Conference Day One

8:00 Continental Breakfast & Registration Continental Breakfast & Registration

8:30 Chairperson’s Opening Remarks Chairperson’s Opening Remarks

8:45 Keynote Mike Ehlers, Vice President, Service, Sony In 2013 Sony Electronics Inc., the U.S. Sales and Marketing arm, established a new program to eliminate returns for most categories. In order to be successful, any program has to be beneficial - or at least cost neutral - to both the manufacturer and the retailer. But the economics of returns are complex and confusing. This presentation discusses what returns truly cost a company, as well as alternatives that you can use to provide an advantageous solution. It also addresses Sony’s journey from determining the problem to implementing such a program. Mike Ehlers Vice President, Service, Sony Mike Ehlers is the Vice President of Service for Sony Electronics Inc. in San Diego. Mike is responsible for service for Sony’s consumer products in the United States. Mr. Ehlers has been leading the re-inventing of Sony’s U.S. service offerings, including centralization of repairs, in-sourcing, rather than outsourcing and launching innovative programs to [read more]

9:20 Consumer Electronics Industry Update Steve Koenig, Director of Industry Analysis, Consumer Electronics Association In this session Steve shares a number of consumer electronics trends that will impact reverse logistics operations in the coming year. While anticipating higher return volumes, companies also have to acknowledge the short lifecycle of tablets and smartphones and how that necessitates a rapid reverse logistics process and utilization of secondary markets to capture value with returned inventory. Companies are also recognizing the increasing importance of assistance during device setup and emphasizing ease of use to avert returns. The growing influence of social media in purchasing decisions – enabling more informed purchasing decisions and hopefully resulting in fewer returns – is another noteworthy trend. Steve Koenig Director of Industry Analysis, Consumer Electronics Association

9:55 Panel Session: Partnering Pre-Sale To Reduce Returns: Manufacturers And Retailers Team Up Chris Griffin, Senior Manager, Global Retail Reverse Logistics, Microsoft Sue Martin, Director, Customer Service, Newegg Inc. Nicki Purcell, Director, Customer Care, Nokia Tony Sciarrotta, Former Director of Asset Recovery, Philips Consumer Lifestyle A 2011 report from Accenture estimated that manufacturers spend about 5 to 6 percent of revenues to manage returns and that returns represent 2 to 3 percent of sales for retailers. There is a tremendous opportunity for manufacturers and retailers to collaborate to bring these costs down. This panel addresses: Involving OEMs in associate training to develop familiarity with key products & ensure that they can properly represent them Preparing retail sales personnel for questions and concerns that could emerge during the buying process E-learning/certification programs for sales professionals Aligning compensation with a returns reduction mentality: Basing commissions off of net sales rather than gross Return reason reporting: Getting tangible data on why units are being returned and establishing formal mechanisms for sharing that data with OEMs Solutions driven by data and designed to foster ease of product use Changes to packaging: Is it impossible to open? Simplified manuals: Too many languages? Quick start guides Chris Griffin Senior Manager, Global Retail Reverse Logistics, Microsoft Sue Martin Director, Customer Service, Newegg Inc. Sue Martin is the Director of Customer Service at Newegg Inc., the leading electronics-focused e-retailer in the United States. As a 20-year veteran of customer service management, Sue brings a strong background managing large customer service organizations and centers in the airline, wireless, cable and outsourcing and retail industries. Her experience includes center assessments for best practic [read more] Nicki Purcell Director, Customer Care, Nokia Reporting directly to the President of Nokia, Inc., Nicki Purcell leads the customer care organization and reverse logistics operations for North America. In this role, she drives programs that improve Nokia’s market position through cost, quality and customer satisfaction. As part of the North American Leadership Team and an officer in the company, she provides direction to t [read more] Tony Sciarrotta Former Director of Asset Recovery, Philips Consumer Lifestyle

10:30 Consumer Returns Innovation Spotlight The Consumer Returns Innovation Spotlight features snapshots of today’s bleeding edge companies who are leading the way in technology advancements and service methodologies. These sessions are tailored to help you better understand what you can do to help your organization streamline and improve your returns management processes and practices.

10:40 Morning Refreshments & Networking Break In The Solutions Zone Morning Refreshments & Networking Break In The Solutions Zone

11:10 Panel Session: Cost Effectively Compressing The Reverse Supply Chain Timothy Quinn, Manager of Logistics, Budget and Analysis, BJ's Wholesale Club Jack DeButts, Director, Returns and Exchanges, Dell Elaine Gasser, Director of Returns, Reverse Logistics & Remarketing, Hewlett-Packard Chad Burke, Director, Supply Chain Excellence, RyderSupply Chain Solutions Rachel North, Director, Post Sales, Toshiba America Electronic Components Considering the high no fault found rate – often estimated at two thirds of all returns - around high volume, low margin products in the consumer electronics industry, the cost of consistently returning products to the OEM must be re-evaluated. How much value is there in OEMs getting product back, especially when nothing is wrong with it? How can we compress the time and cost involved in the reverse supply chain? Attend this informative session to find out how our panelists have achieved success. Moderator: Jack DeButts Timothy Quinn Manager of Logistics, Budget and Analysis, BJ's Wholesale Club Tim Quinn is the Manager of Logistics Budget and Analysis for BJ’s Wholesale Club. After beginning his career in the Finance Division in 2002, he transitioned into the Logistics Division as a Planning Manager in 2006. His current responsibilities include managing a team of analysts and specialists that are responsible for all analysis, budgeting and planning for Supply Chain a [read more] Jack DeButts Director, Returns and Exchanges, Dell Elaine Gasser Director of Returns, Reverse Logistics & Remarketing, Hewlett-Packard Elaine is Director of Returns and Remarketing for Hewlett-Packard in the Americas, where she is responsible for the reverse supply chain strategy and execution for HP’s PC products in the region. She has been working in the reverse supply chain field for the past 8 years. Prior to this, Elaine has held a variety of management positions within HP, including North America Market [read more] Chad Burke Director, Supply Chain Excellence, RyderSupply Chain Solutions Chad Burke is a Director of Supply Chain Excellence for Ryder Supply Chain Solutions. He is responsible for Reverse Logistics product development including returns management, disposition, technical repair, asset recovery and critical spares solutions. He has over 20 years experience in the supply chain industry covering container/ break-bulk port operations, supply chain engineering and strateg [read more] Rachel North Director, Post Sales, Toshiba America Electronic Components Rachel North is the Director of Post Sales Operations at Storage Products Business Unit , Toshiba America Electronic Components, INC. (TAEC) Rachel brings more than 22 years of experience within the hard drive supplier management and service operations to her position. Prior to joining TAEC, she worked for Sun Microsystems Service Operations in a variety of Supplier and Logistics Service Oper [read more]

11:50 Panel Session: The Omni-Channel Retailing Challenge: Managing Online Purchases And Returns Through The Physical Store Bob Desrochers, International Account Manager, SIRAS Chuck Johnston, Director of Repair and Returns, The Home Depot It is crucial to build customer loyalty through an integrated shopping experience, offering in-store pickup and returns for online purchases. Retailers can eliminate the nuisance of shipping costs for online shoppers through store-based fulfillment strategies and the routing of direct to consumer returns through the physical store can avoid the wasteful habit of supplying consumers with labels so they can ship back a box with only one item in it. This panel discusses: Driving seamless integration of the online and store network: Ensuring that your customers see you as one system rather than multiple channels with separate inventory, processing and delivery Inventory management challenges When an algorithm decides that a buy online, deliver from store order makes sense to clear excess inventory, how do you handle that product coming back to you? Achieving unified end-to-end inventory visibility through warehouse management systems: From purchase order to distribution center to store to sale to return Tapping cloud-based inventory/warehouse/logistics solutions Bob Desrochers International Account Manager, SIRAS Chuck Johnston Director of Repair and Returns, The Home Depot

12:30 Lunch For All Attendees Lunch For All Attendees

1:30 Consumer Returns Roundtable Idea Xchange Ric Spicer, Former Senior Manager of Logistics, Academy Sports & Outdoor Bruce Keedy, North American Quality Manager, Electrolux Small Appliances Sue Martin, Director, Customer Service, Newegg Inc. Kunal Thakkar, Vice President, Operations, Newegg Inc. Tony Sciarrotta, Former Director of Asset Recovery, Philips Consumer Lifestyle Julie Brown, Senior Manager, Customer Care, Philips Consumer Lifestyle Morley Kornegor, Director, Resource Recovery , Target Rachel North, Director, Post Sales, Toshiba America Electronic Components Attendees can join two interactive discussions (35 minutes in length). The roundtables at Consumer Returns provide an opportunity for candid, small group dialogue and will address some of the industry’s biggest challenges. Tackling The Dearth of Information Systems For Reverse Logistics: Discussion lead by Ric Spicer, Former Senior Manager, Logistics, Academy Sports & Outdoor Solutions providers, major OEMs and retailers will hold a candid dialogue about the need for better information systems for reverse logistics. Are there viable add-ons for merchandise and warehouse management systems? What are the customer requirements? Outsourcing the Processing of Returns: Discussion lead by Rachel North, Director, Post Sales, Toshiba America Electronic Components and Bruce Keedy, North American Quality Manager, Electrolux Small Appliances Learn how to lead a cross-disciplined team in the outsourcing of your returns process. How do you make the business case? What’s the best way to engage with reverse logistics partners? Unsaleables Management: Discussion lead by Tony Sciarrotta, Former Director of Asset Recovery, Philips Consumer Lifestyle It’s easy to gather data around unsaleables in the grocery industry and benchmark but not quite as easy in the world of consumer electronics. Retailers are striving to reduce unsaleables and are looking for alternative ways to get rid of end of life products, although return agreements with manufacturers can limit their options. Collection And Use of Customer Feedback To Improve The Returns Process: Discussion lead by Kunal Thakkar, Vice President, Operations, Newegg Inc. & Sue Martin, Director of Customer Service, Newegg Inc. While transparent, lenient return policies will make you popular with consumers, showing that you’re hearing their concerns and acting on them is another path to approval. Whether through your call center or an online survey, the collection and use of customer feedback to improve your returns process is vital. Responsible Recycling and Disposition: Discussion lead by Morley Kornegor, Director, Resource Recovery, Target How are you accounting for a wide mix of state e-waste regulations? Are you identifying broker risks (i.e. “Take what’s valuable and throw the rest in a landfill”)? How are you strengthening verification processes & reporting (collecting certificates of destruction)? This roundtable discussion will help you think through the full lifecycle of a product and start planning during the concept/design phase. Deploying Fast Feedback Engineers To Account For Local Use And Cultural Differences: Discussion lead by Julie Brown, Returns Management, Philips Consumer Lifestyle How are companies accounting for local use and cultural differences, examining how products are used in specific markets and what quality issues arise? The use of fast feedback engineers can provide great insights for OEMs, yielding changes to products that will reduce return volumes. Merchandising/Buyers Roundtable This is your opportunity to meet directors of merchandise planning, purchasing and category buyers whom you would not necessarily meet at other reverse logistics events. Ric Spicer Former Senior Manager of Logistics, Academy Sports & Outdoor Ric Spicer is Senior Manager of Logistics for Academy Sports + Outdoors, a sporting goods and outdoors retail chain. His responsibilities include management of Reverse Logistics, eCommerce Logistics and Vendor Relations and Compliance. Cross functional involvement in vendor relations, inventory health, transportation and store operations are included in Academy initiatives to improve customer ex [read more] Bruce Keedy North American Quality Manager, Electrolux Small Appliances Mr. Keedy is the North American Quality Manager for Electrolux small appliances based at their corporate headquarters in Charlotte North Carolina. He has been a manufacturing professional in the Appliance, Aerospace, and Automotive industries for over 30 years. Before Electrolux, Bruce spent 15 years at GM’s groundbreaking Saturn plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee holding positions [read more] Sue Martin Director, Customer Service, Newegg Inc. Sue Martin is the Director of Customer Service at Newegg Inc., the leading electronics-focused e-retailer in the United States. As a 20-year veteran of customer service management, Sue brings a strong background managing large customer service organizations and centers in the airline, wireless, cable and outsourcing and retail industries. Her experience includes center assessments for best practic [read more] Kunal Thakkar Vice President, Operations, Newegg Inc. As the Vice President of Operations at Newegg, Kunal Thakkar oversees the company’s logistics and transportation functions, including managing warehouse operations and transportation service providers. Prior to joining Newegg, Mr. Thakkar was the vice president of global operations and business strategy at a fashion apparel wholesaler, where he was responsible for the strat [read more] Tony Sciarrotta Former Director of Asset Recovery, Philips Consumer Lifestyle Julie Brown Senior Manager, Customer Care, Philips Consumer Lifestyle Morley Kornegor Director, Resource Recovery , Target Rachel North Director, Post Sales, Toshiba America Electronic Components Rachel North is the Director of Post Sales Operations at Storage Products Business Unit , Toshiba America Electronic Components, INC. (TAEC) Rachel brings more than 22 years of experience within the hard drive supplier management and service operations to her position. Prior to joining TAEC, she worked for Sun Microsystems Service Operations in a variety of Supplier and Logistics Service Oper [read more]

2:40 Consumer Returns Innovation Spotlight The Consumer Returns Innovation Spotlight features snapshots of today’s bleeding edge companies who are leading the way in technology advancements and service methodologies. These sessions are tailored to help you better understand what you can do to help your organization streamline and improve your returns management processes and practices.

2:50 Afternoon Refreshments & Networking Break In The Solutions Zone Afternoon Refreshments & Networking Break In The Solutions Zone

3:20 Optimal Returns Policies For Recovering The Value Of Consumer Returns Dr. Paolo Letizia, Assistant Professor ofOperations Management, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University In this presentation optimal manufacturer returns policies are studied in the context of two possible supply chain structures, one where the product is sold only through the retailer and another where the product is sold through both retail and online channels. In the first supply chain structure we study a setting where early disposition of returned product is important. It is understood that a returns policy must provide the manufacturer with the incentive to undertake investments to reduce the probability of a product return, while also providing the retailer with the incentive to refurbish and resell the returned product rather than sending it back to the manufacturer. The optimal returns policy consists of a refund of the wholesale price to the retailer, coupled with a bonus which decreases with the number of returns to the manufacturer. In the second supply chain structure we focus on a scenario where “touching and feeling” the product may be important to avoid returns. In such a setting we find that a manufacturer's returns policy at the online channel should consider encouraging consumers to purchase the product from the retail channel, where returns are less likely to occur. Dr. Paolo Letizia Assistant Professor ofOperations Management, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University Dr. Paolo Letizia is an Assistant Professor of Operations Management at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University. He conducts research in the area of closed-loop supply chains. His working papers investigate the design of manufacturers optimal returns policies, the impact that returns may have on future sales, and how a collaboration between manufacturers and retailers may reduce costs a [read more]

3:55 Social Media Monitoring: Capturing The Customer Experience And Making Necessary Adjustments Michael Snead, Director, Field Quality and Consumer Relations, Mitsubishi Electric Visual Solutions America, Inc. How can you collect real-time customer feedback regarding your products and use that knowledge to drive design changes that increase usability and reduce returns? Monitoring social media is increasingly important and it can even allow you to get out in front of potential product liability issues, dispelling false rumors about how your products work. This session explores: Analytics tools that effectively track customer interactions taking place over social networks Crisis mitigation: Using the voice of the customer & influential blogs Initiating retailer-OEM partnerships around social media data Michael Snead Director, Field Quality and Consumer Relations, Mitsubishi Electric Visual Solutions America, Inc.

4:30 Implementing Globally Aligned Repair & Remanufacturing Processes Dave Sacra, Director, Global Quality Strategies, Bose In many companies repair and reverse logistics processes have grown up in a local, evolutionary way. The challenge is how to engage the global organization to create an aligned, advocate building set of approaches and processes that will ensure the right experience for customers, at the right cost for the company. This presentation shares the story of creating aligned global processes for repair, remanufacturing, and quality data collection from the field at Bose. This includes how to approach sponsorship for this work, conducting the global assessment, developing strategy and methods for effective global deployment. Dave Sacra Director, Global Quality Strategies, Bose David Sacra is the Director of Global Quality Strategies at Bose Corporation of Framingham, Massachusetts. Bose Corporation is the world’s largest manufacturer of high quality loud speakers, digital music systems, high end integrated music and home theater systems, and customized automotive OEM audio systems. Dave’s current assignment is leading a Global i [read more]

5:05 Visual Metrics For Reverse Logistics To Gain Cross-Functional/Executive Awareness And Drive Business Decisions: How To Be Heard In Your Organization Noah Arvidson, Reverse Logistics Manager, US Cellular Over the last decade, there has been a significant shift in how organizations value the post-sale lifecycle of a product. Reverse logistics professionals no longer operate in the shadows of their company. Instead, organizations recognize the value of reverse logistics and are asking for ever greater cost savings, returns reductions, risk mitigation, and overall improvement. Yet challenges persist when it comes to driving business decisions upward in the organization. Reverse logistics professionals have access to data elements that can and should shape their business, not only post-sale, but beginning with new business and product development. The data must be presented in compelling, concise, and appealing ways to garner action, and to increase the recognition of the value the reverse logistics functional team provides. Some of the challenges confronting the modern reverse logistician that are addressed in this session include: Organizational lack of understanding of the Total Cost of Ownership of a product Driving post-sale product support in the pre-sale product stages End-to-end product lifecycle awareness throughout the product lifecycle Dashboards and scorecard metrics that drive complacency Gaining team visibility and recognition through proper tracking of cost reduction, cost avoidance, revenue offsets, and revenue generation Meeting year-over-year cost savings goals (the “there is only so much that can be emptied from a cup” dilemma) Telling the story so executives will hear the message and take action Noah Arvidson Reverse Logistics Manager, US Cellular Noah Arvidson is currently the Reverse Logistics Manager for U.S. Cellular®, a large, regional wireless carrier based in Chicago, IL, where he has held multiple positions in product management and logistics over the last 5 years. He has 14 years of experience in logistics and project management in a variety of industries including non-profit, music, pharmaceuticals, and wireless. [read more]

5:45 Consumer Returns Welcome Reception Consumer Returns Welcome Reception

6:45 End Of Main Conference Day One End Of Main Conference Day One