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Newell Rubbermaid | 2013 Annual Report
closer to our markets and consumers — broadening distribution and
investing in technology, we can jointly develop business plans with
our retail customers to drive satisfaction, grow our categories and
capture share.
How have you structured the new Supply Chain organization?
The new organization was created around fi ve key pillars: Plan, Source,
Make, Deliver and Serve. We are focused on driving strategic sourcing
through the leverage of common categories, taking a holistic manufac-
turing view of our product lines, improving the deliver pillar through
warehouse consolidation and strategic management of freight, and
consolidating customer and consumer service to drive effi ciency,
enhance the experience and reduce total cost to serve. We are also
driving the Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) process to improve
working capital and service, enable more effi cient delivery and optimize
manufacturing. We are partnering with the Customer Development
organization to improve the customer experience by reaching out
to the supply chain organization at key customers and jointly working
on productivity programs. This will make us more nimble, enabling us
to meet our partners where they are — and where we can accelerate
growth. Additionally, we have added new capabilities in LEAN/Six Sigma,
Quality Management and Value Analysis/Value Engineering (VA/VE).
What are some of the changes you’ve made in Europe, the Middle
East and Africa?
We’ve had to make some diffi cult decisions in the region to improve
profi tability, but our goal is to maximize supply chain capabilities and
to redirect spending where it has greater impact. We are unlocking
value by moving manufacturing to low-cost countries and consolidating
warehouses across the region. Eliminating unproductive expenses makes
our supply chain a source of new funding — freeing up trapped resources
that can be reinvested in growing our brands and business segments
in priority markets.
Supply Chain
Q&A
WITH MERI STEVENS
CHIEF SUPPLY CHAIN OFFICER
“Our mission is to build and transform Newell
Rubbermaid’s supply chain operations into
a world-class system that enables growth,
drives customer satisfaction and achieves a
sustainable competitive advantage globally.”
— Meri Stevens
What are your objectives for the new Supply Chain organization?
Our mission is to build and transform Newell Rubbermaid’s supply chain
operations into a world-class system that enables growth, drives cus-
tomer satisfaction and achieves a sustainable competitive advantage
globally. We will achieve supply chain excellence by establishing a
consistent approach to the company’s global operations, unlocking
the trapped capacity for growth through improved productivity and
working capital management, and optimizing the network to support our
emerging market expansion. By building a competitive infrastructure,
synchronizing supply with demand — including locating operations