Publix - a southeastern U.S. supermarket chain with 980 pharmacy locations - has entered into an agreement to use AmerisourceBergen's RFID-based drug-management system, known as Cubixx, to track specialty pharmaceutical products at the retailer's pharmacies.
Analyst Insight: With the consumer's hands firmly placed on the steering wheel, omnichannel retailing is driving the retail industry forward with record-breaking speed. Item-level RFID is fueling the journey by providing retailers with real-time inventory visibility, rich data insights, and a means for better trading partner collaboration - allowing for more efficient supply chain operations and ultimately, an enhanced customer experience. - Melanie Nuce, Vice President of Apparel and General Merchandise, GS1 US
AE Industrial Partners, a private equity investor in aerospace, power generation and specialty industrial companies, announced that its wholly owned AE Materials Group has acquired The Aircraft Group, a provider of aircraft consulting services for the purchase, sale or leasing of commercial aircraft as well as fleet asset management. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Analyst Insight: The past few years have seen IT systems moving away from advances in individual functionality to interoperability with complementary systems. Also, there's been a greater emphasis on "democratization" of applications - improving accessibility through cloud-based architectures, mobile computing, lower pricing models and improved user interfaces. We have also seen end products themselves becoming ever smarter through embedded software, making them able to react to their environment and transmit information back to supporting systems.
-- Tony Christian, Director, Cambashi
The global penetration of embedded and hybrid factory installed OEM telematics in new passenger cars will exceed 72 percent by 2021, according to ABI Research.
Analyst Insight: In 2015, I predicted that the healthcare industry was finally sharpening its focus on profitability and efficiency. While I was writing this Walgreens moved on Rite-Aid and further consolidated the retail pharmacy market, but more importantly strengthened their negotiating leverage on price breaks. If the cost of the supply chain from sourcing to production to distribution was not a priority, it just became critical to profit margins and customer service. - Brian Hudock, Partner, Tompkins International