People in trucking have been doing the same thing the same way for a long time, so getting them to commit to new technology is a little bit of a challenge.
Employee engagement is fostered by transparent communication and appreciation from the employer, says John Luciani, chief operating officer of LTL solutions at A. Duie Pyle.
Kent Williams, executive vice president of sales and marketing at Averitt, would like to see better relationships between shippers and less-than-truckload (LTL) carriers.
There’s likely to be a “second wave” of automating warehouses as retailers adapt to the new world of e-commerce, along with the latest technology.
What are the lessons learned?
Automating a warehouse can take up to three years, so it’s good to take into account all the many factors involved and how long they will take to implement, says Michael Fiorito, senior sales executive at Exotec.
Logistics service providers are armed with expertise, data, technology and C-level executives who will listen to them, says Mike Riegler of One Network Enterprises.
Many third-party logistics providers gained an advantage from being early adopters of supply chain technology, but they soon met challengers in the form of pure-play technology providers, says Peter Weis, chief information officer and senior vice president at ITS Logistics.