Ahern named NRS international VP

Ahern named NRS international VP    National Retail Systems, a Hasbrouck Heights, N.J.-based logistics company, has named Patrick Ahern to the new position of vice president of international.
   Ahern, who joins NRS from Agility Logistics, will have responsibility for the continued expansion of SinoNRS, a joint venture that NRS formed with Sinotrans to provide integrated factory-to-store retail logistics services.

Ahern

   He will also oversee the delivery of offshore operations control for clients to decrease overall unit costs through improved management of origin cargo operations and information flows, the company said.
   'In retail logistics today, the pressure is swinging back to suppliers to gain more control of inventory flows into the distribution centers, retail stores or domestic inventory positions,' Ahern said in a statement. 'Retailers want to reduce inventory carrying costs significantly and are asking vendors to refine purchasing terms.
   'This inventory control focus reaches from the distribution centers in the U.S. to the factories in China,' he added. 'Typical FOB (free-on-board) purchase orders are being examined from an inventory control perspective, resulting in more consistent orders, safety stock awareness and consolidation at the point of origin.'
   Ahern said it's important for NRS to leverage its partnership with Sinotrans. 'China is where the heavy lifting needs to be done to refine U.S. distribution,' he said. 'It's no longer awareness but expertise at origin.'
   NRS operates an international network of transportation and distribution assets that provide services to a number of major U.S. retailers, pharmaceutical companies, and consumer goods manufacturers.