• TPM24
  • March 3-6, 2024 | Long Beach Convention Center

Robert (Bob) Fredman

Big Lots Stores

Global Logistics Director

Bob Fredman is the Director of Global Logistics at Big Lots Stores, Inc., with responsibility for international transportation and related intermodal services, import flow-through centers, as well as import compliance. Prior to joining Big Lots in 2013, Bob was involved in transportation consulting and research first with Battelle Memorial Institute and then as Principal of SF Global Insights. He has held various global logistics leadership roles based both overseas and the U.S. with Limited Brands (Limited Logistics Services) from 1990-2007 and, prior to that, Distribution Centers, Inc. Bob has been active in various working groups and advisory committees related to port productivity.

Bob is a graduate of The Ohio State University and the Case Western Reserve University Weatherhead School of Management.

Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Big Lots, Inc. (NYSE: BIG) is a unique, non-traditional, discount retailer operating approximately 1400 BIG LOTS stores in 47 states carrying brand-name foods, home furnishings, attractive and affordable furniture, seasonal merchandise, and hundreds of everyday items customers want and need. For more information about the Company, visit www.biglots.com.

Sessions With Robert (Bob) Fredman

Wednesday, 1 March

  • 09:50am - 10:30am (PST) / 01/mar/2023 05:50 pm - 01/mar/2023 06:30 pm

    Innovative Solutions for Managing Complex Import Delivery Networks: A Big Lots Case Study

    Over the past two years, Big Lots Stores has faced costly challenges in managing its nationwide import network of final-mile delivery to its distribution centers in the face of severe port congestion and a combination of door-delivery contract moves and port-termination spot moves. After evaluating the market for these services, Big Lots turned to EDRAY to manage distribution and visibility for its 30,000 annual container deliveries. Unique aspects of the program include Big Lots maintaining direct relationships with each of its drayage carriers and merchant-haulage terms on more than 90 percent of deliveries. EDRAY provides a mix of technology, innovation, and managed transportation to support the “final import mile,” the movement of containers from on the water to empty return. As a neutral participant in the market, EDRAY can provide additional products to further untangle the complexities of the import supply chain such as marketplace, flow stacks, street turns, and payment processing. Since going live with the process in July 2022, Big Lots and EDRAY teams have worked side-by-side to reduce demurrage and detention expense, as well as total time from container availability to empty return through rigorous measurement of each leg, capacity balancing among drayage assets, and reporting/improvement feedback loop with the drayage providers.

View Full Agenda