AKRON, OHIO — General Motors Corp.'s top e-commerce official for global suppliers and GM's technology partner in creating its new, Web-based SupplyPower program are among the speakers confirmed for Plastics News' e-business conference next month in New Orleans. Other recently confirmed participants in the Feb. 22-23 e-briefing include officials from Andersen Consulting, Dow Chemical Co., Nypro Inc. and Kline & Co.
Raymond Pollard is responsible for GM's global e-commerce strategy for dealing with its suppliers. Pollard, who joined GM in 1987, most recently directed a 220-person team responsible for making $10 billion in annual purchases of machinery, equipment and indirect materials for GM North America.
Chuck Shih, vice president of business strategy for electronic-procurement systems supplier Commerce One will make a joint presentation with Pollard. Shih, who worked previously for Gartner Group, Netscape Communications Corp., Premenos Corp. and IBM Corp., joined the Walnut Creek, Calif., firm last year and helped GM implement the new online system.
Additionally, Bruce T. Gordon, an associate partner in Andersen Consulting, will moderate a panel session on online buying and selling that will include Alan Ambrose, global sales and marketing manager at Dow Chemical Co.'s global technology center in Midland, Mich., and three others. Gordon, a former senior operations executive at BFGoodrich Co. and Geon Co., is a member of the e-commerce strategy team for Andersen's chemicals practice.
Michael MacKenty, vice president of information technology at Nypro, will participate Tuesday afternoon as a panelist discussing supply-chain issues in a session moderated by IBM Corp. executive Archie James. MacKenty is responsible for the global supply chain initiative at the Clinton, Mass.-based injection molder, which operates 24 plants in 11 countries.
Garrett L. Gee, business manager for the polymers group of Kline & Co. consultants in Little Falls, N.J., will present a cost-benefit analysis of e-commerce from a plastics perspective.
Gee formerly worked as a general manager for GE Plastics in the southwestern United States, and for Elf Atochem and Bayer Corp.
More details on the conference, "E-Business Strategies & Opportunities," can be found at http://www.plasticsnews.com/e-briefing online or by calling Nancy Parks in Akron at (330) 865-6134.