Dan Cassler, assistant chair of the Information Logistics Technology Department at the University of Houston, offers an update on supply-chain sustainability - and details both the benefits and pain to be derived from such efforts.

HighJump Software has forged a strategic alliance with Speech Interface Design (SID) to provide voice-recognition technology to distributors and manufacturers.

Kewill has developed version 5.0 of its Kewill Trade software, which manages the direct dispatch of goods from supplier to customer or store, for multichannel, catalogue and internet retailers.

Challenge: Highly complex processes in global sourcing of customer goods require the right tools to perpetually monitor and optimize them. A single version of the truth can only be achieved through collaboration with all different partners in the value chain.

Aldata, a vendor of software for retailers and distributors, has introduced Aldata Mobile Shelf Execution.

I.D. Systems Inc., a vendor of wireless technology for managing high-value assets, has introduced a tool for providing insights into the performance of industrial vehicles in manufacturing and distribution facilities.

Logility Inc. has made available a new application that enables SKU-level planning for products where traditional forecasting techniques are ineffective.

Cognex Corp. has incorporated 2DMax+ software for barcode reading into its DataMan 100 and 200 fixed-mount readers.