An automated yard management system gets drivers in and out of facilities quickly by using electronic gate readers and providing exact trailer locations. Aleks Gollu, CTO and founder of PINC Solutions, discusses these and other benefits.
A recent Deloitte survey of 600 executives at manufacturing and retail companies found that 63 percent were highly concerned about risks within the extended supply chain comprising vendors and customers, ranking it among their top-two concerns. The executives surveyed also cited "lack of acceptable cross-functional collaboration" as the number one obstacle to managing risk effectively. While these survey results indicating a serious lack of collaboration and coordination among trading partners are certainly worrisome, should they really come as a surprise?
The success of online retailers has been linked to the demise of many high street shops in the UK, most recently HMV and Jessops. The remaining retailers have clear strategies which incorporate on-line shopping with home delivery and are often further supported by other initiatives, such as click and collect, where goods are ordered online but delivered to a third-party address, such as a local garage or convenience store, to avoid the disappointment of missed home deliveries.
Cognex Corp., a vendor of industrial identification systems, has added two models to its DataMan 50 line of barcode readers, along with a new, three-model DataMan 60 series of devices offering Ethernet connectivity.
Intelligrated, a vendor of automated material-handling technology, has acquired Datria Systems, Inc., a provider of voice-enabled systems for the mobile workforce.
A warehouse is not a warehouse and a supply chain is not a supply chain. They come in various sizes, varieties and specifications. They vary by industry and product requirements. So, in short, it is hard to generalize. They need to be designed and fit for purpose, but there is no question that they are growing more complex.
Analyst Insight: There has been an explosive and exciting level of growth and innovation in the development of new automation solutions for distribution operations, particularly in the areas of full-case and less-than-case automation. It is inevitable that companies in North America and other developing nations will increasingly adopt these solutions as labor markets contract due to the aging population in the decades ahead. - Marc Wulfraat, president, MWPVL International Inc.
Supply chain and logistics service provider ModusLink Global Solutions plans to move its operations in The Netherlands from Apeldoorn to a new location in Venray.
Keppel Logistics Pte Ltd. (Keppel Logistics), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Keppel Telecommunications & Transportation Ltd, (Keppel T&T), has leased a two-hectare site for 30 years from JTC Corporation to develop an air logistics hub in the eastern part of Singapore.