Nebraska Furniture Mart Outsources EDI to FurnishNet

Nebraska Furniture Mart, Omaha, Neb., has contracted San Diego-based FurnishNet to provide electronic supply chain connectivity with more 300 vendors.

NFM, part of Berkshire Hathaway’s furniture retail holdings, chose to move from its in-house EDI package to FurnishNet’s hosted network in an initiative to increase vendor connections as well as automate additional transaction sets in its supply chain network.

Additional transactions sets the company has targeted include electronic invoice processing, ship notices, product sales reporting and parts management.

According to FurnishNet, more than 1,100 leading U.S. retailers and manufacturers use the company’s electronic transaction exchange network to streamline their supply chains.

Source : http://www.hfbusiness.com/story/story.bsp?sid=66931&var=story

Council rethinks sole sourcing of police furniture

By AMY PUGSLEY FRASER
City Hall Reporter

City hall will seek out other local suppliers for systems furniture after questions were raised about sole sourcing with one outfit to equip municipal offices.

The issue was raised a few weeks ago after council approved the purchase of more than $300,000 in furniture from Office Interiors for a new integrated police office on Brunswick Street in Halifax.

Although the subject was discussed at chambers on that date and a further 30-page staff report supplemented that discussion, a few councillors were keen to have another kick at the can during their regular meeting Tuesday night.

Council debated the item for 90 minutes, prompting a few councillors to be critical of their colleagues who brought it up.

"We have dragged them through the mud," said Deputy Mayor Sue Uteck (Northwest Arm-South End).

"We don’t pick apart companies," she criticized, calling it "micromanaging the municipality" and noting that no one from Office Interiors was present to speak for the company.

Coun. Krista Snow agreed.

"Staff’s not at fault here and neither is council," the Waverley-Fall River-Beaver Bank representative said.

"So change the policy if you don’t like it and move on."

The sole sourcing to Office Interiors has been in place since 1987 and predates amalgamation and the municipality’s procurement policy, acting financial director Cathie O’Toole told council.

And the purchase of the furniture — more than $1.8 million has been spent in the past three years through a standing order to provide systems furniture— adheres to the policy.

"We’re here to make sure that what we’re doing is in the best interests of HRM taxpayers," she said.

However, Coun. Bill Karsten (Portland-East Woodlawn) said that the very nature of standing orders makes them problematic.

"They breed an environment of want instead of need," he said, adding that when he looks at the list of furniture — including non-systems furniture like blinds, drapes, desks and bookcases bought by the municipality — he "shudders" to think where it all goes.

The city’s manager of capital projects said that the municipality is in a period of growth and that the furniture is accommodating staff in an economic manner.

"The systems furniture . . . isn’t the Rolls-Royce," Phil Townsend said. "It’s actually fairly utilitarian."

Source : http://thechronicleherald.ca/Metro/843768.html

560 jobs to go at furniture firm

Press Association
Wednesday June 27, 2007 8:43 AM

Galiform, the former owner of furniture retailer MFI, has announced plans for about 560 job losses as part of a restructuring of its supply arm.

The group, which sold the MFI retail chain last October to private equity for £1, said the job cuts were expected under plans to "streamline" its furniture supply operations.

But Galiform added it would create 550 jobs at its Howden Joinery business, meaning overall employee numbers were likely to be steady over the year ahead.

The bulk of the supply job losses are set to go in Galiform's 200-strong kitchen unit manufacturing operation in Hull, which will be closed.

The group said there is the possibility some jobs from Hull may be relocated to its Howden site, with staff currently being consulted on the changes.

Galiform is also trimming its operations across sites in Howden, Runcorn and Northampton, which will see job cuts of about 150, 45 and 170 respectively.

The firm, previously known as MFI Furniture Group until the sale last year, said its supply business, which currently employs 1,900 staff, will now focus on making "rigid" kitchen cabinets and worktops in Runcorn and Howden.

Previously the business manufactured and externally sourced products for its Howden Joinery business and for third parties, such as MFI Retail Limited. In February, Galiform launched the first part of supply revamp, outsourcing the supply of kitchen fascias and appliances to concentrate on flat-pack and rigid kitchen cabinets.

The latest announcement marks the second stage planned changes for the supply arm. The firm's restructuring is set to cost around £35 million, with the majority earmarked for redundancy pay and support.

Galiform also announced it will stop providing supply and logistics for MFI under a transitional agreement from the end of the year.

Source : http://www.guardian.co.uk/uklatest/story/0,,-6739176,00.html