LogFire, vendor of cloud-based software for supply-chain fulfillment, has integrated its Warehouse Management System (WMS) with Oracle Transportation Management.

The True Commerce EDI (electronic data interchange) Solutions group of HighJump Software Inc. is offering integrated warehouse and third-party logistics support for users of SAP Business One, an application aimed at small businesses.

The science of robotics is impacting logistics and supply-chain management in ways that were unimaginable just a few years ago. Zala Pogorelcnik, vice president of business development with Infinium Robotics, discusses the present and future of the technology.

With a new year comes a renewed focus on inventory and how to manage it. All systems and aspects of the supply chain must match up with customer demands in the ever-present and evolving omnichannel environment. After all, customers can order goods from anywhere on any smart device, and their expectations are that they will pick up their goods, or have their merchandise delivered to any place – on their terms. People want quick results – or else they will find another outlet from which to shop.

Analyst Insight: The need for speed, along with margin pressures, is causing food and beverage distributors to look for ways to achieve greater efficiencies in the warehouse. The continued growth of the "long tail" that are slow movers combined with a scarcity of available labor and the complexity of route-stop sequencing makes automation a good option. But to justify investments you have to look beyond the labor savings alone. – Frank Jewell, Food and Beverage Industry Leader, Fortna Inc.