Tuesday 1 October 27, 2009

8:00 - Coffee & Conference Registration Coffee & Conference Registration

9:00 - Welcome Remarks: Debra Haym Debra Haym Executive Director Consumer Returns 2009

9:10 - Chairperson’s Opening Remarks Antony Francis, President, ATC Logistics & Electronics Chairperson’s Opening Remarks Antony Francis President, ATC Logistics & Electronics Antony Francis leads the strategy and oversees operations for ATC Logistics & Electronics (ATCLE). With 29 years of experience in all aspects of global supply chain and logistics services, he brings a unique perspective to ATCLE’s worldwide customer base. Prior to joining ATCLE in June 2007, Francis was President and COO of Plan Express, Inc., a document management, printing and logistics comp [read more]

9:25 - Understanding The Current Shift In CustomerExpectations And The Returns Landscape: AQUOSAdvantage LIVE Charles T. Schaefer, Senior Vice President, Service & Solutions, Sharp Electronics As consumer spending habits change, how will it reflect on returns? Will people simply be more careful in selecting a product and if so, who do they look to for education on products? Can technology and deployment of customer centric tools help ensure customer satisfaction and keep the product in the home? Chuck explores the ways that technology and Sharp’s AQUOS Advantage LIVE have effectively prevented returns while increasing customer satisfaction. Uncover major factors leading to equipment returns to prevent returns Discuss opportunities to minimize returns: AQUOS Advantage research initiatives, success and failures Expand pre-sales education and assistance via phone and webbased applications to facilitate the right TV is purchased based on the needs of the customer Utilize AQUOS Advantage Live tools towards providing real-time resolution to customer issues Charles T. Schaefer Senior Vice President, Service & Solutions, Sharp Electronics Charles T. Schaefer oversees Sharp's North and South America service networks, customer assistance centers, service engineering, channel returns centers and product refurbishment and repair operations. Schaefer’s organization prides itself on operational excellence and flawless execution in order to ensure industry-leading levels of customer satisfaction enhancing the Sharp brands. During his tenu [read more]

10:00 - Examining The Current Economic Landscape: Have We Truly Reached Bottom? Ben Arnold, Senior Analyst of Marketing Research, Consumer Electronics Association As consumer spending decreases, how will it reflect on consumer electronics and product returns? In this presentation, explore the economic environment and how consumer spending trends may be permanently affected. Analyzing consumer market data to extrapolate major trends Reviewing the current trend in consumer spending Are there true signs of recovery What are current indicators showing trends in consumer spending Forecasting future trends and key strategies How will we know when we have truly reached bottom? Best practices to respond to changing consumer needs and how this is affecting returns Utilizing lessons learned from relevant industries to integrate innovative strategies in ensuring customer satisfaction regardless of economic trends Ben Arnold Senior Analyst of Marketing Research, Consumer Electronics Association

10:40 - Finding Value in Returns Ashfaque Chowdhury, Chief Information Officer, New Breed Logistics Ashfaque Chowdhury Chief Information Officer, New Breed Logistics

11:15 - Morning Networking & Refreshment Break In The Solutions Zone Morning Networking & Refreshment Break In The Solutions Zone

11:45 - PANEL: Managing Consumer Expectations To Reduce Returns Art Gardner, Director, Global Quality Assurance, Fellowes, Inc Debra Sharker, Director of Sales, Consumer Products, Universal Remote Norman B. Ringgold, Director, Sales & Business Development, ShowUhow expectations. These expectations are built in the store by promotional material and sales people assisting the customer in making the purchase. This session will explore best practices in accurately setting consumer expectations while promoting sales. Identifying a happy medium between product promotion and realistic representation to optimize sales while managing consumer expectations Complimenting in-store promotions with a specially trained sales team to assist customer in getting to know the product and minimize usability challenges after sale Comparing your customer management strategy to the leading strategies in your industry to evaluate opportunities for improvement Exploring best practices from online and call centers in managing customer expectations to identify innovative approached to improve your strategy Art Gardner Director, Global Quality Assurance, Fellowes, Inc Debra Sharker Director of Sales, Consumer Products, Universal Remote Norman B. Ringgold Director, Sales & Business Development, ShowUhow Norman B. Ringgold is leading the sales and business development activities for the ShowUhow integrated sales and customer support platform in the Consumer Electronics market. In addition Mr. Ringgold is responsible for managing the company’s strategic partnerships with retailers.Mr. Ringgold has more than 20 years of Enterprise Business Applications experience, focused on leveraging technology to [read more]

CONCURRENT ROUNDTABLE SESSIONS No session description available.

Track B 12:20 - CONCURRENT NETWORKING!! JOIN THE CONSUMER RETURNS 2009 ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSIONS Jeff Stratman, Merchant Director, Secondary Markets, Best Buy Justin Brown, Senior Manager, Store Operations, Home Depot Rubina Farooq, Director, Reverse Logistics, LG Electronics Dan Gardner, VP Business Development, ATC Logistics Select a topic of greatest interest to you and take a seat at the allocated table. A subject matter expert will introduce the topic via a case study or hypothetical scenario and moderate discussion to ensure different perspectives are presented to enrich your discussions. Benefits: Network with industry peers with very similar challenges, interests and responsibilities Take a deep dive into niche topic in an intimate and informal setting moderated by subject matter expert Take part in 2 roundtable discussions in this 1 hour session BONUS: Stay for the session wrap-up and walk away with 3 practical strategies from the other concurrent roundtables!  ROUNDTABLE 1: Seasonal Returns Supply Chain Solutions: Effective Strategies To Manage High Volume And High Demand Returns Management Dan Gardner, VP Business Development, ATC Logistics ROUNDTABLE 2: Improving Collaborations Between Manufacturers And Retailers To Minimize Returns Rubina Farooq, Director, Supply Chain Operations, LG Electronics Jeff Stratman, Merchant Director, Secondary Markets, Best Buy ROUNDTABLE 3: Automating Returns To Improve Visibility, Velocity And Value Re-Capture Pat Anderson, Senior Solutions Architect, TAKE Supply Chain  ROUNDTABLE 4: Examining NTF (No Trouble Found) Data To Develop A Collaborative Effort With Your Supply Chain Partners In Minimizing Returns Justin Brown, Senior Manager, Store Operations, Home Depot Jeff Stratman Merchant Director, Secondary Markets, Best Buy Jeff Stratman manages three key functions: Product Procurement – buying clearance and factory refurbished products for resale on Best Buy’s online outlet center. Product Return Center Operations – processing over a billion dollars of annual product flow in from stores and out to manufacturers or liquidation partners. Business Process Development (At-Risk Management) – working with merchant teams, [read more] Justin Brown Senior Manager, Store Operations, Home Depot Justin Brown is currently the Senior Manager, Back End Operations at The Home Depot. In his role, he is responsible for all store reverse logistics and inbound freight processes. Prior to this role, Justin was responsible for operational process for New Concept Development and Merchandising Execution. Justin has been with The Home Depot for 5 years Rubina Farooq Director, Reverse Logistics, LG Electronics Rubina Farooq joined LG in 2005 as a Director of Finance and Planning and moved into operations role in 2007 primarily to reduce returns losses and reduce Home Depot end user returns. Under her leadership the company was able to reduce the end user returns by 50% in units a saving of over $15 million in returns cost. She is also responsible for reverse supply chain management, which includes worki [read more] Dan Gardner VP Business Development, ATC Logistics 12:20 - CLOSED DOOR VP Think Tank: Collaborating With Your Retail/Manufacturer Through Consistent Communication And Data Sharing Track B Kevin Winneroski, Vice President, Merchandizing, Best Buy Michael Ehlers, Vice President, Service Operations, Sony Electronics Mark Groveunder, Vice President Customer Care, Acer Manufacturers make the product while retailers interact with the customers at the point of sale and return. While manufacturer desperately wants the data on consumer feedback at point of return, retailers are unable to share their data as it is a crucial part of competitive strategy. Both retailers and manufacturers stand to benefit from this exchange, but how can such a happy medium be established and reached? Improving communication between OEMs and Retailers by integrating sales team in returns prevention strategies Getting involved with sales in the vendor agreement process to ensure full access to data and cost control Identifying data you can expect to get from your supply chain partners Measuring costs incurred by OEMs and Retailers to develop a method to minimize DISCUSSION LEADERS: Kevin Winneroski Vice President, Merchandizing, Best Buy Michael Ehlers Vice President, Service Operations, Sony Electronics Mark Groveunder Vice President Customer Care, Acer

Track A: Reverse Logistics And Process OptimizationTrack B: Asset Recovery And Product End Of Life Track A: Reverse Logistics And Process Optimization No session description available. Track B: Asset Recovery And Product End Of Life No session description available.

Track A: Reverse Logistics And Process OptimizationTrack B: Asset Recovery And Product End Of Life 2:20 - Track A Chairperson’s Opening Remarks Track A: Reverse Logistics And Process Optimization No session description available. 2:20 - Track B Chairperson’s Opening Remarks Track B: Asset Recovery And Product End Of Life Bill Kenney, EVP Business Development , OnProcess No session description available. Bill Kenney EVP Business Development , OnProcess

Track A: Reverse Logistics And Process OptimizationTrack B: Asset Recovery And Product End Of Life 2:30 - PANEL: Cutting Costs By Outsourcing Your Reverse Logistics Track A: Reverse Logistics And Process Optimization Chris Griffin, Senior Manager, Repair Services and Reverse Logistics, Sprint Min Ito, Manager, Reverse Logistics, Casio Bob Byrnes, CEO, BBB International Tom Marcellino, Executive Vice President, Business Development, Inmar CLS When the greatest focus is to cut costs, companies look to minimize risk and outsource certain logistics. In this presentation, evaluate how you can save money by taking advantage of supply chain’s reverse logistics expertise provided by 3PLs. Developing effective outsourcing processes to ensure your reverse operations succeed in increasing profits Cutting costs through careful vendor/partner selection and contract renegotiation Identifying vendors who can support your business’ changing needs to avoid unnecessary cost when outsourcing your logistics Chris Griffin Senior Manager, Repair Services and Reverse Logistics, Sprint Chris Griffin is a Senior Manager with Sprint Nextel. He is responsible for strategic and operational planning for the Repair Services and Reverse Logistics organization. Over the past 11 years, Chris has held a variety of Financial and Operations positions in the technology and consulting industries, including Accenture and Fujitsu Transaction Solutions. Min Ito Manager, Reverse Logistics, Casio Bob Byrnes CEO, BBB International Bob Byrnes has over 25 years experience in operation and logistics in start up companies, small and large companies. He focuses on the reverse logistics portion of the business. Prior to starting BBB International, he grew a start up high tech company to $5 million in sales, with 50 employees doing installations worldwide, and ran the US division of a multinational company out of Germany. Tom Marcellino Executive Vice President, Business Development, Inmar CLS Tom Marcellino serves as Executive Vice President, Business Development for Inmar CLS. Prior to this role, Tom was Senior Vice President, Sales and Client Services. Since joining Inmar CLS in 2003, his expertise in client management and strategic planning have delivered strong results for new and existing clients. Tom has an extensive background in retail services having held positions with Huffy [read more] 2:30 - Improving Asset Recovery To Protect Your Capital Investment Track B: Asset Recovery And Product End Of Life Jennifer Sweney, Senior Director, Customer Care Video New Product Delivery, Comcast Companies that lease equipment to customers are always looking for ways to recover that equipment from disconnected customers. In this presentation, you will hear of one model put in place to achieve this, how the cost to do so was minimized and other ways the program was leveraged. Increase the return of your company’s inventory Analyzing the ROI of utilizing a secondary channel to retrieve leased equipment Bonus: Turning a self-installation operation Green Jennifer Sweney Senior Director, Customer Care Video New Product Delivery, Comcast Jennifer Sweney has been with Comcast Corporation for 7 years. During her time at Comcast, she has spent 5 years in the Chicago Region in Customer Care and Technical Operations roles before joining the corporate team in Philadelphia in 2007. Currently, Jennifer is responsible for Comcast’s Self-Install Operations, overseeing packaging design, fulfillment operations, and device activation.

Track A: Reverse Logistics And Process OptimizationTrack B: Asset Recovery And Product End Of Life 3:05 - Improving Data Visibility To Track Products In The Reverse Supply Chain Track A: Reverse Logistics And Process Optimization Pat Anderson, Senior Solutions Architect, TAKE Supply Chain The more time a product spends in the supply chain, the more room for error like mishandling or misdirection. Lack of reverse logistics expertise can cause tremendous dent in your company’s bottom line. In this presentation, you will be: Calculating the ROI of your current tracking methods to identify processes most needing improvement Examining various tracking software to identify which is best for your product Aligning tracking between manufacturer and retailer to optimize your partnership and your investment Optimizing data collection to avoid diverting inventory to incorrect locations Pat Anderson Senior Solutions Architect, TAKE Supply Chain 3:05 - Improving Asset Recovery To Ensure Your Inventory Gets Back Into A Sales Channel Track B: Asset Recovery And Product End Of Life Tony Sciarrotta, Director, Asset Recovery, Phillips Lifestyle Both retailers and manufacturers have several options available in optimizing returned inventory. Refurbishing and reselling through secondary market retailers is becoming more popular as it allows a second chance to profit from the product. In this presentation, benchmark against your industry peers to ensure you are not leaving money on the table and disposing of sellable inventory. Avoiding disposing of profitably inventory by carefully assessing returned products Analyzing the ROI of utilizing a secondary sales channel to identify criteria for product selection and avoid overspending on used products Negotiating with secondary retailers to ensure your returned products are purchased for resale Establishing relationships with supply chain partners to eliminate redundant planning for returned goods Tony Sciarrotta Director, Asset Recovery, Phillips Lifestyle Tony Sciarrotta focused the entire Philips organization on return reduction activities to drive down returns and associated costs. He implemented processes, which are “Best in Class” in the consumer electronics industry. In less than 5 years, he reduced returns by over 50% in units and over $100 million dollars annually. He worked with both regional and global teams in strategic and tactical proje [read more]

3:40 - Afternoon Networking & Refreshment Break In The Solutions Zone Afternoon Networking & Refreshment Break In The Solutions Zone

Track A: Reverse Logistics And Process OptimizationTrack B: Asset Recovery And Product End Of Life 4:10 - Best Practices In Product Illustration Online And In Catalogues To Improve Sales While Minimizing Returns Track A: Reverse Logistics And Process Optimization Craig Sultan, Senior Manager, Reverse Logistics, HomeDepot.com Various apparel companies are integrating innovative descriptions of their featured products by including customer reviews and impressions upon receipt of delivery. How can you apply this to your products and how do you filter uneducated feedback? In this interactive panel, discuss and debate latest and most popular online and catalogue product promotions and what makes them great for you. Exploring latest and most popular trends in online and catalogue product promotions to identify most relevant strategies for your products Examining customer feedback: how they evaluate products when shopping from home to identify how you can prevent returns for your organization Collaborating with retailers to support their promotions efforts and ensure your product is not making unnecessary trips to the returns warehouse Selectively integrating best practices from outside industry to control customer expectations Craig Sultan Senior Manager, Reverse Logistics, HomeDepot.com Craig Sultan has over 18 years of experience in the areas of distribution, logistics and reverse logistics. Craig began his homedepot.com career with responsibility for vendor on-boarding and implementation of their order management system. He was an instrumental part of the project team that launched their current website engine. Craig currently oversees returns reduction, returns processing, sto [read more] 4:10 - Lemons Into Lemonade: Leveraging End Of Life And Customer Return Product Into A Growth Strategy Track B: Asset Recovery And Product End Of Life Kurt Hulander, Director of Strategy, Secondary Markets, Best Buy Join us for this essential session which showcases a holistic approach to end of life and product returns which transition this activity from a lost prevent task into a growth opportunity. We'll look at some consumer profiles of the secondary customer including the four segments used by Best Buy, talk about consumer need states for secondary market product, and examine Best Buy’s findings about share of wallet and cannibalization activity. We'll also look as how a company can think “out of the box” to creatively turn product returns and end of life into new value propositions that drive increased sales from existing customers or help you to reach new customers not currently targeted. Kurt Hulander Director of Strategy, Secondary Markets, Best Buy Kurt Hulander is an 8 year veteran of Best Buy. He is a classically trained consumer marketer from his experiences at Gillette and The Pillsbury Company but his role at Best Buy has evolved from traditional marketing roles to bringing new growth initiatives to market. In addition to traditional product marketing, he has been involved in new retail format development, spent several years immersed i [read more]

Track A: Reverse Logistics And Process OptimizationTrack B: Asset Recovery And Product End Of Life 4:45 - Forward And Reverse Logistics: The Importance Of End-To-End Integration In Optimizing Your Resources Track A: Reverse Logistics And Process Optimization Stephen Tryon, Senior Vice President, Overstock.com Some organizations have forward logistics running smoothly and misperceive their expertise in the reverse logistics processes. This presentation shows you how to examine your processes to identify whether there are loopholes you are missing, possibly translating into millions in savings for your organization. Reducing write-off associated with customer returns, overstock, and atrisk inventory by optimizing your supply chain operations Effectively implementing management strategies to reduce overheads and maintain customer satisfaction Managing returns administration to ensure your response is timely and effective Benchmarking against your industry peers to identify best practices in end-to-end integration Stephen Tryon Senior Vice President, Overstock.com Stephen P. Tryon joined Overstock.com in August 2004, and has primary responsibility for logistics and supervision of the Company's warehouse operations, and most recently, managing the Company's human resources. Prior to joining Overstock.com, Mr. Tryon was the Legislative Assistant to the Chief of Staff of the United States Army. During his 21 years with the Army, his assignments included direct [read more] 4:45 - Lean Transformation In Asset Recovery Operations Track B: Asset Recovery And Product End Of Life Matt Snyder, Senior Manager, Reverse Logistics, Dell In this presentation, Matt Snyder walks you through a case study of a 2008 lean transformation in Dell’s off lease refurbishment operation. This complete enterprise-wide transition was employee-led, created new revenue opportunities, increased productivity, and established a culture of continuous improvement. In this initiative, Dell achieved its first implement of lean within a low volume, high mix environment. The true value of lean is cultural (rather than process) Lean is about increasing margin (rather than purely cost savings) Lean is applicable to complex, highly variable businesses Matt Snyder Senior Manager, Reverse Logistics, Dell Matt Snyder is responsible for running asset recovery operations in the Americas. This includes product returns from all sales areas and off leases systems. He has 15 years of supply chain experience, covering logistics, planning, strategy, and operations. With particular expertise in lean enterprise transformations, Matt has led organizations through both out-sourcing and in-sourcing decisions, a [read more]

Track A: Reverse Logistics And Process OptimizationTrack B: Asset Recovery And Product End Of Life 5:25 - Track A Chairperson’s Closing Remarks Track A: Reverse Logistics And Process Optimization No session description available. 5:25 - Track B Chairperson’s Closing Remarks Track B: Asset Recovery And Product End Of Life Bill Kenney, EVP Business Development , OnProcess No session description available. Bill Kenney EVP Business Development , OnProcess

5:30 - Consumer Returns 2009 Cocktail Reception After a day of solutions-focused sessions, relax with all of your fellow attendees. Make new contacts, forge relationships or simply unwind. Take advantage of the opportunity to speak to peers and speakers off-line and gain competitive business intelligence. Exchange business cards and leave with contacts from the most forward-thinking and innovative heads in the consumer returns business.

6:30 - End Of Day One End Of Day One