It seems everywhere you look, traditional original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are investing heavily in artificial intelligence (AI). Ford recently announced its plans to invest $1bn over the next five years in Argo AI, a start-up formed just in December whose focus is the development of autonomous vehicles. Similarly, last year GM invested $1bn when it acquired Cruise Automation, another AI start-up.
In line with the hyper growth of e-commerce activity there, Amazon is expanding its operations in India by adding seven new fulfillment centers. MoneyControl.com reported that Amazon India plans to invest $5bn in its facilities by the end of June.
The exclusive distributor of Caterpillar equipment and parts in Canada runs into a brick wall when attempting to implement a new ERP system. But the crisis ends up driving supply-chain transformation.
Online retail continues to grow at a rapid rate, with a 14.6-percent increase in the category in 2015, totaling $341.7bn. That has major implications for warehouse optimization.
Chieh Huang has borrowed a lot from Amazon.com Inc. to expand his e-commerce startup Boxed Wholesale, which sells bulk packages of paper towels, granola bars and maxi pads, including free delivery within two days on most orders and an inexpensive house brand of products. And, like Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Huang started the company in his garage in 2013.
If Amazon's latest clothing manufacturing plans become a reality, air cargo companies could stand to lose billions in revenues. Last week, the e-commerce giant was awarded a patent for a localized manufacturing setup that eliminates much of the traditional supply chain, bringing manufacturing closer to consumers than ever before.
Past scrapyards, railroad tracks, stacks of old wooden pallets and rusty shipping containers here sits a nondescript warehouse, alongside a snarl of freeway overpasses, with two dozen trucks parked at its docks.
Retailers and logistics companies have been opening warehouses at a record pace to ensure online orders reach customers as quickly as possible. Now they're struggling to find workers to staff them.
