ARLINGTON, Va. — The top strategic concerns among distribution center executives include the increasing variety of products and rising energy costs, according to “Distribution Center Benchmarks 2007,” released yesterday by the Food Marketing Institute here. Distribution center executives ranked the impact of both issues on their operations at 7 on a 1-to-10 scale with 10 being the highest, the report said. Distribution centers are spending more on fuel to make more deliveries to stores in order to minimize out-of-stocks, resupply the fresh and frozen products and provide the just-in-time service that reduces store inventory space and costs. Human resources is another top strategic concern, leading companies to increase training and employee recognition programs, with some companies realigning working hours and reducing shifts so that most work can be performed during the day.
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