Freight’s Global 100 Alan Thompson Director, US Defense Logistics Agency


largest multinationals. In short, it is a massive shipper of freight. At the heart of this enormous operation is the


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Defense Logistics Agency, the largest single agency within the Department of Defense, with over 26,000 employees and an budget approaching $50 billion. The numbers are mind-boggling, and although the


he sheer scale, scope and global activities of the US military mean that its logistics requirements put it on a par – if not ahead of – the world’s


recent closure of operations in Iraq might reduce those slightly – it receives 130,000 separate requisitions a day – it supports the military’s disaster relief efforts, as well as combat operations. The current head is Vice-Admiral Alan Thompson, a


30-year veteran of military logistics. He was appointed director of the DLA in 2008, having previously worked in various supply chain positions within the DLA since 2001, and prior to that worked in the Navy’s logistics operations.


Kirk Thompson Chairman, JB Hunt T


he stand-out performer in the full-truck load business in North America has been JB Hunt, a company which observers say has been driven


primarily by one man – chairman of the board Kirk Thompson. At the beginning of this year Thompson moved from


CEO to chairman. He has been with JB Hunt for 37 years and CEO since


1987. At that time its revenues were $286 million, while this year they are expected to exceed $4 billion. It has seen almost continuous growth over the years,


despite the various recessions that have taken place in the intervening years, as well continually investing in the company’s asset base, and the discipline that JB Hunt practices, both in terms of pricing and operations.


Akio Toyoda President, Toyota


completely changed the way automobile producers manufactured their products and in so doing was at the forefront of the outsourcing boom that has been a primary factor behind globalisation. Toyota revolutionised automotive supply-chain


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management by choosing certain suppliers as the sole source of particular components, leading to intimate collaboration with long-term partners


32 IFW-Lloyd’s Loading List | Freight’s Global 100 | 2012


he development of Toyota’s concept of lean logistics is one of the most important developments in the history of freight – it


resulting in mutual benefit. In contrast, western carmakers previously tended


either to source in-house or award short contracts to the lowest bidders. The quality Toyota and its suppliers achieved made possible the “just-in-time” approach to delivering components to the assembly plant. Current president Akio Toyoda is the grandson of


Kiichiro Toyoda, a previous Toyota president and founder of the lean supply chain philosophy, and his priority will be how to continue to keep the company competitive in the face of mounting costs.


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