MacroPoint, a global freight visibility provider, and Banyan Technology, a transportation management software company, have announced a partnership to expand the MacroPoint platform to include LTL carriers using Banyan's live carrier and application program interface (API) connectivity.

UPS is installing electronic beacons in its package cars to notify workers if they have placed an item in the wrong delivery vehicle. The initiative, known as Preload Smart Scan, is part of a suite of UPS projects that will use technology to error-proof package processing operations to ensure timely delivery and customer satisfaction.

FourKites, a provider of real-time supply chain visibility solutions across transportation modes and digital platforms, has announced several new integrated enhancements for visibility and orchestration within JDA Transportation Management from JDA Software Group Inc.

A study conducted worldwide by Zebra Technologies Brazil and released in São Paulo indicates that 70 percent of retailers plan to invest in Internet of Things (IoT) technologies to improve the customer experience. By 2021, the study indicates, smart technologies will provide consumers with new levels of customization, speed and convenience.

Manufacturing is having a moment. Optimism on Wall Street and rising levels of consumer and business confidence have put manufacturing squarely back into growth territory. One index that tracks global manufacturing performance, the JPMorgan Global Manufacturing PMI, is the highest it's been since 2011. Production growth rates are at a three-year high. So is the rate of expansion in new orders. And factory payrolls are growing faster than they have in over five years.