Georgia-Pacific eyes cross-industry supply chain innovation in Atlanta

Georgia-Pacific has said it will bring together leading supply chain companies to develop solutions within its new Point A Center for ‘Supply Chain Innovation’.

Opening in June in an initial 15,000-square-foot space at Atlanta's TechSquare Labs, Georgia-Pacific's Point A Center for Supply Chain Innovation will serve as a collaborative space for businesses ranging from multi-national corporations to emerging startups and academic institutions.

The organisation said the Point A Center for Supply Chain Innovation will bring together experts from around the world to develop solutions that help build the world’s most efficient supply chain.

Georgia-Pacific is investing between $5mn and $7mn in the overall center and has begun actively recruiting members.

Among the first member organisations to offer their unique capabilities and expertise include: Chick-fil-A, Delta Air Lines, Genuine Parts Company, Grainger, Siemens, as well as Georgia-Pacific's parent company Koch Industries.

Over the next couple of years, Georgia-Pacific has plans to move Point A into a new, dedicated 23,000-square-foot space within its downtown GP Center headquarters building. Also planned is an additional 30,000 square feet of warehouse space for proof-of-concept testing; its location has yet to be determined.

Point A's members will explore use cases for applying Industry 4.0 innovations, including robotics, artificial intelligence, blockchain, machine learning and autonomous vehicles, among others, to tackle some of the supply chain's most pressing challenges, including retail models, network efficiency and data visibility.

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“Now more than ever before we're seeing a greater emphasis on digitalisation, automation and advanced analytics in plants and warehouses,” said Kevin Heath, Georgia-Pacific senior vice president and chief procurement officer.

“Supply chain leaders are trying to unlock the potential of current and future technologies, and we believe collaborating with the best minds will help drive innovation at a faster pace.”

Christian Fischer, Georgia-Pacific president and CEO, said: “The pressure for business transformation is both a challenge and an opportunity, but there's no wait-and-see.

“Point A will focus on solutions in the supply chain that will ultimately serve customers faster and more reliably, as well as provide a superior brand experience for an end-consumer.”

Beyond its benefits for supply-chain-focused companies, Point A will bolster Atlanta's position as #SupplyChainCity, the transformation of Atlanta's physical supply chain assets into a digital ecosystem powered by the internet of things, claiming another area of tech for a city already respected in the FinTech and cybersecurity circles.

“One of the biggest areas of opportunity for Atlanta is a private industry-led shared space for commercialising supply chain and logistics technologies,” said Ben Harris, director – supply chain ecosystem expansion for the Metro Atlanta Chamber. 

“Point A bridges that gap, creating a new paradigm aimed at enhancing supply chain flexibility, connectivity, and advanced supply chain planning.”