Archive: May 2011

Rob Howard

Take a Stand: Try a Platform Approach to Data Exchange

Today’s fast-paced market compels companies to streamline operations and create a business model that provides customers faster, better, and smarter service. In particular, companies involved in last-mile logistics services need to make the most of their data assets to power real-time data transformation and exchange from core systems to customers and partners. These real-time data […]

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Colgate Logistics Delivers Smiles

Colgate Logistics Delivers Smiles

Cutting logistics costs makes management happy. Sharing savings and collaborating to improve efficiency makes customers and suppliers happy. And when it all hits the bottom line, even Colgate’s investors start smiling.

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New Kids in Town: 3PLs Move Into the TMS Market<br />

New Kids in Town: 3PLs Move Into the TMS Market

MORE TO THE STORY: Software House or 3PL? Addressing Your TMS Needs Changing the TMS Scene If you want to manage transportation in-house, you contract with a software vendor for a transportation management system (TMS). If you want to outsource, you ask a third-party logistics (3PL) provider to handle transportation for you. Those have been […]

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Ravi Pappu

RFID Delivers the Power to Transform Markets

Q: The business cases for achieving improved visibility throughout the supply chain have been identified. What technologies should logistics providers consider to get there? Pappu: Physical objects are becoming coupled with a myriad of radio technologies to drive a communications revolution. For instance, location information from GPS satellites 16 miles above the earth is being […]

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Phil Van Wormer

Tracking Warehouse Inventory on the Move

Q: Despite technology advances in end-to-end supply chain visibility, the warehouse is still a “blind spot” for many companies. What can be done to improve visibility within the four walls to bring the same level of excellence achieved in other areas of the supply chain? Van Wormer: Over-the-road transportation fleets have gained tremendous productivity through […]

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Peter Hartman

Upgrading Order Fulfillment Systems Boosts Warehouse Efficiency

Q: Is it possible to speed product flow in response to customer demands and cut inventory processing costs at the same time? Hartman: Many automated systems installed several years ago were not designed to handle escalating customer requirements, such as higher accuracy, more complex traceable orders with multiple SKUs, and more on-time deliveries. Nor did […]

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Mick Mountz

Mobile Robots Expand Warehouse Automation Options

Q: Warehouse managers are tasked with making investment decisions about systems that must scale for growth, often leading to unnecessary spending based on faulty five- and 10-year plans. Are there equipment options that can help mitigate this risk for warehouse management? Mountz: Mobile-robotic solutions offer a whole new approach to warehouse automation. Using features such […]

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Warehouse Fitness Guide: Simple Exercises to Get Your Warehouse in Shape<br />

Warehouse Fitness Guide: Simple Exercises to Get Your Warehouse in Shape

A warehouse is an assemblage of parts that work together to keep the whole body healthy and alive. Companies that operate warehouses use many different strategies to keep those parts running in top form. Among other benefits, the strategies aim to save money, increase productivity, eliminate waste, improve service, gain greater flexibility, and reduce carbon […]

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