The volatility of the U.S. – China Trade war has caused considerable uncertainty for companies with global manufacturing networks. Increasing tariffs, regulations and other barriers are forcing companies to adapt to prepare for commercial risks amid escalating trade tensions.

Gone are the days when self-driving vehicles were confined to science fiction and bold predictions of the future. Autonomous technologies have blossomed into well-developed, ready-to-deploy solutions.

One of the most competitive arenas for this development is the automotive market, with ride-sharing companies and auto manufacturers alike pouring funding into development and establishing pilot programs for autonomous cars. And just as technology like LiDAR enables self-driving cars to ‘see’ the road, so too can it allow vehicles to ‘see’ inventory aisles, conveyor lines and other warehouse infrastructure.

Manufacturing and distribution centers have a history with driverless vehicles, using traditional automated guided vehicles (AGVs) in select applications for decades. With technology advancing and adoption in the materials handling industry growing, this white paper examines the evolution of robotic technology and the financial and operational forces driving greater adoption.

For operations with lift truck fleets, telemetry programs can produce a wealth of small data insights for quick conversion into actionable business intelligence.

Here's how an innovative multi-level lift truck design can expand the “golden zone” of the pick face, enabling new slotting strategies that increase capacity and picking efficiency, reduce labor and storage requirements and decrease overall materials handling costs.

Your business can change unexpectedly and how you respond to these changes can be the difference between success and failure. Today, you have access to more information than ever to help guide your decisions but far too often this can be overwhelming. Most are not ready to take on the increase in information in a meaningful way.

Advanced sales and operations planning (S&OP) allows you to turn information into actionable insights that fuel your digital supply chain, uncover new opportunities and mitigate risks. An S&OP process can help fuel collaboration, ensure the company operates on a single plan that supports your financial and service levels goals.

In this featured special report, we examine how S&OP can help you mitigate risks, plan for the unexpected and propel your business forward.

Your parcel shipping operations are unique, and so too are the transportation management systems for parcel shipping in the market — each with enough features and functionality to confuse even the most seasoned industry expert looking to implement a new solution.

With greater reliance on trading partners, complex supply networks and customer demands, running an intelligent supply chain has never been more vital. Explore the value of linking direct spend sourcing with design, manufacturing and planning processes to build an intelligent digital supply chain.