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Month: November 2021

Technology solutions ready for Black Friday

Posted on by David Priestman

For the world of logistics, and in particular for e-commerce warehouses and postal hubs, the Black Friday period – which coincides with the beginning of the peak season – represents a challenge in the fields of packaging, labelling, sorting and shipping. Sitma, an Italian company specialising in designing, building and selling complete solutions for logistics automation, looks at the Black Friday stats and the challenges that sit behind them.

Originally an American concept, Black Friday has now become a key event in the year and takes place mainly online. The same goes for Cyber Monday, which is often stretched out to become Cyber Week. It involves the sale of products in disparate categories including, in particular, smartphones, smartwatches, video games and other technological devices.

According to the latest estimates, in 2020 Black Friday generated revenues of over US$9bn in the United States alone, compared to US$7.4bn the previous year. Cyber Monday did even better, totalling US$10.8bn in 2020 compared to US$9.4bn the previous year.

In Europe, the country that spends the most during Black Friday is Great Britain, which in 2019 invested over £8.5bn in the sale of products, followed by Germany £6.3bn in 2019) and France (over £5bn in 2019). Italy, instead, comes fourth, with just over £2bn pounds spent in 2020, compared with £2.8bn the previous year. It should be noted that 2020, marked by the Covid-19 pandemic, saw a slight decrease in the value of goods sold, although the volumes remained high.

Sales volumes: one of the main issues is the sheer number of orders that the supply chain has to handle in a short period of time. In England, for example, sales during the month of October 2020 represented 28.1% of all sales throughout last year. In the same country, according to the Fashion Network portal, a 140% increase in orders is expected during the month of November in online sales alone.

This peak causes pressure on the entire distribution chain, which even during Black Friday and Cyber Monday is expected to meet the same standards of quality. Also according to Fashion Network, 37% of British consumers say they would not buy again from a seller if delivery of their order is delayed. To meet the workload, the entire supply chain must operate in a synchronised and efficient manner.

Packaging: Preparation for shipping, i.e. packaging, requires not only high-performance machines but great flexibility. The latest trends require the product to be packaged reducing volumes as much as possible, in order to optimise transportation and save material. Sitma can offer the benefit of a 40-year track record in this field, with solutions for packing that are compact but also use sustainable materials such as bio-film and paper.

Labelling: the application of labels is also crucial. In fact, the assigning and printing of unique codes require perfect integration between the software and hardware, which must work in synchrony managing an enormous amount of data. Labelling and control technology has, for that matter, evolved considerably in recent years. The printing units have gradually become smaller, while the vision and control systems have become increasingly efficient and able to analyse the packages with greater accuracy.

Sorting and shipping: precision and delicate handling of the package are required during these phases; everything must be carried out in a fluid and autonomous manner. Increasing the automation of logistics hubs is essential not only to manage the peaks of Black Friday, but also to increase the daily efficiency of the plant.

In this case, too, Sitma is able to offer a wide range of solutions, with sorting systems such as Easy Sort or Speedy Sort, bestsellers on the market, and the more recent Symphony. The latter is a modular system that combines efficiency and flexibility, and is designed specifically to meet the needs of the logistics sector, which become particularly critical on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Shoe manufacturer optimises logistics centre

Posted on by David Priestman

ELTEN GmbH, a manufacturer of safety and professional shoes, has put the PSIwms warehouse management system into operation in its logistics centre. Thus, the logistics software of PSI Logistics GmbH forms the basis for future process automations.

To increase the capacity of the central warehouse, ELTEN has expanded its logistics centre at the headquarters in Uedem on the Lower Rhine, Germany. For efficient warehouse management and coordinated process control, the company relies on the warehouse management system PSIwms. With 6,700 storage spaces in the pallet warehouse, 15,500 in the carton warehouse and 10,300 in the shelf warehouse, 20,000 different articles are stored in the logistics centre and an external warehouse. Around three million pairs of safety shoes leave the central warehouse every year.

Currently, the material flows have been reorganised and PSIwms has been implemented and put into operation as a process-leading warehouse management system. The system manages the goods receipt of finished goods, semi-finished goods, merchandise and consumables both from the company’s own production and externally via the ramp areas.

Picking is currently carried out manually according to the person-to-goods principle. For coordinated process sequences, a pick-by-voice system, a forklift positioning system and a shipping system, for example, are connected to PSIwms. The warehouse expansion also provides the basis for future automation projects such as the installation of an automated small parts warehouse (AS/RS).

Logistics network conference sees record attendance

Posted on by Keith McKinley

The Cooperative Logistics Network’s 2nd Virtual Meeting, held on 15th and 16th November 2021, has successfully concluded. The Virtual Meeting registered a record attendance, with more than 140 delegates taking part in the two-day online event. The Cooperative Logistics Network hosted around 5,000 videoconferences that allowed members to talk one-to-one with their partners, promote their companies, create long-term partnerships and expand the scope of their operations.

The impeccable organisation and the efficacy of their previous event ensured an even greater attendance for this year’s meeting. Every delegate got to schedule up to 30 one-to-one videoconferences with their partners to obtain international project opportunities remotely. The latest version of the meeting platform created by The Coop’s IT team made for an uninterrupted conferencing experience. Additionally, The Coop team was always there to help the members in case of any sudden technical hitches.

The event also included an online workshop where Andrea Martin, The Coop’s FreightViewer Coordinator introduced the delegates to all the newest features of The Cooperative’s member-exclusive quote generation platform. FreightViewer allows the agents to leverage the digital transformation in this sector for speeding up their work processes, integrate new initiatives, satisfy customer expectations and adapt to the changes in market demands and business scenarios.

“It was a well-organised Virtual Meeting and was seamless,” stated one of the Coop members in Chennai, India. “I could attend 29 meetings and I had excellent meetings with everyone. Apart from talking business, it was social and affectionate as well.”

Furthermore, this year, the Coop afforded a special opportunity for the delegates to engage in informal chitchats with the network partners during the coffee breaks. Agents had the option of accessing a room with up to five random partners and carrying on casual conversations. The Coop created this to foster the bonding among the network partners.

“The main focus of our event was to establish a good working relationship between members that is based on mutual trust,” said Antonio Torres, President and Founder of the Cooperative Logistics Network. “The fact that we have achieved a record attendance this year surely attests to the productivity of the event. I am confident that the meeting has more than fulfilled its objective of creating a synergistic relationship among the network members. Hopefully next year the situation will be conducive for an in-person meeting when we can once again come together under one roof to continue with the networking.”

Guide to retrofitting warehouse software

Posted on by Keith McKinley

In intralogistics, the term “retrofit” refers to the modernisation of machines, equipment, and software systems, writes Karoline Poderschnig*, IT Project Manager at SSI Schaefer. It is a cost-effective alternative to buying new, ensures sustainable operation, and goes hand in hand with increased system efficiency. But what exactly does it mean when a software system in a warehouse is modernised? What impacts on ongoing operation can be expected?

In the best-case scenario, none. The approach should always be determined in close cooperation with the customer and their individual requirements. Usually, this not only involves modernising the existing system, but also upgrading the processes and/or software systems used. This means that in addition to the existing general conditions, new challenges also arise that must be considered in the analysis, planning, and implementation.

Two approaches can be followed here: transition in several process steps where partial adaptations are carried out during the transition and downtimes can be more easily compensated for, and the big bang transition. A big bang adoption is the immediate transition to a new software generation, during which all old systems are changed over to the new, fully functional system on a specific date.

The focus of the release upgrade is always on smooth running without impacting ongoing operation. All necessary measures need to be taken during the transition so that orders can still be processed in the usual timeframe without delay: in other words, goods delivered at the right location, at the right time, in the right quantity, and in the right quality.

This requires a software solution is that is integrated seamlessly and is future-oriented to meet the challenges of the warehouse. WAMAS is a modular, standardised intralogistics software solution that schedules, controls, optimises, and monitors all logistics processes and functions of a manual, semi-automated, or fully automated warehouse. It can be customised and integrated seamlessly into the IT landscape thanks to its open interface architecture, and the high degree of innovation and scalability provide the highest possible investment protection for sustainable goods management.

Gradual transition to the new software version

Implementing a modern software solution like WAMAS into the ongoing operations of a logistics company poses an enormous challenge and requires, first and foremost, a meticulous analysis of the actual situation and an accurate picture of the target situation. The solution must be thoroughly integrated into the IT landscape. The modular structure and open interface architecture of WAMAS allows for extremely easy connection to ERP, transport systems, or components from third-party suppliers.

The functional specification is an important tool in the extensive project planning and simulation, in which the necessary migration steps are defined in addition to the specifications. A transition in defined steps enables each subtask completed as well as the partial adaptations to the new system to be evaluated. This approach even offers the security of being able to roll one step back if necessary. Potential downtimes can be countered with clearly defined emergency scenarios. These include pre-picking, partial retrieval, and manual storage, for example. Personnel can also be introduced to new processes or dialogs and the documentation regarding software realisation is updated step by step up until implementation is successful.

From one day to the next: the big bang

A big bang adaptation is the immediate transition to a new intralogistics software solution on a specific day. This type of migration is considered to be the most challenging retrofit decision and requires the entire project team to have complete faith in the migration and in the stability of the software solution. Ultimately, the new system must be able to handle the entire volume of orders and data right from the start. Time for out of hours bug fixing is extremely limited and the execution of the ramp-up phase requires maximum focus.

The advantages of a big bang are the fast go-live and the avoidance of several warehouse management systems being in use in parallel for ERP. This approach requires significantly more resources and coordination in advance, as all processes must be converted at the same time. Intensive preparation and collaboration with the customer is just as essential as highly professional project management.

For SSI Schaefer experts, thorough communication with the customer that is built on trust and the provision of a competent team that undertakes project management with unrestricted transparency is the top priority. Experience shows that regular and open communication between SSI Schaefer and the customer as well as a joint understanding of the objective and advantages of the retrofit lead to the greatest possible acceptance, and subsequently to the desired successful outcome.

The success of a project depends heavily upon successful collaboration with the customer.

Quick, reliable, uninterrupted: the big bang at LANDI

For around two decades now, LANDI Schweiz AG has been putting its faith in the expertise of SSI Schaefer. The national purchasing, logistics, and marketing organisation for the 270 LANDI outlets stores, picks, and ships the comprehensive assortment of agricultural and food products from the central warehouse in Dotzingen using almost all intralogistics methods – from manual to fully automated systems.

In 2003, SSI Schaefer installed its WAMAS version 3 warehouse management system at LANDI. Seventeen years later, a completely new software generation, WAMAS version 5, replaced the tried-and-tested and highly valued, but now outdated system in order to optimise logistics tasks in the warehouse and gain a sustainable footing.

Total confidence in the standardised and individually adapted customer processes in WAMAS, professional project management, and the accompanying quality assurance measures facilitated the successful big bang release update – a successful migration that skipped two software generations. Immediate transition to the new version was quick, smooth, and did not significantly affect ongoing operation. This not only ensured supply reliability for the LANDI stores, but also fulfilled all quality requirements at the same time – and for the future.

CLICK HERE to read more information about the project with LANDI.

  • * Karoline Poderschnig holds a degree in Industrial Management from the FH Joanneum University of Applied Sciences in Kapfenberg and can already look back on more than 10 years of professional experience in project management and program management in the infrastructure, automotive, semiconductor, and software technology fields. The expert with IPMA Level C and Financial Business Management (University of Graz) certification has been with SSI Schaefer since 2018.

Carrier delivers trailers to Dale Brothers

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Telford-based transportation company, Dale Brothers UK, has taken delivery of six new refrigerated trailers, each mounted with the company’s first Carrier Transicold Vector HE 19 MT (high efficiency multi-temperature) units, a move designed to help reduce running costs and improve fleet efficiency. Carrier Transicold is a leading global provider of healthy, safe, sustainable and intelligent building and cold chain solutions.

A Carrier Transicold customer since 2000, Dale Brothers UK’s six new 13.6m Chereau trailers replace older assets. Eight more identical trailers are expected for delivery in 2022.

“We first started using Carrier equipment more than 20 years ago when we bought some second-hand trailers mounted with their systems,” said Neyland Dale, Managing Director, Dale Brothers UK. “We were so impressed with the performance and reliability, when it came to replacing those trailers, specifying new Carrier units was the only logical next step – and we’ve been doing that each time we’ve updated our fleet since.”

Combining Carrier Transicold E-Drive all-electric technology with a new multi-speed engine design, the Vector HE 19 unit delivers up to 30% fuel savings when compared to the previous generation Vector 1950. In addition, the system’s fully hermetic scroll compressor and economiser provides a 40% increase in refrigeration capacity during pull-down, as well as a 50% reduction in refrigerant escape.

Carrier Transicold says the system is also 19% more efficient when plugged into the electrical grid on standby, meaning that the Vector HE 19 unit can help to lower diesel, maintenance and electricity costs. In addition, the units operate 3 dB(A) quieter than the legacy Vector 1950, significantly reducing sound pollution.

“We specifically chose the new Vector HE 19 unit after hearing good things from our fellow logistics customers about how efficient they are,” said Dale. “With increased cooling capacity and better fuel efficiency, we will reduce our running costs while simultaneously reducing our carbon footprint.”

Dale Brothers UK has also opted for Carrier Transicold’s advanced telematics package. The system’s two-way wireless communication helps fleets manage their refrigerated assets through remote unit monitoring and control, alongside diagnostics and data management. The system allows Dale Brothers to demonstrate its effective management of the cold chain to its customers, helping to provide additional levels of customer service.

Expected to operate for eight to 10 years, the new trailers will transport a variety of fresh and frozen food products for customers across the UK and northern Europe. Operating six to seven days a week, they typically clock up around 130,000km per year from the company’s main depot in Telford.

European road freight market grows by 8.6%

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Ti’s latest market projections for 2021 show that the European road freight market is expected to grow by 8.6% year-on-year. Year-on-year growth in the first half of 2021 was very strong at 11.1%. Though H1 growth was against a large contraction in H1 2020, the total 2021 market is expected to be 2.2% larger vs 2019’s pre-pandemic peak, at a total of €352.39bn.

The European road freight market has been on a ‘roller coaster’ ride since the onset of the crisis in Q1 2020. Most recently the strong first half of 2021 was driven by ‘easy’ comparisons against a very weak first half of 2020 throughout which most European economies had instituted lockdown controls of some sort or other. As recovery began in the second half of 2020, there will be a levelling off of year-on-year growth in 2021.

Whilst the general picture through 2021 is one of rebound and recovery there are different stories across the main European economies. When looking at 2021 growth data vs pre-pandemic levels the German road freight industry performed best of the largest markets, growing by 2.6% (projected figures). Germany’s performance is driven largely by trade growth although there have been signs of domestic weakness not least due to issues affecting its important manufacturing sector. Component shortages and supply chain bottlenecks have meant that many automotive manufacturers have been forced to suspend production.

The fact that all of the other large economies experienced such steep drops in market size in 2020 has meant that most are only just recovering to 2019 levels. The disruption to Italy’s manufacturing sector due to Covid has meant that the country’s road freight sector is still 1.9% below its 2019 size. For the UK, international transport proved a drag on the market due to Brexit issues (growth in intra-European trade has only been a third of that recorded by France and Germany) although its domestic performance has been relatively strong.

The 2021 recovery in the international section of the European road freight market has been stronger than domestic, with the international market expected to grow by 11.8% y-o-y, whereas the domestic road freight market was more subdued with 7.2% y-o-y growth. This results from the retail and e-commerce driven nature of the recovery which has stimulated more cross-border flows of consumer goods. Many industrial sectors (such as construction) are still feeling the effects of the downturn and these flows tend to be more domestic in nature, dampening market growth.

The strength and pace of post-pandemic economic recovery since Q3 2020 suggests gathering momentum in the European road freight market over the five-year forecast period to 2025, despite some persistent headwinds in the manufacturing and construction sectors. The total market is forecast to expand at a 4.4% CAGR over the period to 2025, driven by stronger retail sales, notably via online channels, and increased manufacturing and production levels.

Michael Clover, Ti’s Head of Commercial Development, said: “Retail and e-commerce growth has strengthened markedly in the first half of 2021 fuelling the recovery for road freight, however supply constraints in the manufacturing sector have been a drag on overall growth. Over the forecast period we expect continued strong demand from the retail sector and, as we move in the latter years of the forecasts period, we expect to see supply chain challenges in manufacturing and construction unwind to enable stronger growth.”

Ti’s new market projections break down growth in the European road freight market by international/domestic and by country with growth rates provided for H1 and the full year 2021.

CLICK HERE to download Ti’s analysis of overall European road freight growth.

Kent sees record growth in logistics

Posted on by Keith McKinley

According to data sourced from the Office for National Statistics, the logistics and distribution sector across the Kent and Medway region of the UK has grown by 60.6% since 2016, with 2,000 jobs created over the same period and 3,600 businesses now operating in the sector.

Gravesham, Dartford, Medway, Maidstone and Swale are performing above the national average in terms of sector size, contributing to an industry that has seen a 48.1% increase in GVA countywide since 2000. That figure, as of 2018, stood at an estimated £2.3bn per year.

Gavin Cleary, CEO of Locate in Kent, explains there are several factors at play including the availability of lower cost industrial and commercial spaces on brownfield sites, increased housing development across the county and the strategic location of Kent and Medway as a gateway between London and Europe.

“Franzosini & Butti, Coyote Logistics UK Limited, TNT Express Limited and Amazon UK are some of the large operators that have chosen Kent & Medway since 2015, confirming our region as a prime location for logistics for nearly every sector,” said Cleary. “And we’re seeing no sign of that easing as the UK emerges from the pandemic with continued strong demand. We have a number of exciting new sites coming through between now and the end of 2023, with a significant number already pre-let.”

One of the biggest drivers for this success has been the rise of e-commerce and the continued shift towards online retail, with the Covid-19 pandemic only serving to accelerate that trend. And with prime locations in the sector’s Golden Triangle along the M1 corridor in the East Midlands at saturation point, Kent and Medway is one of the areas benefitting as couriers and distributors look elsewhere.

Companies working in the sector have also highlighted driver welfare and environmental concerns as important factors that are helping to increase the competitiveness of Kent and Medway as a key hub for the logistics and distribution sector.

Neil Cursons, Managing Director of Kent firm George Cursons which launched its new frozen foods processing and distribution plant for the UK hotel and catering trade at Manston, Thanet, in October, said: “Kent is a fantastic location for business. With its proximity to London and the Channel Ports and the sector’s drive to be more sustainable, the county has great potential to grow further in the logistics and distribution space.

“Dover is one of the main arrival points for frozen fish, but rather than those shipments going up north to be processed we chose to keep it here, saving on transport and cutting pollution. That’s the opportunity we saw in wanting to open this facility.

“We are looking at how we can expand on this further to help us meet regional demand. Our belief is that local is better. We can tap into existing supply chains and build from there.”

The following schemes are expected to launch by 2023, adding an estimated 12.5 million sq ft (1.16 million sq m) of additional space for the logistics and transportation sector, with Mid and North Kent the areas to benefit.

  • 3.92 million sq ft (365,000 sq m) of logistics and manufacturing space at J4/M20 with Panattoni securing permission to transform the former Aylesford Newsprint Site.
  • 5.2 million sq ft (483,000 sq m) of logistics, manufacturing, and energy production at the former Kingsnorth Power Station in Medway
  • 500,000 sq ft (46,500 sq m) of warehouse and office space at Woodcut Farm in Maidstone, located off Junction 8 of the M20
  • 800,000 sq ft (74,500 sq m) of warehouse and office space at Kingstanding in Tunbridge Wells
  • 450,000 sq ft (42,000 sq m) of warehouse space at Powerhouse in Dartford
  • 100,000 sq ft (9,250 sq m) of speculative warehouses at Goodmans in Dartford
  • Enhanced production corridors, including Innovation Park Medway which once complete, will provide over one million sq ft (93,000 sq m) of space for high-value technology, advanced manufacturing, engineering, and knowledge-intensive businesses

Locate in Kent is the inward investment agency for Kent and Medway. Its aim is to encourage and support more businesses to set up and expand in the county. It offers a bespoke support to investors including market insights, property searches, advice on financial support available, and connections to local partners, suppliers and business networks.

Platform improves worker safety at Lindab

Posted on by David Priestman

Factories and production lines have always faced challenges when it comes to protecting workers and maintaining operations. Accidents, however rare, must always be prevented as far as humanly and logistically possible. The margin for error is often little to none.

In work environments with heavy machinery and in Lindab Steel’s case, foil rolls sometimes weighing several hundred kilogrammes, accident prevention is of the utmost importance. With help from VPG, Lindab Steel’s cutting machine has been equipped with a platform that safely lifts the operator to the appropriate working height instead of the operator using ladders and stairs.

Erik Dahllöf, Sales Manager at VPG, was visiting Lindab’s factory on another matter and during his visit an additional opportunity to improve safety, ergonomics and operations presented itself. In cooperation with Lindab’s staff, including Production Engineer Patrik Hayes, a risk assessment of the cutting machine was conducted. Together they investigated ways to reduce the risk of accidents and improve ergonomics for operators.

The cutting machine is an important part of the production line. It straightens the sheet metal before it’s cut to the appropriate length, anywhere from 300mm to 4,000mm-long pieces. The machine is elevated and therefore can be cumbersome for operators to work with, increasing the risk of accidents. Before the new platform was installed, operators had to use stairs, ladders and even stand on their toes on top of the machine to properly adjust and set up for production,

“Ergonomically, the pros are substantial,” said Hayes. “Previously operators had to work with their hands above shoulder height. Now we can lift the operator to the correct working height no matter how tall or short they are.”

Work-related accidents are not only catastrophic for the person or people involved, whenever accidents happen it’s extremely costly for a company, on average €100,000.

“The cutting machine runs 24×7 and it’s incredibly costly if operations come to a halt,” added Hayes. “Our first priority is always the health and safety of our workers but maintaining production is of course key as well.”

Operators are very happy with the new platform, not only sparing their physical well-being but also helping them work more efficiently at the correct working height.

“No matter how much an operator values quality, if you spend too much time in an uncomfortable position quality will be affected over time,” said Hayes. “Investing in safer and more ergonomic solutions for workers will always give you returns on your investment, many times over.”

The end result of the project can only be said to be a huge success, appreciated by all involved parties. “Right now, it’s full steam ahead and everyone is very happy with the lifting platform solution,” Hayes concluded.

Algorithms helps keep London’s roads jam-free

Posted on by David Priestman

To keep the city of London free of traffic jams and construction site logistics efficient, Battersea Power Station utilises decision-making algorithms designed by software developer INFORM. Its time slot management and truck supply control system SYNCROSUPPLY manages up to 400 truck deliveries daily arriving at the construction site.

Battersea Power Station and its shareholders are working on transforming the 42-acre site around the city’s famous landmark into a modern riverside destination, which will provide 4,239 new homes, shops, restaurants, cafés, office space, leisure and fitness facilities, a hotel, over 19 acres of public space and a Zone 1 London Underground Station which opened in September 2021. Traffic jams in front of the worksite would spread throughout London if the £9bn mega-project was not planned properly. Utilising INFORM’s mathematical optimisation algorithms based on Operations Research (OR), the operators guarantee smooth supply logistics as well as optimised resource utilisation thanks to enhanced transparency and planning reliability.

High requirements on logistics

The construction site is developing dynamically, with up to 10,000 trucks registered each month delivering tools and materials. The planning software’s task is to optimally utilise the gates, loading points and resources of the construction site. Previously, this often proved difficult, as planning data from the numerous carriers, suppliers and construction companies all need to be centrally managed. Additionally, the layout of the construction site changes every week as construction progresses.

Duncan Pickard, Head of Programme Management and Delivery at Battersea Power Station Development Company, said: “The INFORM system was selected for its ability to transcend construction deliverables into an operating campus, and is now being utilised to complete the program of works, whilst managing our retailer and residents’ delivery requirements in this exciting new mixed-used destination for London. Using the system at Battersea Power Station has enabled us to match lifts, hoists and cranes to each delivery and review the optimisation of each.”

In the past, delivery traffic was only planned up to the gate. It was not possible to take into account whether a specific loading point on the construction site was occupied or whether the right resources were available at the time of arrival to unload a truck’s specific load. With the enormous number of daily deliveries and the distribution of responsibilities among various construction companies, individual schedulers could no longer manually estimate if a truck should deliver at a specific time, what freight was needed where, or what throughput times could be expected when. However, the tight and varying space conditions on the construction site do not allow for errors.

Decision-making enhanced by algorithms

SYNCROSUPPLY’s time slot management module provides transparency about which trucks and loads will arrive where and when, and about the capacity utilisation of all resources required for unloading at that time. The system also stores information on when materials are to be delivered. After all, some orders must be placed months in advance. Time slots can be accepted or, if required, allocated automatically according to the availability of resources like freight elevators or cranes.

Matthias Wurst, Director Business Development Industrial Logistics at INFORM, added: “Our time slot management also helps to coordinate non-construction traffic around the development site. We assign optimised time slots for deliveries to retailers already located in the area, private moving traffic of new residents and parcel services, so that all stakeholders will reach their destinations as desired.”

The truck supply control module assists in dealing with everyday disruptions. If, for example, forwarding agencies report a delay, within seconds the system can take these deviations into account, recalculate suitable parking and unloading locations, optimise the sequence of all transports to suit the new situation and inform all parties involved about the changed circumstances. Even within the construction site, trucks can be individually guided and dispatched to the appropriate loading point.

With a peak of 140 vehicles per hour accessing the site via only two feeder roads, London’s streets would be jammed by trucks without SYNCROSUPPLY’s optimisation algorithms. In the future, the numerous data on throughput times and the duration of the unloading process will be used to further optimise planning.

Smart tools for workforce management

Posted on by Keith McKinley

The latest workforce management technology can be an important tool in boosting staff morale and retention. Logistics Business magazine editor Paul Hamblin talks to a major provider.

Recent­ research for human capital management specialists UKG reveals 87% of UK employees are being propelled into the future of work by accelerating digital transformation projects. Tellingly, the research claimed that 86% of these workers are enjoying the benefits of these new innovations, calling for organisations to recognise this adjustment and respond accordingly.

Neil Pickering, Industry and Content Manager EMEA for UKG, says that choosing the right digital solution to support your HR department will not only help to control costs and boost productivity, but can also work to enhance employee engagement and drive true cultural change.

Historically, workforce management from a business perspective is about driving efficiency, cost control and productivity and also about ensuring compliance. Pickering argues that while those factors are still a core part of the jigsaw, they can also serve an important need, by giving some very welcome control to employees – which in turn benefits the employer. Happy staff are staff who will stay, and it only takes a brief glance at recent news headlines to see how vital a stable workforce is to efficient, effective supply chains.

“It’s about improving lives for businesses, by boosting productivity and efficiency, but it’s also about employees, giving them autonomy and choice,” he explains. “We call it being Life Aware. By considering employee needs, perhaps by giving them more control, it will affect positively how you attract and retain those people. This is where our future is. So our technology is not just at the service of the organisation but at the service of people, too.”

It sounds great in theory – but what does giving staff more control look like in practice? “Self-service, easy-to-use apps enable staff to arrange shift swaps at short notice, or to arrange holidays; these apps can also proactively suggest and help arrange training needs, for instance. A manager’s time is freed from the paperwork to focus on productivity,” he suggests.

Such self-service actions are possible because the technology is always ensuring that an organisation’s resources are being used as effectively as possible, that the right number of staff are in the right place at the right time (both temporary and full-time accounted for) with forensic forecasts based on precise historical data ensuring that rotas and schedules are accurate, up-to-date and efficiently resourced. It is also – ­and this is another important factor in staff morale scores – making sure that staff are paid the right amount at the right time, with overtime accurately measured.

UKG’s view is that employers have begun to consider how to attract people other than by just paying more money. It has coined a term for it: Life-Work Technology. “We work with over 50,000 customers globally,” says Neil Pickering. “Our software has to be flexible enough to cope with local needs, local legislations, there is no one-size solution because every organisation’s need is different.”

UKG is a new name for a seasoned business, comprising 43-year-old workforce management specialists Kronos and HR delivery experts Ultimate Software, who merged in April 2020. “It’s the perfect marriage,” reports Pickering, “Very little customer overlap, about 5,000-6,000 employees each, two US-founded businesses with a strong global footprint.”

The logistics industry – from ports to 3PLs to warehouses – has led the way in adopting innovative workforce management processes, he relates. “It’s the backbone of the supply chain and it is the logistics sector that businesses have had to turn to change business models.”

His message is that digital transformation is about people processes as well as a piece of technology. His advice? “Engage openly with your chosen supplier. Make sure both parties agree on what you’re endeavouring to do. In UKG’s case, we have a lot of experience, so we’ve usually got pretty good advice on what will work and what won’t.”

Whatever the circumstances, there’s no time to waste. “You can’t wait for digital transformation to come to you,” he urges. “If you haven’t started the journey soon, it will be too late.”

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