IN BRIEF: New Services & Solutions-November 2019

Products

• UNEX Manufacturing’s new Keg Flow Solution for distribution centers keeps beer kegs flowing smoothly through supply chains. Keg Flow stores traditionally hard-to-handle kegs in an ergonomic and space-saving fashion with room for more kegs per pallet and a versatile steel roller track.
• Toshiba introduced the BA400 thermal barcode printer, which has a compact design allowing top loading for fast media and ribbon swaps. Designed to easily integrate into warehouse operations, it provides parts lifecycle alerts and simple printhead and platen replacement.
• WMS system Compact Store 8.0 from Weland Solutions has a contemporary interface along with new capabilities such as putaway and storage of incoming goods and improvements to order-starting features. It supports inventory management functions such as combining and prioritizing orders and refilling items.
• The Asset Gateway, a new asset-tracking device from fleet management solutions company KeepTruckin, is designed to operate continuously, providing increased asset visibility. Charging from an integrated solar panel or drawing power from the trailer, the Asset Gateway logs GPS data every minute and sends the data to the KeepTruckin Dashboard every five minutes.

Services

• DHL Express relocated its service facility from Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, to a new, larger service center in Pittsburgh that can process documents, small parcels, and palletized freight. The new facility features an interior conveyor system, which includes a raised catwalk for safety and sorting efficiency.
• A&R Logistics plans to expand its East Coast distribution with a new export facility in Georgia’s Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub. With an opening planned for winter 2020, the facility will add approximately 2 million square feet of capacity to run up to eight packaging lines alongside A&R Logistics’ export division.
• More shippers can bring deliveries over the threshold with FedEx Freight’s expansion of FedEx Freight Direct, an e-commerce solution for the delivery of bulky items to 80% of the contiguous U.S. population. Freight Direct brings large items such as furniture and TVs through the door into residences and businesses.
• Dematic’s new micro-fulfillment solutions combine automated technology with Dematic iQ software to let retailers with a small footprint fulfill orders efficiently. The software integrates easily with other systems and allows retailers to maintain control over their data, while the physical components can be located close to end consumers in spaces as small as 10,000 square feet.
• UPS launched multiple new healthcare solutions in October 2019. The UPS Premier offerings use advanced sensor and tracking technology. A new priority handling operating model differentiates levels of service for healthcare shippers, under the umbrella of the new UPS Healthcare and Life Sciences unit.
• Shippers can learn about new supply chain technologies at Honeywell Robotics, a new technology center opened by Honeywell in Pittsburgh. The innovation hub will focus on artificial intelligence, machine learning, computer vision, and advanced robotics for use across supply chains with an eye toward the automated warehouse of the future.
• Building upon its undergraduate supply chain management program at the Reh School of Business, New York’s Clarkson University added a Master of Science degree in supply chain management. The online degree includes 30 credits in a one-year interdisciplinary program designed for working professionals.
• Third-party logistics provider RLS Logistics plans to increase its direct-to-consumer fulfillment capabilities with the renovation of two facilities and a new Midwest location. RLS intends to double its capacity by early 2020.
• Materials handling company Crown Equipment opened a sales and service center in Springfield, Missouri, to offer customers materials handling technologies, products and services, from forklifts to warehouse design solutions.
• The Jungheinrich EKS 215a from Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America is an automated guided medium-to-high-level stacker with adjustable forks to transport special load carriers and closed pallets. Based on Jungheinrich’s vertical order picker design, the EKS 215a automated guided vehicle can be used in mixed operations mode alongside manual lift trucks and pedestrians.
• Wine shippers can now send products in a more eco-friendly fashion with Macfarlane Packaging’s new Flexi-Hex packaging system. The accordion-style sleeve protector is plastic-free and made of biodegradable recycled materials. It includes a self-sealing postal box to prevent movement during transit and can be branded if needed.

Technology

• Automotive logistics company ACERTUS released a new VINlocity transportation management system (TMS). The new TMS connects shippers to pre-approved carriers and provides instant quotes, ordering abilities, and real-time tracking visibility with 20,000 trucks available for coordination.
• Cloud-based warehouse management systems provider 3PL Central updated its unified small parcel suite, including SmartScan, SmartPack, and SmartParcel software. The company consulted warehouse operations professionals in high-volume e-commerce shipping to integrate its features into a single suite.
• Descartes Systems Group launched an analytics and reporting solution to aggregate data provided by its other products. The new Descartes Analytics system uses Microsoft Power BI and can integrate with the Routing, Mobile and Telematics solution; Descartes Transportation Management; Descartes MacroPoint; Descartes Datamyne; and Descartes Aljex software to provide customizable reports.
• The Elemica digital supply network added Elemica ePOD, an electronic proof of delivery mobile application for drivers. With the help of ePOD, carriers can provide real-time shipment data for better service to shippers and lower tracking operating costs.
• Freightgate and BDP International partnered to combine the TMS platform of the former with the technology of the latter. BDP is working to implement its robotic process automation technology with Freightgate’s Logistics Cloud for an improved carrier selection process and more configurable system.
• Global eTrade Services (GeTS) launched an artificial intelligence system, the CALISTA Intelligent Agent. The Intelligent Agent works with the existing CALISTA supply chain orchestration platform, with 28 country-linking Customs nodes, to provide intelligence on route options, free trade agreements, import and export formalities, and recommended steps in the event of disruptions.
• Organizations can assess tax and duty costs and other impacts with LLamasoft’s new addition to its Supply Chain Guru X platform. The new Taxes and Duties Analytics Capabilities give users insights into new sourcing, procurement, and distribution strategies that can minimize costs in a complex network.
• Supply chain solutions and e-commerce fulfillment work together with the partnership between Nulogy and ShipHero. The collaboration will help contract packaging and manufacturing companies deliver late-stage customization to brands with less turnaround time, with the help of better workflow support in the e-commerce supply chain.
• A new rail service from Samskip will run four times weekly between Duisburg, Germany and Falköping, Sweden. The service connects southern Sweden’s industrial area with the rest of Europe using Duisburg as a gateway to Southern Europe, and will also decrease CO2 emissions by a minimum of 50% compared to its road service counterpart.
• Span Alaska Transportation opened a service center in Anchorage to streamline freight handling to and from the Lower 48 states to Alaska. The 54,000-square-foot, 88-door service center began operations in October 2019.
• The new CoreTemp product temperature monitoring software from Coretex helps food retailers gain visibility into refrigerated shipments. The application provides continuous temperature monitoring and real-time alerts for potential temperature and transportation issues.

Transportation

• To boost trade along the New Silk Road between China and Europe, rail and consolidation logistics services provider cargo-partner expanded its direct LCL services along the route. This gives the company full coverage of Southern and Eastern Europe as well as multiple LCL gateways throughout the continent.
• YRC Freight added next-day short-haul shipping in Texas. The Regional Next-Day Texas Service utilizes direct loading to provide faster shipping times.
• Yang Ming Marine Transport launched the new East India and North Europe Express direct service in late October 2019. The fleet of nine 6,500-TEU vessels provides weekly service between 14 ports of call.
• Partners Virgin Atlantic and Delta Cargo will offer more trans-Atlantic cargo options between the United Kingdom and United States in 2020. Delta joins Virgin Atlantic at Gatwick Airport for the first time to provide more routes. The airlines also plan to increase capacity between New York’s JFK airport and London Heathrow, and later add more Virgin Atlantic flights between Heathrow and both Seattle and Los Angeles.