“Peter will focus on sales execution and securing new and expanded customer sales of our world class cloud-based SaaS supply chain execution solutions,” said Diego Pantoja-Navajas, Founder and CEO of LogFire. “Peter’s well rounded implementation, solution consulting, and sales expertise in the extended warehouse management and logistics space make him an outstanding addition to our leadership team in providing maximum value to our customers.”

With more than a dozen years of experience in supply chain software, Peter’s career breath has included roles in implementation, sales support, and direct sales and sales management. Peter joins LogFire following Kiva Systems’ acquisition by Amazon where he was a senior account executive. Prior to Kiva, Peter held numerous roles at Red Prairie and Marc Global, acquired by Red Prairie, including sales, solution consulting, and logistics analyst. Peter began his career at Manhattan Associates where he was an implementation consultant.

“I’m excited to be a part of this growth phase for LogFire,” said Peter Blum, Vice President of LogFire North America Sales. “The market is looking for cost effective solutions to automate their logistics operations. LogFire’s cloud-based solutions provide an alternative to costly, traditional systems that are difficult to implement and expensive to upgrade. With advanced configurability, system integration capabilities, and a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) pay-as-you-go pricing structure, LogFire offers solutions that both business leaders and CIOs can appreciate as the best approach for improving their business.”

“With the appointment of Jaret Lynch as Vice President of Professional Services, LogFire continues to build out its world class executive team,” said Diego Pantoja-Navajas, Founder and CEO of LogFire. “Jaret will ensure LogFire customers get the best-in-class support for deploying our suite of cloud-based SaaS supply chain execution solutions, and will also enable them to define strategies to optimize their supply chain globally.”

With more than 15 years of experience in supply chain software, Jaret has successfully implemented solutions for retail, pharmaceutical, direct-to-consumer, e-commerce, wholesale, and 3PL customers in North America and Europe.

Jaret joins LogFire from Aldata Solution, where he was Vice President of Professional Services for North America. Prior to Aldata, Jaret worked for Manhattan Associates, where he developed both their European services practices and oversaw the deployment of emerging order management and transportation solutions.  Before that, Jaret designed and developed a highly automated warehouse management system for Kurt Salmon Associates (KSA), which was acquired by Manhattan Associates.

“LogFire has emerged as a leader in offering cloud-based supply chain solutions, leveraging an impressive technology foundation and deep supply chain expertise,” said Jaret Lynch, Vice President of Professional Services.  “With the challenges in keeping up with consumer and technology trends, which will continue to evolve at an exponential pace, our customers will be able to achieve a technology advantage while focusing on gaining market share. This will enable them to enhance the consumer experience, instead of investing capital and resources on major infrastructure initiatives.”

Stop by LogFire Booth #308 to register for a Kindle Fire.

The new LogFire WMS Trans Load and Deconsolidation capabilities will most commonly help 3PLs move freight from an ocean container to outbound trailer loads, by destination, PO and SKU.

“With its new functionality for 3PLs, LogFire is eliminating the time-consuming need to toggle between a transportation system and a WMS,” said Diego Pantoja-Navajas, president and CEO of LogFire. “LogFire has delivered the first, unified Cloud Based WMS for 3PLs to handle everything from trans loading, deconsolidation, cross dock, flow through, pick and pack, and shipping”

“Being positioned in the “Niche” quadrant by Gartner is an honor and we believe it is a confirmation that our innovative SaaS – cloud based WMS is gaining traction in the SCE market,” said Diego Pantoja-Navajas, founder and CEO of LogFire. “Our commitment to innovation, less complex implementations and on-the-go WMS model is propelling a new era of efficiencies and optimizations.”

LogFire’s position in the Magic Quadrant was determined by Gartner’s analysis of how vendors measure against criteria, including completeness of vision and ability to execute within the Warehouse Management Solution industry.

About the Magic Quadrant
Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose

• Monitor daily operations in real-time
• Analyze aggregated information from multiple systems (ERP, WMS, PTS, etc.)
• Increase overall supply chain efficiencies
• Gain meaningful insights into Key Performance Indicators (KPI) such as: receiving productivity, shipping productivity, outstanding tasks, location utilization, dock-door utilization, order profiles and SKU segmentation, picking and packing accuracy and efficiency.

 
LogFire Productivity Tracking System (PTS)
LogFire PTS is a labor management tool that provides managers visibility to all areas of the warehouse, helps reduce labor inefficiencies, raise overall performance and improve accuracy. Easily integrated into the LogFire WMS or any third-party application, the LogFire PTS measures productivity at the warehouse, functional area and individual employee level. With an easy-to-use web-based interface and radio frequency (RF) functionality, the LogFire PTS enables workforce management against key performance indicators (KPIs), and tracks supplemental activities outside of the WMS. It also can be used to create goals for teams or individual employees, to clock-in/clock-out and for incentive pay analysis. With the LogFire PTS, managers can:

• Monitor workforce performance for improved productivity
• Use historical data to follow trends and plan resources
• Deploy with a reduced implementation time
• Decrease cost of ownership

 
“A key factor in determining warehouse performance efficiency is availability of information and how that information can be interpreted to improve productivity,” said Diego Pantoja-Navajas, Founder and CEO, LogFire LLC. “With the LogFire Supply Chain Analytics Dashboard (SCAD) and the LogFire Productivity Tracking System (PTS), LogFire is enabling its customers to make decisions based on real-time information and become true data-driven businesses.”

The Triangle Group implemented the LogFire WMS for a premier fashion retailer at its Secaucus, NJ, distribution center. Within the first three months of go-live, production efficiencies have increased significantly and are expected to double by the end of the year.

This unique alliance transforms the traditional 3PL supply chain model using LogFire’s cloud-based option that provides a single advanced solution with EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) capabilities. As a result of LogFire WMS and supply chain expertise, The Triangle Group has decreased client on-boarding time, increased customer satisfaction, and ultimately given the Triangle group the competitive edge in the marketplace.

Caryn Blanc, managing partner at the Triangle Group agrees, “LogFire really has created what I view to be an innovative model in supply chain, and the Cloud is just one piece of it. I see LogFire as being a flexible application that provides us the ability to move data, not only for ourselves, but more importantly for our clients, which also gives us a competitive advantage over other 3PLs. “

That competitive advantage is what founder and CEO, Diego Pantoja-Navajas, sees LogFire bringing to the 3PL industry. “Historically, the 3PL industry has been hit by high software costs that prevent them from providing competitive pricing without affecting their bottom line. Our cloud-based solutions and SaaS (Software as a Service) pricing model combined with Tier 1 WMS functionality provided Triangle with an even greater edge to compete. We lowered their cost per unit and allowed them to handle complex retail requirements. “

About The Triangle Group

The Triangle Group is a leading global provider of logistics and supply chain management for retailers and manufacturers. The Triangle Group manages logistics for a variety of companies in their facilities all across the United States. The company is dedicated to delivering the highest level of service through the use of innovation, detailed operational procedures and a well trained staff. The Triangle Group provides a full spectrum of supply chain services including: Trucking, Distribution, Logistics and Fulfillment. For more information, visit www.thetrianglegroup.com.

The implementation of LogFire WMS only took four (4) months until go-live and provides SPSA with complete, Tier 1 capabilities. During that period, LogFire also worked on redesigning logistical processes and integration with SAP’s existing ERP system. Since then, SPSA has increased their efficiency levels, including productivity and service.

“The selection of LogFire’s WMS for SPSA was the right fit for us as they exceeded our expectations in three major areas of importance: performance, security and pricing. LogFire provided us a mature, robust solution with the right scalability for our future growth”, states SPSA’s CIO, Fernando De Los Rios.

SPSA’s Vice President of Supply Chain, Gabriel Ortiz, agrees, “LogFire’s SaaS model provided us the necessary flexibility to extend our supply chain and implement a new distribution center with a Tier 1 WMS solution right before the end of year peak season, which was our major goal. LogFire was able to train and certify our operators with new functionality and processes never before used at SPSA.”
These new processes also included running LogFire’s WMS on mobile tablets that are used throughout the warehouse, which allowed an increase in the quality of communication and the elimination of work stations, improving efficiency and productivity.

According to LogFire’s Founder and CEO, Diego Pantoja-Navajas, “LogFire was able to meet the tight timeline required to complete SPSA’s project; this challenge allowed us to demonstrate our determination and the aspects that make us different from traditional companies in these industries. Benefits in decreased start-up costs, reduced implementation timelines, continuous system upgrades at no additional cost and quality customer service, are evident.”

About Supermercados Peruanos S.A. (SPSA)
Supermercados Peruanos S.A. (www.supermercadosperuanos.com.pe) is the second largest supermarket chain in Peru, with annual sales that reach almost $1 billion USD. Over the last few years, SPSA has experienced rapid growth, increasing market share with many different store formats appealing to the different market segments, from high-end specialty shops as the well-known Plaza Vea and Vivanda, to discount stores like Mass and Economax. SPSA’s overall mission is to be the first choice in shopping for all Peruvians. SPSA is part of the successful Grupo Interbank that has additional retail operations such as pharmacies, department stores, and home improvement among others.

“India is one of the fastest growing countries in the world and an important site for expanding our presence in the Asia Pacific region. The country provides us with high quality software engineers and supply chain experts to add to our already talented group of LogFire employees,” comments founder and CEO of LogFire, Diego Pantoja-Navajas.

The highly innovative Bangalore office will include a cutting edge research and development facility and progressive customer call center to enhance LogFire’s technology as well as support global customers. Managing director, Ramamurthy Swaminathan, comes with over 15 years of global supply chain experience. Using his expertise along with a strong technical and functional team, LogFire India will provide clients with highly experienced onshore and offshore knowledge.

The LogFire India office is located 56/3, Vakil Square, Ground Floor, Gurappanapalya, Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore, India. The office can be reached by phone at +91 80 41260854 and by email at Info@LogFire.com

After setting up operations in strong retail markets such as Chile, Peru and Colombia, US IT firm LogFire, which specializes in supply chain solutions, is shifting focus to Brazil, where it expects to launch operations officially during the first quarter of 2012.

US IT firm LogFire expects to launch operations officially in Brazil during the first months of 2012, company CEO Diego Pantoja-Navajas told BNamericas.

“The subsidiary was legally created, and we’re in the process of hiring and training the staff,” the executive said.

The office will be located in Curitiba, in Paraná state. “Obviously we’re targeting the São Paulo market, but due to commercial reasons it was more viable for us to open the office in Curitiba,” he said.

“The Brazilian retail market has a different profile compared to the other markets where we operate; its volume is significantly bigger,” Pantoja-Navajas added. “We have high expectations and are looking to have a strong entry in this market.”

LogFire also has field offices in Chile, Peru and Colombia. “The criteria we used to launch operations in these three markets had to do with the weight of the retail segment. As you know, the retail segment in these markets is very important, especially in Chile, where it is very developed compared to other markets in the region,” the executive said.

Pantoja-Navajas expects Latin America could account for 35-37% of the company’s total revenues next year, compared to some 25% this year.

Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, the company also has an office in India, from which it serves Asian markets.

See below for the full interview with Pantoja-Navajas.

To find out more about the firm’s outlook for 2012 and its plans for the region, BNamericas spoke with LogFire CEO Diego Pantoja-Navajas.

BNamericas: What is the company’s outlook in terms of international expansion for next year?

Pantoja-Navajas: LogFire is a company with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. Taking into account our international operations, we have subsidiaries in certain Latin American countries such as Chile, Colombia and Peru, as well as in some Asian markets through our subsidiary in India. For 2012, our plan is to consolidate our operations in the markets where we already operate and to focus on Brazil and India.

BNamericas: Are you expecting to open a field office to target the Brazilian market, or do you plan to do business there through an existing subsidiary in another Latin American country?

Pantoja-Navajas: We will have local presence through a subsidiary [in Brazil]. We always prefer to operate through local offices rather than through a partner network, and we always set up local operations in a country where we have business activity. That’s what we did in Chile, Peru and Colombia in Latin America.

BNamericas: When are you expecting to open the Brazilian office? Where will it be located?

Pantoja-Navajas: We’re already working on this project. The subsidiary was legally created, and we’re in the process of hiring and training the staff. The Brazilian office will be officially launched in the first few months of next year. We’ve already appointed a country manager. The office will be located in Curitiba, in Paraná state. Obviously we’re targeting the São Paulo market, but due to commercial reasons it was more viable for us to open the office in Curitiba.

BNamericas: Why did the company decide to launch operations initially in Chile, Colombia and Peru, and not in other markets in the region?

Pantoja-Navajas: The criteria we used to launch operations in these three markets had to do with the weight of the retail segment. As you know, the retail segment in these markets is very important, especially in Chile, where it is very developed compared to other markets across the region.
Once we had set up the office in Chile, we started to see that the Peruvian market was also experiencing significant activity in this segment, so we decided to open our field office in Peru. Many Chilean retailers decided to go to Peru to expand their business, and this is why the retail market in Peru grew significantly over the last years. We opened the office in Chile in 2008, while our Peruvian and Colombian branches were launched during 2009.

BNamericas: And why have you decided to target Brazil now?

Pantoja-Navajas: The Brazilian retail market has a different profile compared to the other markets where we already operate, but its volume is significantly bigger; retail in Brazil has a larger operational volume than these three countries combined. We have a lot of positive expectations and are looking to have a strong entry in this market.

BNamericas: Are you also planning further openings in Latin America?

Pantoja-Navajas: Argentina is always an attractive market, but it, as well as other countries such as Uruguay, could be very well covered through our existing subsidiaries. Once we launch our Brazilian operations, we will cover the remaining markets in the region through the four existing offices.
From Colombia, we can serve Venezuela and Central American markets, from Peru we can provide coverage to countries such as Bolivia, and from our Chilean office we can cover Argentina and Uruguay.

BNamericas: Taking into account that the company is expecting to expand its business in Asian markets, could you give an indication of the Latin American operations’ weight in the firm’s overall revenues?

Pantoja-Navajas: Our operation in Latin America will contribute with approximately 25% of the company’s overall revenues. For next year, we have a very aggressive goal for the region: We’re expecting Latin America to account for approximately 35-37% of LogFire’s global revenues in 2012.

BNamericas: Given the huge volume of Brazil’s market, are you expecting the country to become your largest revenue contributor next year?

Pantoja-Navajas: No. In 2012, our Chilean and Peruvian operations will still account for much of our regional revenues. We’re seeing very high growth in Peru and are very surprised with our performance in this market. The Peruvian retail market is expanding year by year and is also becoming more competitive. After some uncertainties during the presidential elections, the scenario is clear regarding the economic outlook in the country.

BNamericas: How big is the company’s current base across the region, and by how much does this base expand each year?

Pantoja-Navajas: We currently have a client base of approximately 10-12 large clients. This year we expect our client base to expand approximately 40%.

BNamericas: Taking into account LogFire’s portfolio, which specific solutions are you seeing the most potential for across Latin American markets?

Pantoja-Navajas: We’re seeing demand for all of our solutions. The demand we see in Latin America has a similar profile compared to the demand we’re seeing from Asian markets.