The winner of this year's 2019 Supply Chain Innovation Award (SCIA) was announced on the final day of the CSCMP EDGE conference in Anaheim, California, at the closing session. Katie Neau, rapid continuous improvement (RCI) supervisor at Snap-on Tools, and John Peck, president of FastFetch, received the award for their use of artificial intelligence (AI) to slash shipping costs.

Snap-on tools significantly reduced shipping costs at its distribution center in Crystal Lake, Illinois, by utilizing AI to minimize wasted space in shipping cartons. It also implemented new logistical processes to cut shipping costs by more than 11 percent and packing labor by 30 percent.

Each year at the EDGE conference, CSCMP hosts the SCIA program, a live competition in which a panel of judges join conference attendees to hear presentations on innovative solutions and real-world results from top supply chain companies. The award program receives approximately 50 submissions each year. In addition to the Snap-on Tools/FastFetch submission, the other top five proposals included:

• Erie St. Clair Local Health Integration Network/TransForm: Hospital to house calls
• FIStaff/States Logistics: Driver shortage solved through driver leasing on-demand
• Intel: The double dip—enabling revenue and transforming supply chains
• AGCO/4flow: Global network digitization with AGCO smart logistics
• Lodge Manufacturing/EVS LLC/Supply Chain Coach/Rockfarm Supply Chain Solutions: Owning the cost of fulfillment yields profitability

Editor's Note: A previous version of this article incorrectly identified Jack Peck as founder and president of Snap-on Tools. It also incorrectly stated that Snap-on Tools saved $1 billion.