Skychain Launches Supply-Chain Service for Fuel, Chemicals Skychain, LLC is a new supply-chain services venture between Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. and nPhase. The entity is targeting companies in the chemicals, fuels and related industries. The focus will be on devising methods for automating the replenishment of chemical and fuel products for customers large and small. Skychain will offer technologies for the wireless monitoring of tank populations, demand-pattern forecasting and the integration of inventory management and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. Air Products has a long history of supply-chain innovations, while nPhase is a vendor of wireless monitoring platforms for business. Skychain services will be applicable on a global scale, supporting electronic communications over wired and wireless networks, business software, I.T. infrastructure and services, field services, equipment and sensors. http://www.skychainsolutions.com/
Blue Sky Logistics Combines Product Menu With Optricity Blue Sky Logistics, Inc. has partnered with Optricity Corp., in a deal that will combine information-technology products of the two companies. Blue Sky offers consulting services and supply-chain systems for real-time visibility of products and information. Optricity is a developer of supply-chain optimization engines. The arrangement embeds Opticity's Juncture Optimization engines into Blue Sky's execution dashboard, known as Insight. The resulting system will alert customers to real-time issues and trends within their supply chains, in addition to solving complex optimization products, the partners said. Areas of focus include product and equipment routing, scheduling, assignment and queuing. The term “Juncture Optimization” describes Optricity's efforts to address merge points or events that fall between the cracks of mainstream systems, where visibility applications may reside, but where there is no use of optimization techniques to ensure a global approach to supply-chain problems. http://www.blueskylogistics.com/
Zebra Technologies Upgrades Its Printer-Management System Zebra Technologies Corp., a provider of on-demand printing systems for business, has introduced the latest version of its ZebraNet Bridge Enterprise application for Zebra printers. The tool supports nine additional languages and can be applied to customers throughout Europe, Asia-Pacific and Latin America. Other upgrades include an improved, Windows-like graphic user interface, wizard-driven tasks for rapid configuration of the application, and enhancements for mobile wireless printers to support advanced wireless security levels and mobile printer setup. Users can centrally deploy and manage their remote printers from a single desktop anywhere on their networks. ZebraNet Bridge Enterprise is interoperable across multiple platforms, including Zebra's industrial, radio frequency identification (RFID) and mobile printers, giving users a single look and feel when managing a variety of printer devices. They can easily update firmware and download files to printers, providing quicker recovery capabilities in critical applications. Zebra is offering a limited download of the Bridge Enterprise software. http://www.zebra.com/
Cognex Unveils New Pair of Low-Cost DVT Vision Sensors Cognex Corp. has developed two new vision sensors, the DVT 515 and DVT 535. The units are designed to offer a wide range of capabilities at entry-level prices, the vendor said. Cognex's family of DVT vision-sensor products meets a wide range of performance requirements, from simple part inspection to defect detection, high-resolution and color applications. They operate with Intellect software, which aids in setup, integration and maintenance, and are backward-compatible with FrameWork. Users can combine vision tools to inspect, measure, count, find features and compare patterns in order to automate inspection and ensure quality in multiple applications and industries. The units include built-in Ethernet capability for connecting to factory networks and software, allowing for fast communications with other vision systems, PLCs, SCADA systems, personal computers and databases. The DVT 515 and 535 are available now. http://www.cognex.com/
API Opens New Distribution and Logistics Center in China Aerospace Products International Inc., a provider of distribution and supply-chain services for the aviation industry, has opened a new distribution and logistics center in Shanghai, China. Aerospace Products International (Shanghai), Ltd. will bolster API's presence in China, allowing it to serve as a third-party logistics provider in the Asia-Pacific region. The new facility is a foreign enterprise, 100-percent owned by First Aviation Services, Inc., API's parent company. It is located in the Wai Gao Quao Free Trade Zone, offering warehousing for API's product distribution and 3PL services. The new company will offer both import and export services, acting as a gateway to China for customers and suppliers. API maintains distribution centers in the U.S., Canada, China, Philippines and Europe, via partners located throughout Europe, the Americas and Japan. API distributes aircraft parts and related components, as well as a range of supply-chain management and third-party logistics services, to manufacturers, maintenance providers and operators of commercial and general aviation aircraft. http://www.apiworldwide.com/
Dean Unveils New Online RF System for Tracking of Inventory Dean Warehouse Services, a warehousing, logistics and transportation services supply-chain provider focusing on the New England region, has launched Dean's Integration System. It is a real-time, online tracking system based on radio-frequency communications technology. Customers of Dean can now track inventory throughout their supply-chain management systems, the vendor said. The system allows companies' enterprise resource planning (ERP) software to follow the information provided through their warehouse management systems (WMS). As a result, Dean said, manufacturing, warehousing, transportation and order-fulfillment processes become fully integrated. Dean Warehouse currently has 12 warehousing facilities in Rhode Island, with locations in Cumberland, Lincoln, Pawtucket, Central Falls and East Providence. Together they provide nearly 2 million square feet of warehouse space. http://www.deanwarehouse.com/
SciQuest Partners With Oracle to Integrate Catalog Management SciQuest, Inc. has entered into a partnership with Oracle Corp. to integrate its on-demand catalog management software with the Oracle E-Business Suite and Oracle's Peoplesoft Enterprise. The venture creates an enhanced electronic-procurement tool for the higher education and life science markets. SciQuest's applications allow for multi-commodity supplier enablement and integration with existing procurement systems, to increase on-contract spending and improve overall spend management. Through the SciQuest Supplier Network, companies can achieve a “critical mass” of supplier catalog content, the vendor said. SciQuest's Order Manager and Settlement Manager, along with Oracle's procurement applications using Fusion Middleware, allow for seamless business-document exchange, according to SciQuest. Now, Oracle customers can tailor their business processes while ensuring a smooth transition to newer versions and upgrades of Oracle applications. http://www.sciquest.com/
New Iridium Satellite Data Modem Introduced by Quake Global Quake Global, an authorized value-added manufacturer on behalf of Iridium Satellite, has introduced a new, small-sized, low-cost modem which takes advantage of Iridium's global short-burst data (SBD) service for worldwide asset tracking and monitoring. Iridium is a provider of global satellite voice and data systems. Quake designs and manufactures subscriber communications products for tracking and monitoring through satellite and other developing technologies. Quake's Q9612 unit is aimed at the emerging machine-to-machine (M2M) communications market. Approximately the size of a deck of cards, the equipment runs on 9-18V power, for easy integration into a wide range of telematics applications. The product has passed all certification tests, Iridium said, and beta units have been under trial by customers. Production units are due to begin shipment in July. According to Quake, the Iridium-based product is ideally suited for a wide range of industries, including automotive, transportation, construction machinery, oil and gas products, supply-chain management and enterprise resource planning. http://iridium.mediaroom.com/
Alignment at Work Expands in Asia Through Elite Info Deal Alignment at Work, LLC, a developer of methods for enhancing business performance, has entered into an exclusive agreement with Elite Information Technologies Co. to market its “Pull Thinking” materials and educational services in Asia. Pull Thinking consists of a set of proprietary tools that supply objective measures on organizational alignment. The program serves as a foundation for various improvement initiatives, including Six Sigma, Lean and Total Quality Management. Based in Taipei, Taiwan, Elite offers education in language and technology, as well as certification in Microsoft products. It also markets its products in China, and plans to expand throughout Asia using Pull Thinking as the foundation of its offering. Elite will also begin translation of and distribute a book by Kenneth E. Meyer, president and chief executive officer of Alignment at Work, LLC, entitled “Pull Thinking: Harness the Power of Pull to Fuel Growth and Ignite Performance by Aligning People, Culture and Purpose.” http://www.pullthinking.com/
Schenker Starts Up New Logistics Terminal in Switzerland Schenker AG has begun operations at a new logistics terminal in Eiken, Switzerland, just off the Basel-Zurich autobahn. The new facilities of Schenker Schweiz AG will focus primarily on land-transport services. The terminal is integrated into Schenker's European and national networks. According to the company, the Eiken site will assume a key role as an interface for Schenker customers in Switzerland and throughout Europe. It replaces a previous site in Pratteln near Basel. The facility consists of a transshipment hall covering 2,000 square meters and a logistics storage area of 1,000 square meters with 1,800 pallet slots, in addition to office space. With a staff of 100, the logistics center represents an investment by Schenker of approximately $13.8m. Schenker is part of DB Logistics, the transportation and logistics division of Deutsche Bahn AG. http://www.schenker.com/
