Nationwide Plastic Pallet Leader Announces Honor for Two Employees
ORLANDO, FL – iGPS Logistics, the nation’s leading provider of plastic pooling solutions featuring its lightweight, 100% recyclable shipping pallets, has announced that April Kuga, VP of National Accounts, and 
Tejal Patel, Logistics Planning Supervisor, have both been named to Supply and Demand Chain Executive’s list of Top Women in the Supply Chain. The annual award is given to deserving female executives and leaders whose accomplishments as mentors and business professionals set an example for women throughout the global supply chain network.
Kuga is a veteran of the supply chain and consumer packaged goods industries. She previously spent more than eight years at Frito Lay in account management and sales roles. She joined iGPS nearly thirteen years ago, and she has played an instrumental role in building the iGPS retail iDepot network, which enables customers to work with iGPS to create a closed-loop ecosystem in which pallets are inspected and shipped to other customers. She is a past recipient of iGPS’s internal “Star Award.”
Patel is a supply chain and logistics industry professional who has worked in the industry for 20 years, in roles at companies that have included Penske and Kmart Corporation. At iGPS, she has spearheaded a variety of training and technology initiatives and is working closely with iGPS clients to solve their most challenging logistics problems. In a recent company-wide survey that was conducted at iGPS, Patel was named most likely to go above and beyond the call of duty in delivering exceptional efforts.
“We are pleased, but not surprised, to be congratulating April and Tejal on this well-deserved industry honor,” said Jeff Pepperworth, president and CEO of iGPS Logistics. “Not only are they outstanding iGPS team members in their own right, but they continue to serve as role models for the next generation of women in the supply chain industry.”
In accepting the Top Women in the Supply Chain Honor, Kuga and Patel expressed their gratitude not only to SDCE, but to their colleagues at iGPS for the support and opportunities they have been given.
“It’s a privilege to work with such a talented team, and at a company that is on the cutting edge of creating a leaner, more optimized sustainable supply chain,” Kuga said.
“We would like to thank the iGPS leadership team and all who made this recognition possible,” added Patel. “According to a Gartner survey, women now make up 41 percent of the supply chain workforce, an increase from the year before. We look forward to watching this number continue to grow.”
About iGPS Logistics:
iGPS Logistics is North America’s only pooler of 48” x 40” CBA-spec plastic shipping pallets. iGPS pallets generate measurable savings in transport expense, reduced product damage, and other operational efficiencies. iGPS’ platform is a major advance in supply chain hygiene — a platform that can easily be cleaned. It will not absorb fluids that can lead to contamination and never requires treatment with toxic pesticides or fungicides.
Measuring at 48” x 40”, iGPS’ platform enables larger load patterns and is ideally suited for automated environments. And it puts an end to broken boards and protruding nails that can damage equipment, endanger workers, jam production lines and litter workplaces. An independent life cycle analysis has documented that iGPS’ solution is better for the environment than both one-way and multiuse wood pallets. iGPS has been named a “Top Green Provider” by Food Logistics, a “Top Green Supply Chain Partner” by Inbound Logistics, and is also a recipient of the Supply and Demand Chain Executive SDCE 100 Award. For more information, please call 1-866-556-8103 or visit www.igps.net.
