Information technology providers who market to the federal government got some holiday cheer as the U.S. Congress and the White House approved legislation to improve the way the government acquires IT equipment and services. The reforms are significant and welcome, and no doubt will facilitate the marketing of IT to federal agencies.
Chief information officers (CIOs) in transport and logistics have an unprecedented opportunity to take a leading role in their organisations, thanks in part to the rise of "shadow IT".
The shift to online retailing over the last five years finally caught up to and overran U.S.-wide delivery capacity during last year's holiday season. According to Forrester Research, online retail sales will grow by an additional 60 percent over the next five years. This kind of sea change has stretched the ability of physical networks to keep up and the shortage of drivers had further exacerbated this situation. Instead, technology has become more important to meeting retailers' holiday delivery challenges by helping to improve the productivity of existing resources and offer a greater array of delivery services being demanded by consumers.
Whether it's perishable food being delivered to a restaurant in time for the evening dinner prep, medical supplies on the way to a pharmacy, or a specialty car part on its way to the dealership's repair shop, getting products to consumers on time and in great condition is the single most important task of suppliers and the customers they serve. Even one component of an order that is misplaced or damaged along its route can be the difference between a happy customer and one who takes his business elsewhere.
Vnomics Corp., a provider of fleet-management technology, has joined with SkyBitz, Inc., the vendor of remote asset-tracking and information management tools, on development of an integrated tracking system aimed at for-hire and private truck fleets.
Analyst Insight: Next-day delivery is the new normal. And fulfillment windows are compressing even further as companies like Amazon continue to raise customer expectations. But companies wrestle with what level of service makes sense, and how to justify investments. It's not about making every process in the DC faster. It's a delicate balance of revenue gains and improved customer service against investment and operating costs. - Helgi Thor Leja, Industrial & Electrical Industry Leader, Fortna Inc.
Analyst Insight: Online sales surged last year, and many companies saw their e-commerce sales grow by double digits. This growth is expected to continue for the foreseeable future, so the good news is that rising rates and revenue for e-commerce are significantly exceeding expectations. But there is bad news too - e-commerce is stressing distribution operations and many companies are having difficulty keeping up. Adopting the right operational practices for order fulfillment is essential for business success. - Kelly Reed, Partner, Tompkins International
While mobile reigns among the hottest topics of discussion, its adoption at the supply chain operation level may be surprisingly less widespread than expected, according to a survey from TAKE Supply Chain, a division of TAKE Solutions.
Depending on which corporate silo you belong to, inventory can be a liability, an asset or something in between. How do supply chain professionals overcome these biases and implement optimal inventory management solutions?
The total capacity of Iranian ports has increased by 80 million tons during the past eight years, reaching 184 million tons, IRNA quoted Iranian roads and urban development Minister Ali Nikzad as saying.