Technology

Bringing WMS to the Cloud

October 26, 2012

Dan Radunz, vice president of product development with HighJump Software, shares his insights on the readiness of warehouse-management systems to move to the cloud. He also reveals some of the top drivers for cloud adoption by WMS vendors and their customers.

U.S. Companies Continue to 'Play Year-End Games' With Receivables, Payables and Inventory

October 25, 2012

REL

Many large U.S. companies continue to try and "game the system" at year's end, artificially improving their balance sheets by manipulating receivables, payables and inventory, according to a study from REL, a division of The Hackett Group. Their efforts, which can range from deep discounting and extended payment terms on sales to simply "losing" supplier bills, do have a positive impact in Q4, the study found. But these companies pay a harsh price in Q1, when working capital performance bounces back to even worse levels than before.

University Health System Uses RFID Technology to Track Valuable Mobile Equipment

October 25, 2012

RFID Journal

Early in-house studies conducted by Shands at the University of Florida, a health system operated by the school, indicates that an asset-tracking solution installed at its three facilities in Gainesville has reduced the number of hours that its emergency department staff spends searching for missing equipment by 98 percent.

Mazree Develops B2B Social Network for Supply-Chain Collaboration

October 25, 2012

Mazree

Mazree has created what it claims is the first business-to-business social network for supply-chain and business collaboration.

Vocollect Enhances Global Partner Program for Voice Tech

October 25, 2012

Vocollect

Vocollect, a vendor of voice technology for mobile workers, has created a new program for working with its global network of business partners.

Fresh-Food Retail-Wholesale Platform Links with Provider of Traceability Solutions

October 24, 2012

FoodLink

FoodLink, a buying platform that connects fresh food retailers and wholesalers to a network of more than 2,000 supplier companies, will acquire TRUETRAC, a provider of mobile traceability solutions to growers, harvesters, packers and shippers of fresh-packed produce. The combined company will be the food industry's first integrated network for produce traceability that links crop planning, harvesting, packing, order management, shipping, receiving and individual item tracking from the field to the supermarket checkout line.

Supply Chain Transformation Hits a Brick Wall Ã¢â‚¬Â¦

October 24, 2012

Pat McLagan, CEO, GoalStreams LLC

Supply chains are driving fundamental and transformational changes in today's organizations. More than that, supply chains challenge the very mental models and core processes that guide most of what people do at work. They challenge the prevailing organization paradigm, requiring significantly more focus on customers, horizontal relationships, integrative thinking, and dynamic and continuous adaptation. These values are difficult to consistently reinforce and support in siloed structures and can't be changed by sophisticated technology alone. Thus, all the promise of supply chain transformation hits an inevitable brick wall!

ARC Creates Cloud-Based Supplier-Selection Service

October 23, 2012

ARC Advisory Group

ARC Advisory Group has released a new tool to help companies select and manage their suppliers.

ALK Partners With Airclic, Issues Maps App and PC-MILER/Rail Update

October 23, 2012

ALK Technologies Inc.

The CoPilot GPS truck-navigation system of ALK Technologies, Inc. has been integrated into the cloud-based mobile software product line of Airclic.

'Hey, I'm too small to use a TMS'

October 23, 2012

Elie Hiller, Director of Sales and Marketing, Transwide North America

Technology

The latest news, analysis and trends regarding technology solutions and their impact on supply chain management. New technologies in forecasting and demand planning, supply chain visibility, big data analytics, the internet of things (IoT), cloud and software as a service (SaaS), enterprise resource planning (ERP) and transportation management systems (TMS) and WMS are transforming the way companies do business - and allowing them to stay ahead of the competition in their industries. As these solutions continue to evolve, businesses are discovering new ways to increase efficiency and cut costs. Learn how companies around the world are improving operations through their strategic use of supply chain technology solutions.