Challenge: Split-case order-picking application needing to dramatically reduce their labor, increase order accuracy and extend order cut-off time within a 12-month return on investment.

Easier access to information is pushing the retail sector closer to what 18th century economist Adam Smith described as "perfect information" -- the idea of having equal information from all providers in order to make a choice.

RFID tags embedded in bundles of unprocessed cotton bolls help Southern Cotton track when it receives, stores and gins those bundles, and the company then shares that data with growers.

Speaking at this year's International Union of Marine Insurance conference in Berlin, Simon Williams, chairman of IUMI's offshore energy committee, reported continuous growth in the sector with 2015 capacity reaching around $7bn, although he cautioned that $5.5bn was more realistic.

Landesk Software, a provider of applications for information-technology systems management, has acquired Xtraction Solutions, a vendor of business-intelligence tools.