Day: 20 May 2020

It’s the last WMS you’ll ever buy and you’ll never – repeat, never – upgrade again. That’s what Manhattan Associates is promising with its latest release.

Today, at its online-only Momentum Connect customer conference, WMS software specialist Manhattan Associates Inc., , announced the new Manhattan Active Warehouse Management solution, which it described as “the world’s first cloud-native enterprise-class WMS that unifies every aspect of distribution and never needs upgrading. Crafted entirely from microservices and extraordinarily elastic, Manhattan Active WM ushers in a new level of speed, adaptability and ease of use within distribution management.”

A Quantum Leap in Warehouse Management Technology
“Manhattan Active WM is the result of a multi-year collaboration with our customers,” said Brian Kinsella, Manhattan’s senior vice president of Product Management. “Today, we’re delivering a WMS which never needs to be upgraded again, yet is still fully extensible. We’re delivering all new modern mobile experiences for every user who logs in. And we’re delivering an architecture which expands automatically as volumes ramp up, and which embeds machine learning right into the core of the application. ”

Manhattan Active WM includes completely redesigned user experiences. Following a mobile first paradigm and brought to life with consumer grade design, Manhattan Active WM’s Unified Control screens allow management team members to quickly visualise, diagnose and take action anywhere in their supply chain. For DC associates, the all new WM Mobile application provides a state-of-the-art, app-based experience for all transactional work.

Composed of microservices, Manhattan Active WM is truly cloud-native. In addition to delivering a step change in the accelerating the speed of innovation, this new application architecture gives it an almost limitless ability to automatically scale up to meet fluctuations in demand. It is also designed to be easily extended at the data, services and UI level to meet the unique needs of each business. To speed time to market and reduce training, Manhattan has also incorporated new configuration wizards to help businesses of all sizes and complexities streamline the implementation process.

“Manhattan Active Warehouse Management gives us a distribution solution that adapts as quickly as our customers’ needs, with frequent and easy access to the latest technologies and new features,” said Miles Tedder, chief operating officer of Pet Supplies Plus. “This solution takes care of all of the system and software maintenance, allowing us to focus all our energies on serving our customers.”

Unify Your Supply Chain
With Manhattan Active WM, all functions, including labour management and slotting optimisation, have been streamlined and re-engineered to create a single, unified distribution application. Manhattan Associates is at the forefront of integrating machine learning. Manhattan Active Warehouse Management uses machine learning to orchestrate DC automation, human capital and to optimise the execution of work within the four walls of the DC. The solution’s embedded warehouse execution system (WES) also coordinates the work between any combination of automation, robotics and labour, and the Manhattan Automation Network provides pre-certified integration to the industry’s most innovative DC robotics providers.

“I can’t remember the last time I was so excited following a new product launch briefing,” said Steve Banker, vice president of Supply Chain Management for ARC Advisory Group. “The new Cloud architecture, new user interface, and significant advancements in optimisation and employee engagement are wonderful. Any one of these improvements would have been impressive. Incorporating all of these enhancements in the new release is astonishing for a product of this scope.”

All New Employee Engagement
Increased expectations for fulfillment speed and volume are driving organisations to better understand and engage their workforce to differentiate and excel. Manhattan has revolutionised warehouse labour management with a focus on providing a more individual and rewarding work experience. The result is a solution that helps improve employee productivity and satisfaction and reduces turnover. Manhattan Active WM was developed based upon gamification theory and behavioural sciences.

Hyster Europe has introduced a new Platform Stacker, the latest addition to its recently launched range of uncomplicated trucks suited to general-purpose operations.

The Hyster S1.5UT S Platform Stacker, for lifting up to 1.5 tonnes, provides a straight-forward and affordable solution for those transporting stock over short distances, such as in warehouses and manufacturing operations. The truck is the latest addition to the recently launched Hyster UT series, which offers a choice of cost-effective counterbalance IC lift trucks, pallet trucks and pallet stackers.

With a fit-for-purpose foldable platform, the new Hyster S1.5UT S helps to enhance operator comfort, while electric steering and simple controls are included as standard for ease of operation.

To cater to different application requirements, options include an on-board charger and lateral battery extraction. A choice of 2-stage NFL mast up to 3.5m and 3-stage FFL mast up to 5.6m is also available, as well as a 570 x 1150 forks option.

“The new Platform Stacker truck gives operations yet another option for specifying the Hyster warehouse equipment that best meets their particular needs,” says Rob O’Donoghue, Director Solutions – Europe, Middle East and Africa for Hyster. “With the new range of no-nonsense trucks, applications can expect a low cost of operation alongside dependable Hyster quality.”

The S1.5UT S Platform Stacker also features maintenance free AC motors, simple wiring and durable components, as well as straightforward service and troubleshooting. All Hyster warehouse equipment benefits from support through the global network of local Hyster distribution partners.

Germany-based drive technology specialist Nord Drivesystems has released the following on its 2019 performance:

In the 2019 financial year, Getriebebau NORD GmbH & Co. KG achieved solid and targeted growth reflecting in a sales increase of €750 million. Investments in locations and logistics set further impetus. NORD is also well positioned during the current crisis. Development activities and investments continue as planned, so that NORD remains a strong partner in the drive technology sector.

Currently, NORD DRIVESYSTEMS is expanding its office capacity in Suzhou, China, by 2,400 m2 and is extending the industrial gear unit assembly and logistic areas as well as the painting department at the Waunakee site, USA. In addition, production was considerably extended with the completion of a new motor factory in Wiechlice, Poland. Motor assembly and a stator manufacturing facility were put into operation on an area of around 10,000 m2. Only 40 km away, at the Nowa Sól plant, an additional area of 10,000 m2 is currently being built for production, assembly and logistics and will be completed by the end of 2020. From the beginning of 2021, NORD will also be building an automated small parts warehouse, packing stations, a logistics building as well as associated goods receipt and goods issue areas at the Bargteheide site.

Innovations and portfolio extensions
Last year, NORD DRIVESYSTEMS successfully launched a wide range of innovations for drive technology. By competitively expanding its product portfolio, important future topics have been undertaken including Industry 4.0 and energy efficiency as well as diversification of its range of NORD drive solutions. The new NORDAC PRO SK 500P represents a milestone in frequency inverter innovation, offering ultimate functionality, connectivity and modularity. In addition to improved characteristics and performance features, the new inverter generation uses the proven NORDAC parameter structure and is physically and functionally downward compatible.

High-efficiency on all levels
A new IE5+ synchronous motor with a significantly higher energy efficiency supplements the electric motor range. Due to its constant efficiency in all operation areas, it is particularly suitable for reducing the number of variants and for use in intralogistics. The NORDCON APP is of interest for all users of drive technology. For the first time, this app provides a mobile commissioning and service solution for all NORD drives – speeding up installation, maintenance and troubleshooting. In the heavy-duty sector, the MAXXDRIVE industrial gear units series has been supplemented by the new MAXXDRIVE® XT (above), optimising the proven modular system for applications with high thermal limit powers.
Concepts for Condition Monitoring (Condition Monitoring) and Predictive Maintenance complete the expansion of the range. With this, NORD is able to implement economical solutions to detect impermissible operating states at an early stage and avoid unscheduled downtimes both for small geared motors and for large industrial gear units.

A reliable partner in drive technology
For more than 55 years, NORD DRIVESYSTEMS has been a reliable partner to the industry. As a medium-sized and family-owned company, NORD constantly develops new innovative product and service solutions in the field of drive technology. Competent engineers in 36 countries advise customers from more than 100 industries whilst reliable manufacturing and logistics capacities in Germany, Europe, Asia and North America as well as worldwide assembly and service locations provide stability, even in difficult situations.

InstaFreight announced that key digital service offerings are now integrated with SAP Logistics Business Network, helping to ensure fast and efficient handling of road transportation in Europe. Users of SAP Logistics Business Network now have access to more than 12,000 carrier companies through InstaFreight. By leveraging digital processes, shippers can reduce complexity and carriers can reduce administrative effort, both key benefits during this challenging time of need across the globe.

“InstaFreight is working with the same legal standards as its analog competitors and is subject to the same industry laws, but customers using InstaFreight’s end-to-end digitalized processes can save time and money while gaining maximum transparency,” says Philipp Ortwein, Co-Founder and Managing Director of InstaFreight. “We are proud to achieve this integration with SAP Logistics Business Network.”

The request for freight capacity, also known as RFQ (Request For Quotation), and the resulting order placements are forwarded via an application programming interface (API) from SAP Logistics Business Network to the InstaFreight platform. InstaFreight, the contractual party to shippers and carriers, generates a quote immediately. Compared to analog freight forwarders, this real-time pricing saves a significant amount of time from the quote to the placement of orders.

Based on the extensive network of InstaFreight and its position as contractual party, the complexity for shippers when managing their transport is simplified, as the number of carriers is reduced. Simultaneously, the administrative barriers for carriers are minimized, as InstaFreight takes care of most of the administrative work with standardized solutions.

Pictured: Markus J. Doetsch, InstaFreight Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer (left), and Philipp Ortwein, Co-Founder and Managing Director.