Ken began a career in computing in the early 1960’s with Caterpillar Tractor Company at Tullamarine in Melbourne. One of his earliest tasks was to develop a computer system to manage the operations of a warehouse carrying in excess of 200,000 unique products. This early exposure to computers and to warehouse operations led to positions, over the next 15 years, with CIG or BOC as it is called now, Philips Industries in Melbourne and Sydney and then to a role with Myer in 1980.
The Myer task was to introduce technology into the operation of the Myer and Target warehouses across Australia. During his 18 years with Myer and then Coles Myer, Ken was responsible for the development and continued enhancement of the systems used in the Target warehouse operations, and through this ongoing involvement acquired a comprehensive knowledge of the total flow of merchandise from the point of manufacture right through to the placement of the merchandise on the retail selling floor. During this period Ken was involved with manufacturers and distributors in the bar coding of products for scanning at point of sale and also the implementation of EDI which automated the flow of information between suppliers and retailers from the placement of the order through to the payment for merchandise supplied. Ken’s last task with Coles Myer was the design, construction and commissioning of an automated warehouse based on the use of EDI.
Ken left Coles Myer in 1999 to establish his own company, Demand Chain Solutions. The company was set up to aid small manufacturers and distributors who were experiencing difficulties in meeting the electronic trading requirements of the large retail chains.
Over the past five years Demand Chain Solutions has worked with many small businesses. Examples include:
A red gum saw mill which needed to prepare business plans to support applications for State and Federal funding for the installation of veneer slicing equipment. A manufacturer of commercial food processing equipment looking to upgrade their product lines to include integrated production lines. A small retailer with a unique vision of a market segment who had to develop management skills that would allow multiple retail sites to be effectively managed.
Ken’s skills are in his ability to identify key factors impacting on business performance and to work with small businesses to identify strategies for taking these businesses forward through the reduction of costs, the improvement in management controls and the identification of expansion opportunities.
Ken is now semi-retired and lives on a property just out of Geelong, and maintains an ongoing involvement in a select group of companies.