The challenges of omnichannel distribution are perhaps the largest issues facing retailers today. Two senior consultants from Kurt Salmon identify solutions that can help retailers deal with omnichannel demands today and stay ahead of future changes.

Competing against large enterprises is never easy, but a smaller pet-foods retailer finds that cloud-based voice technology was what it needed to run warehouse operations more smoothly.

It's fair to say that some mouths dropped in some quarters when word got out that the vice president of supply chain for McDonald's in the UK said he had handshakes rather than formal contracts with key suppliers. In dispensing with the written word, the fast-food chain formed long-term relationships with its partners in food, packaging and distribution, and included them in planning – even helping to set prices and volumes. Said Warren Anderson, "We don’t have contracts, but we do have our very assured supply partnerships with our food and paper suppliers," he said. "A gentleman’s handshake is just as powerful here."

Randy Curran, CEO of OHL, talks about the impact of e-commerce on the 3PL industry today and in the future and discusses how the omnichannel customer is changing logistics operations.

The rise of e-commerce means that companies must re-think where and how they construct distribution facilities, says Bob Silverman of Jones Lang LaSalle. Silverman notes how other market trends also are impacting facility planning.

Xplore Technologies Corp. has developed the Bobcat, a new, fully ruggedized Windows tablet.