Articles
Logistics I.T.
Freight Audit and Payment Services: Stacking Up Savings
Analyzing shipment data can reveal trouble spots and identify opportunities to cut costs. Freight audit and payment services provide the supply chain analytics and expertise to give shippers an edge.
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Choosing Enterprise vs. Software-as-a-Service TMS
Q: What platform options are available to companies investing in transportation management systems? A: Transportation management systems (TMS) come in two essential forms. The traditional form is enterprise software—applications installed on servers that you buy and maintain. The more recent—though hardly new—form is Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), which is provided and maintained by a vendor on the […]
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Electronic On-board Recorders: The Gateway to Intelligent Fleet Management
As the transportation industry continues to evolve, more fleets are reverting from commercial on-board computers back to running fleet management software on drivers’ personal devices. The main reason for this is cost, as companies generally view the hardware as free. Personal devices frequently break and need replacement, however, because they aren’t designed for the rugged […]
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The New Retail: Three Legs to Stand On
Did you ever read a magazine or newspaper article and get the feeling that something was missing? It happened to me when I read several business press articles touting e-commerce as the savior of retailers. That "something’s missing" feeling bothered me as I read various vague descriptions of how e-commerce is the driving force behind […]
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Selecting the Right Technology to Support Your Lean Operations
Technology plays a key role in enabling Lean supply chain operations. For example, connecting to suppliers in real time facilitates re-supplying parts and materials for a just-in-time production environment. But choosing the wrong software can create waste in terms of the time, effort, and money spent evaluating, selecting, implementing, and using the system. Surveys commonly […]
Read MoreDiving Into Multi-Channel Fulfillment
KaiKini Bikinis’ integrated inventory control and shipping operations solution brings savings that are anything but itsy bitsy teeny weeny.
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How the Internet of Things Impacts Supply Chains
When someone mentions the Internet of Things (IoT), most people think of electronics or wearables – the types of technologies that are driving adoption of a highly personalized “smart” consumer lifestyle. But there’s much more to the IoT story, and more specifically, its impact on the supply chain. Research firm Gartner recently released a write-up […]
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Forecasting Seasonal Surges Keeps Products on the Shelf
During busy retail periods, news of retail imports and spot transportation rates tends to grab all the attention. Less prominent, but more interesting, is the constant seasonal and promotional flux in domestic consumer packaged goods (CPG), and how manufacturers manage the resulting transportation surge. For CPG companies, seasonal volume typically represents one-third of annual shipments, […]
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LTL Leaders Make Tracks for the Web
Less-than-truckload (LTL) carriers are parking on freight portals to offer extra capacity to small shippers surfing for low-cost transportation.
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SaaS TMS Facilitates Carrier Management
Q: How can shippers navigate today’s tight capacity market? A: For companies to have the assurance of consistent, competitively priced, service-oriented capacity through the ups and downs of the transportation marketplace, being a shipper of choice is imperative. Here are a few tips to get started: Go beyond rates. Best practice suggests taking a multi-tiered […]
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Empowering Companies Through Integrated Data Flows
Q: What are some key data management challenges in logistics today? A: One key challenge is the different types of information flows. For example, some companies use electronic data interchange; others prefer XML or flat file. The choice often depends on the industry vertical, the company’s capabilities, and how their suppliers operate. For example, in […]
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Partners and Process Management: Freight Business From the Inside Out
Q: What is the key to managing freight spend in today’s supply chain? A: Efficiency at every level of the supply chain is of the utmost importance in controlling costs. Carriers and shippers alike need to formulate their strategies based on key performance indicators (KPIs). Making routine a simple action such as generating useful reports […]
Read MoreWheel Genius: Racing to Improve Data Collection
Thanks to a new image-based scanner, bar-code reader errors no longer tread on Champion Tire and Wheel’s productivity.
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Taking a Smarter Approach to WMS RFPs
To understand where request for proposals (RFPs) for warehouse management systems (WMS) often go wrong, imagine for a moment you are being interviewed for admission to your dream college. You try to demonstrate the specific reasons why you would be a great addition to that school. But instead of engaging in a friendly dialog, the […]
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Measuring the Value of Warehouse Data
In today’s highly global manufacturing and supply chain economy, it’s no surprise that manufacturers need to embrace better communication to manage cultural, geographic, and language differences so as to operate effectively. In the end, better communication means better efficiency, less waste, and higher customer satisfaction. Complex, global economic issues have only increased the difficulty in […]
Read MoreImplementing an ERP System
Using an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system can significantly enhance supply chain management performance by improving purchasing, inventory control, and information exchange between internal departments, as well as external partners. Mark Butler, manager of professional services at software solutions provider Cincom Systems, offers these insights on implementing an ERP system. 1. Understand your current system’s […]
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Freight Bill Payment: Meeting the Pepsi Challenge
When Pepsi Logistics Company Inc. (PLCI) was thirsty for an automated system for billing customers, and processing and paying carrier freight bills, it whet its whistle with Epay Manager from Level One Technologies. To understand Plano, Texas-based PLCI’s thirst for automation, consider its size and scope. PLCI manages parent company PepsiCo’s private fleet, one of […]
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Technology Convergence of Forces Offers Improvements for Logistics Sector
A convergence of technology trends is transforming the logistics sector, creating enormous opportunities to operate more safely, efficiently, and competitively. Technology research firm Gartner describes what’s happening in business and our society in general as a nexus of technology and human forces: Social – the technology linkage between people, and the connectivity that enables work […]
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Fight Inventory Pain Points
We’ve all experienced inventory management pains. Inaccurate inventory counts that cause mishaps, delays because of inaccuracy resulting in dissatisfied customers, costly end-of-year write-offs, and wasted time spent looking for lost inventory, are the most common pain points sited by businesses. While all these things can happen, the best part is, they don’t have to. There’s […]
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Dispelling Five Common Myths about Voice-Directed Work
Nearly one million workers use voice-directed technology daily in warehousing and logistics applications. These tools can help improve worker safety and reduce employee-training time. Yet many companies still resist investing in voice-directed solutions – often because of one of the following five common misconceptions. Myth: Voice is only applicable for picking workflows. Fact: Voice is […]
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