manufacturer of commercial
HVAC equipment. Focus areas included lane profitability, load optimization, shipment frequency and delivery
timing effectiveness.
o The net effect of identified improvements yielded an annual operating cost reduction of over
$700,000, or over 16% of existing prepaid freight spend. This was equivalent to approximately .5%
of sales
Designed a transportation strategy to accommodate a new distribution model for a leading national
manufacturer/distributor of residential heating and air conditioning products. Evaluated opportunities for mode
conversion, routing, shipment frequency, backhaul, order consolidation, and carrier consolidation.
o Identified savings of $5/cwgt on local delivery (45% over baseline) and a 66% improvement at a
shipment level for replenishment shipments to satellite warehouses from previous alternatives.
Defined and implemented processes and functionality for managing private fleet assets (drivers, equipment,
dock schedules) using OTM (Oracle) functionality. Prepared comprehensive job aids and training materials and
conducted on-site user training in using the functionality.
o Reduced fleet driver wait time for pickups and deliveries through finite shipment scheduling
o Provided for accurate trip-based costing of private fleet activity
o Reduced empty miles and thus improved fleet cost utilization by systemically building efficient routes
o Formalized driver and equipment management and compliance documentation
REPRESENTATIVE INDUSTRY / CONSULTING RELATIONSHIPS
AAFES Kellogg’s Solvay Pharmaceuticals
Academy Sports & Outdoors Kohl’s Sonoco Paper Products
Advance Auto Parts Lennox Industries The Home Depot
Big Rock Sports Levi Strauss & Co. The Men’s Wearhouse
Castellini Produce Liz Claiborne / Lucky Brand The TJX Companies
Coca-Cola
Cott Beverage
Lowe’s
McKesson
Thermadyne
TreeTop Apple Juice
Eckerd Drug MillerZell US Smokeless Tobacco
Food Lion OfficeMax Urban Outfitters
Giant Eagle Groceries Pacific Sunwear Volkswagen of America
Goody’s Family Clothing Petsmart Waremart Foods (WinCo)
Hecht’s Pioneer Standard Wolf Camera
HoMedics Rayovac Woolco–Canada
Interface / FLOR Regeneration Technologies Xerox Mexicana
JC Penney Sears
REPRESENTATIVE SOFTWARE PLATFORMS
SAP R/3
Manhattan Associates WMOS
Oracle Transportation Management (OTM)
LogicTools – Logic Net and Transportation Analyst
Red Prairie DLX Warehouse
JD Edwards WM
Microsoft Office Suite
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP / formerly CLM)
Institute of Industrial Engineering (IIE)
Member and Professional Certification in Systems Integration
Warehouse Education and Research Council (WERC)
Charter Member of the Logistics Council for the Metropolitan Atlanta Chamber of Commerce