The real-time load-tracking platform of FourKites, a vendor of logistics visibility software for shippers and third-party logistics (3PL) providers, is now available with Oracle Transportation Management Cloud (OTM) and Oracle Transportation Management version 6.3.0 or higher.

Cavalier Group, a vertically integrated provider of red meat to South African retailers, operates cattle and lamb livestock farms, feedlots, livestock trading houses, slaughterhouses and meat packing plants across the country. It had relied heavily on various sensors to manage its operations - such as thermistors that are used to ensure its chillers are operating optimally - and its security systems, such as access control and CCTV cameras. But because those sensor and security networks were in silos with separate interfaces, they were not always easy to use.

Business intelligence tools allow a company to parse through its data to find the bits most important to its operations. Maybe that means figuring out which carrier is letting it down (or conversely, for a carrier to see if a shipper is unprofitable for it to serve). Maybe it just means going through visibility data to determine whether a perceived chokepoint is actually a problem.

InViaRobotics has released a "goods-to-box" robotics system, to aid in the fulfillment and material-handling operations of e-commerce providers and warehouses.

For the past four years, VarodaRent, a Dutch company that provides containers and other moving equipment on a rental basis, has been using radio frequency identification technology to track the movements of its boxes, containers and other assets as they are automatically sent to customers and then returned.

The complex nature of the supply chain in an era booming with digital data means a barrage of processes and systems to manage at all times, but it also means that numerous opportunities exist to improve efficiency and service for customers.

As more and more enterprises give up license-based software in favor of faster, more convenient cloud services, the software industry itself is changing dramatically, according to advisory firm. Although legacy software companies that have moved into the cloud are reaping the benefits of the growing "as-a-service" ecosystem, they are also facing some risks.