Pet Supplies MARS PETCARE UNLEASHES ACQUISITION STRATEGY Most pet food companies are enjoying increased sales and revenue growth as more people acquire pets. To capitalize on those market dynamics, Mars Petcare, the largest global pet food company, acquired pet food maker Champion Petfoods. Champion Petfoods’ dry food products–including the Orijen and Acana brands–are sold in more than 90 countries and manufactured in company-owned kitchens in Canada and the United States. The acquisition complements Mars Petcare’s existing pet food portfolio by adding brands in the premium pet food category while broadening its oering within pet specialty and e-commerce channels. The Mars/Champion acquisition is just one high-profile deal in the pet food industry. As of the end of August 2022, more than 25 pet food mergers and acquisitions had taken place.
FEEDING FIDO FAST It’s a situation many pet owners dread. The family pet is hungry, and you are out of food. Same-day delivery to the rescue, thanks to a new partnership between pet supplies superstore PetSmart and Shipt, an expedited delivery company. The partnership adds 1,300 PetSmart stores to the Shipt marketplace and provides same-day pet food delivery nationwide. Customers can place pet food orders in the Shipt app, which features about 200 retail partners, and receive delivery later that day. Hungry pets no more. “Same-day delivery is a key component of our omnichannel strategy,” says Cherise Ordlock, senior vice president of digital at PetSmart. “It's important to expand our e-commerce oerings as demand for convenient shopping options continues to grow.” LOGISTICS KNOW HOW HELPS FRIENDS IN NEED Humanitarian logistics applies to pets, too. When Blue Cross in the UK donates pet food supplies to food banks, it often has trouble getting them to the people and pets that need them most. So Blue Cross partnered with Macfarlane Packaging to ensure pets remain fed in times of owner need. Under the partnership, Macfarlane Packaging deploys some of its regional distribution centers (RDCs) and a number of its fleet to tackle Blue Cross’ distribution issues. Macfarlane collects and delivers pallets of the donated pet food to its RDCs, then delivers them to Blue Cross’ pet food banks and community distribution points. More than 40 deliveries already are scheduled and will continue into 2023.
PURINA VETS FACTORY EXPANSION Factory automation tools and technologies are going to the dogs. Pet food giant Purina recently completed a $156-million expansion of its factory in Clinton, Iowa. The expansion adds capacity and production capabilities that include new cooking and packaging lines. It also adds 96 new jobs. To support its investment in digital tools and technology that promote manufacturing collaboration, Purina added a 3,800-square- foot technical training center as part of the expansion. The training center serves as an onboarding hub and provides factory workers with structured and self-driven training with digital tools. It also facilitates training with replicas of production equipment. Purina also retrofitted a newly purchased building adjacent to the existing factory for packaging and storage for two Purina brands–Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Supplements and Just Right, a personalized dog food brand.
24 Inbound Logistics • January 2023
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