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Day: 1 February 2022

Blue Yonder report identifies potential 394% ROI

Posted on by David Priestman

With supply chains continually under pressure to keep commerce moving, companies need supply chain solutions that can provide end-to-end visibility, show value and a quick return on investment. According to the “The Total Economic Impact of Blue Yonder Luminate,” a commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Blue Yonder, Blue Yonder’s SaaS-based solutions do just that.

The financial analysis from the study found that companies had a net present value (NPV) of $59.79m and a return on investment (ROI) of 394%. Most companies saw a ROI in less than six months. The study included interviews with nine decision-makers with experience using Blue Yonder’s  solutions including Luminate Logistics – warehouse management and transportation management – Luminate Control Tower, Luminate Commerce, and Luminate Planning.

“To truly digitally transform your supply chain, companies need end-to-end visibility, demand planning, omni-channel commerce, and execution capabilities. Our Luminate solutions, backed by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), provide our customers with data-driven insights to make smarter, more profitable decisions, allowing them to predict and pivot in times of disruption,” said Vidhya Srinivasan, senior vice president, Platform and Portfolio Marketing, Blue Yonder.

“We believe Forrester TEI study underscores that customers utilising our SaaS-based solutions realise real-world value in the form of strong NPV and ROI, as well as a quick return on investment. The customer quotes in the study tell the real story!”

An e-commerce fulfilment director at a fashion retailer shared: “DC labour shortages and high-demand events put stress on fulfilling orders. For us, a backlog of over seven days is a real problem, and we often times will send the item but not charge the guest for it. We have considered restricting the inventory we advertise on our website in the past. With Blue Yonder, this is no longer a worry.”

Based on the calculations for a $10bn company constructed by Forrester as part of the study based on seven of the decision-makers’ organisations, the financial benefits of Blue Yonder’s Luminate solutions include:

  • Labour productivities totalling $31.2m
  • Transportation costs reduced by $14.1m
  • Markdown reduction driving margin improvement of $15.3m
  • Out-of-stock inventory reduction resulting in margin increase of $6.5m
  • E-commerce labour, software and IT productivities of nearly $1.4m

CLICK HERE to download the “The Total Economic Impact of Blue Yonder Luminate” study

Blue Yonder report identifies potential 394% ROI

Posted on by David Priestman

With supply chains continually under pressure to keep commerce moving, companies need supply chain solutions that can provide end-to-end visibility, show value and a quick return on investment. According to the “The Total Economic Impact of Blue Yonder Luminate,” a commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Blue Yonder, Blue Yonder’s SaaS-based solutions do just that.

The financial analysis from the study found that companies had a net present value (NPV) of $59.79m and a return on investment (ROI) of 394%. Most companies saw a ROI in less than six months. The study included interviews with nine decision-makers with experience using Blue Yonder’s  solutions including Luminate Logistics – warehouse management and transportation management – Luminate Control Tower, Luminate Commerce, and Luminate Planning.

“To truly digitally transform your supply chain, companies need end-to-end visibility, demand planning, omni-channel commerce, and execution capabilities. Our Luminate solutions, backed by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), provide our customers with data-driven insights to make smarter, more profitable decisions, allowing them to predict and pivot in times of disruption,” said Vidhya Srinivasan, senior vice president, Platform and Portfolio Marketing, Blue Yonder.

“We believe Forrester TEI study underscores that customers utilising our SaaS-based solutions realise real-world value in the form of strong NPV and ROI, as well as a quick return on investment. The customer quotes in the study tell the real story!”

An e-commerce fulfilment director at a fashion retailer shared: “DC labour shortages and high-demand events put stress on fulfilling orders. For us, a backlog of over seven days is a real problem, and we often times will send the item but not charge the guest for it. We have considered restricting the inventory we advertise on our website in the past. With Blue Yonder, this is no longer a worry.”

Based on the calculations for a $10bn company constructed by Forrester as part of the study based on seven of the decision-makers’ organisations, the financial benefits of Blue Yonder’s Luminate solutions include:

  • Labour productivities totalling $31.2m
  • Transportation costs reduced by $14.1m
  • Markdown reduction driving margin improvement of $15.3m
  • Out-of-stock inventory reduction resulting in margin increase of $6.5m
  • E-commerce labour, software and IT productivities of nearly $1.4m

CLICK HERE to download the “The Total Economic Impact of Blue Yonder Luminate” study

New model offers “300% faster” voice recognition

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Ehrhardt Partner Group (EPG) says it is taking voice-directed processes in the logistics sector to the next level with its new hardware solution, VOXTER Vantage. The latest generation of mobile voice computer, which was developed for the innovative LYDIA Voice technology, is setting new standards in terms of overall performance, stability and durability.

In comparison to its predecessor model, the VOXTER Vantage enables 300% faster voice recognition, is equipped with the optimised enterprise operating system Android Industrial+ and offers considerably improved WiFi performance.

Seamless interaction between hardware and software is the key to a successful voice solution in a logistics environment. The innovative software LYDIA Voice harnesses artificial intelligence for its voice recognition.

“Customers who switch from other voice systems to LYDIA Voice witness a 6-18% increase in productivity on average,” explains Tim Just, CEO Voice Solutions at EPG. “In VOXTER Vantage, LYDIA Voice customers are now receiving a hardware solution that increases productivity and performance even further, leading to greater overall performance.”

VOXTER says its Vantage solution impresses with its unique and particularly low-maintenance design as well as new technical components that offer significant performance gains. Its computing power, for instance, is six times greater than that of its predecessor model. It also uses the state-of-the-art enterprise operating system Android Industrial+, which has been optimised especially for VOXTER Vantage.

“VOXTER Vantage works in perfect harmony with LYDIA software,” stresses Just. “They combine many years of development expertise with the latest hardware and software technology. EPG is therefore offering the most advanced package currently available on the voice technology market. A 300% increase in voice recognition speed can be achieved simply by switching to the new VOXTER Vantage model.”

The enterprise operating system Android Industrial+ offers the modern and future-proof software ecosystem of a standard Android system, but has been specifically optimised for the much greater requirements in logistics and industrial environments. It supports reliable and fast data transmission via WiFi, NFC or Bluetooth in accordance with the latest transmission standards. It also guarantees a high level of data security, as it does not use the services of third parties.

Moreover, the product offers greater control over settings that are relevant for voice applications. This includes the automatic calibration of microphone sensitivity, smart LYDIA Voice software features and extended configuration options. In combination with the latest technical components, a high-power WiFi card and the advanced operating system Android Industrial+, this helps ensure a much more stable WiFi performance.

According to EPG, VOXTER series products are extremely durable and low-maintenance. Mechanical moving parts are purposely not incorporated into their design. When in use, the products can be operated by voice command alone. This prevents wear and tear and minimises the need for repairs. For the first time, EPG has been able to statistically prove just how durable VOXTER hardware is in practice.

The mean time to failure (MTTF) metric indicates how long devices can be used on average until repairs are necessary. “The MTTF for our VOXTER series is 8.9 years,” explains Just. “This is an outstanding figure that attests to the stability of our hardware and its enormously long life cycle.”

EPG guarantees a life cycle of at least 10  years for the VOXTER Vantage. The hardware is available for at least five years and support is guaranteed for at least a further five years. Thanks to the VOXTER SafeGuard guarantee, the technology is also supplied with updates and security patches for the entirety of its life cycle.

VOXTER Vantage also offers a real advantage in term of costs. Over the course of the product’s life cycle, EPG says total costs are lower than for comparable devices on the market. An additional advantage for established customers is that the mobile voice computer is compatible with existing equipment from the VOXTER series, including the LYDIA VoiceWear order picking vest.

 

New model offers “300% faster” voice recognition

Posted on by David Priestman

Ehrhardt Partner Group (EPG) says it is taking voice-directed processes in the logistics sector to the next level with its new hardware solution, VOXTER Vantage. The latest generation of mobile voice computer, which was developed for the innovative LYDIA Voice technology, is setting new standards in terms of overall performance, stability and durability.

In comparison to its predecessor model, the VOXTER Vantage enables 300% faster voice recognition, is equipped with the optimised enterprise operating system Android Industrial+ and offers considerably improved WiFi performance.

Seamless interaction between hardware and software is the key to a successful voice solution in a logistics environment. The innovative software LYDIA Voice harnesses artificial intelligence for its voice recognition.

“Customers who switch from other voice systems to LYDIA Voice witness a 6-18% increase in productivity on average,” explains Tim Just, CEO Voice Solutions at EPG. “In VOXTER Vantage, LYDIA Voice customers are now receiving a hardware solution that increases productivity and performance even further, leading to greater overall performance.”

VOXTER says its Vantage solution impresses with its unique and particularly low-maintenance design as well as new technical components that offer significant performance gains. Its computing power, for instance, is six times greater than that of its predecessor model. It also uses the state-of-the-art enterprise operating system Android Industrial+, which has been optimised especially for VOXTER Vantage.

“VOXTER Vantage works in perfect harmony with LYDIA software,” stresses Just. “They combine many years of development expertise with the latest hardware and software technology. EPG is therefore offering the most advanced package currently available on the voice technology market. A 300% increase in voice recognition speed can be achieved simply by switching to the new VOXTER Vantage model.”

The enterprise operating system Android Industrial+ offers the modern and future-proof software ecosystem of a standard Android system, but has been specifically optimised for the much greater requirements in logistics and industrial environments. It supports reliable and fast data transmission via WiFi, NFC or Bluetooth in accordance with the latest transmission standards. It also guarantees a high level of data security, as it does not use the services of third parties.

Moreover, the product offers greater control over settings that are relevant for voice applications. This includes the automatic calibration of microphone sensitivity, smart LYDIA Voice software features and extended configuration options. In combination with the latest technical components, a high-power WiFi card and the advanced operating system Android Industrial+, this helps ensure a much more stable WiFi performance.

According to EPG, VOXTER series products are extremely durable and low-maintenance. Mechanical moving parts are purposely not incorporated into their design. When in use, the products can be operated by voice command alone. This prevents wear and tear and minimises the need for repairs. For the first time, EPG has been able to statistically prove just how durable VOXTER hardware is in practice.

The mean time to failure (MTTF) metric indicates how long devices can be used on average until repairs are necessary. “The MTTF for our VOXTER series is 8.9 years,” explains Just. “This is an outstanding figure that attests to the stability of our hardware and its enormously long life cycle.”

EPG guarantees a life cycle of at least 10  years for the VOXTER Vantage. The hardware is available for at least five years and support is guaranteed for at least a further five years. Thanks to the VOXTER SafeGuard guarantee, the technology is also supplied with updates and security patches for the entirety of its life cycle.

VOXTER Vantage also offers a real advantage in term of costs. Over the course of the product’s life cycle, EPG says total costs are lower than for comparable devices on the market. An additional advantage for established customers is that the mobile voice computer is compatible with existing equipment from the VOXTER series, including the LYDIA VoiceWear order picking vest.

 

75% of logistics professionals see room for improvement

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Transporeon and Adrian Gonzalez, President of Adelante SCM and Founder of Talking Logistics, just published the Transportation Pulse Report 2022. In light of the capacity shortages and delays within global logistics due to the COVID-19 crisis, the report identifies solutions for rebuilding trust in the supply chain. It combines quantitative insights from more than 280 shippers, carriers and 3PLs with the opinions of industry experts. A rising number of logistics professionals (25% compared to 18% in 2020) believe that there exists “very large” room for improvement in the way transportation processes are designed and managed. Another 48% of respondents see “large” room for improvement (compared to 47% in 2020).

More specifically, respondents consider the biggest room for improvement to reside in the physical (68%) rather than the digital supply chain (32%). “It’s obvious,” comments Dr. Thomas Lieb, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Hellmann Worldwide Logistics, former CEO of DB Schenker and member of Transporeon’s Advisory Board “it’s currently the physical supply chain that is causing all the headaches, which is why building trustful and reliable relationships with your supply chain partners, having real-time visibility, and taking care of your people are so important.”

Overall trust among trading partners is low with more than half of participants “agreeing” or “strongly agreeing” that “you can’t be too careful when dealing with people across your supply chain”. This coincides with the problems identified in digital supply chains: 58% of respondents state that the lack of transparency and data sharing among trading partners was in need of fixing. Almost half of the respondents also state that a lack of real-time visibility was a problem.

Hermann Ude, former CEO of DHL Global Forwarding, Member of the Board of Deutsche Post and today Chairman of Transporeon’s Advisory Board notes that “The response is more sharing of data and information, as well as joint optimization. All of these solutions that are available now, like real-time freight visibility and Transporeon’s Trust Center, are valuable because they provide transparency, they are an investment in building more trust. Having everyone looking at the same data will enable joint optimization, which was not possible in the past.”

This opinion was also mirrored in the answers of the survey respondents who stated that “Matching demand with capacity more efficiently” was the highest priority for them in 2022. “Enabling greater visibility to real-time demand, rates & capacity” and “Eliminating manual & paper-based processes” were their second and third priorities. Reducing the carbon footprint also became more important since 2020.

Further results of the study show that the integration of technology and logistics was strengthened within the last year. Software still matters, but the platform approach has become even more important with 77% of respondents stating that size and scope were “very important” or “important” criteria when selecting a TMS or logistics service provider.

Industry expert Adrian Gonzalez summarizes: “What we do know is that very large opportunities for improvement still exist in transportation, and that to achieve them, the logistics industry needs to become more data-driven, and there needs to be greater transparency of data across all stakeholders.”

CLICK HERE to access the full Transportation Pulse Report 2022

75% of logistics professionals see room for improvement

Posted on by David Priestman

Transporeon and Adrian Gonzalez, President of Adelante SCM and Founder of Talking Logistics, just published the Transportation Pulse Report 2022. In light of the capacity shortages and delays within global logistics due to the COVID-19 crisis, the report identifies solutions for rebuilding trust in the supply chain. It combines quantitative insights from more than 280 shippers, carriers and 3PLs with the opinions of industry experts. A rising number of logistics professionals (25% compared to 18% in 2020) believe that there exists “very large” room for improvement in the way transportation processes are designed and managed. Another 48% of respondents see “large” room for improvement (compared to 47% in 2020).

More specifically, respondents consider the biggest room for improvement to reside in the physical (68%) rather than the digital supply chain (32%). “It’s obvious,” comments Dr. Thomas Lieb, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Hellmann Worldwide Logistics, former CEO of DB Schenker and member of Transporeon’s Advisory Board “it’s currently the physical supply chain that is causing all the headaches, which is why building trustful and reliable relationships with your supply chain partners, having real-time visibility, and taking care of your people are so important.”

Overall trust among trading partners is low with more than half of participants “agreeing” or “strongly agreeing” that “you can’t be too careful when dealing with people across your supply chain”. This coincides with the problems identified in digital supply chains: 58% of respondents state that the lack of transparency and data sharing among trading partners was in need of fixing. Almost half of the respondents also state that a lack of real-time visibility was a problem.

Hermann Ude, former CEO of DHL Global Forwarding, Member of the Board of Deutsche Post and today Chairman of Transporeon’s Advisory Board notes that “The response is more sharing of data and information, as well as joint optimization. All of these solutions that are available now, like real-time freight visibility and Transporeon’s Trust Center, are valuable because they provide transparency, they are an investment in building more trust. Having everyone looking at the same data will enable joint optimization, which was not possible in the past.”

This opinion was also mirrored in the answers of the survey respondents who stated that “Matching demand with capacity more efficiently” was the highest priority for them in 2022. “Enabling greater visibility to real-time demand, rates & capacity” and “Eliminating manual & paper-based processes” were their second and third priorities. Reducing the carbon footprint also became more important since 2020.

Further results of the study show that the integration of technology and logistics was strengthened within the last year. Software still matters, but the platform approach has become even more important with 77% of respondents stating that size and scope were “very important” or “important” criteria when selecting a TMS or logistics service provider.

Industry expert Adrian Gonzalez summarizes: “What we do know is that very large opportunities for improvement still exist in transportation, and that to achieve them, the logistics industry needs to become more data-driven, and there needs to be greater transparency of data across all stakeholders.”

CLICK HERE to access the full Transportation Pulse Report 2022

Cloud WMS helps Sainsbury’s transform network

Posted on by David Priestman

Körber has partnered with UK supermarket chain Sainsbury’s, which also comprises general merchandise retailer Argos, to deliver K.Motion Warehouse Management System (WMS) to enable the transformation of its logistics and fulfilment networks.

In a rapidly changing business landscape, modern retailers need unified and effective warehouse management solutions to handle increasingly complex supply chains and meet evolving customer needs.

Sainsbury’s currently has a network comprising multiple legacy warehouse management solutions, which are often product type and channel specific. The implementation of the Körber WMS is a key part of the retailer’s transformation journey to a more integrated network, which will enable it to serve its stores and customers better.

The retail chain’s biggest challenge was finding a WMS adaptable enough to span the different requirements of the entire business. This encompasses multiple distribution and fulfilment centres, catering for differing product types across food, general merchandise and clothing. Additionally, temporary depots are used to provide greater capacity in the network at peak times in the year such as Christmas. Körber’s WMS met these requirements.

“Fulfilment centres in today’s business landscape need to run at peak efficiency, and solutions that seamlessly integrate processes and reduce complexity are the key to success,” says Anton du Preez, Executive Vice President EMEA Sales, Körber Supply Chain Software. “With our solution, we provide the agility to cater to Sainsbury’s vast network of stores and broad variety of products. This allows them to maximise fulfilment efficiency, ensuring customer satisfaction and further growth.”

The solution Körber and Sainsbury’s are co-developing will allow the retailer to make configuration changes within the system themselves. This will enable customisation to incorporate new processes unique to the business and industry and reduce lead time to change. Additionally, the software is hosted in the cloud, easily facilitating changes to the solution and deployment across multiple warehouses.

This provides Sainsbury’s with the flexibility to easily upgrade the existing configuration to new cloud hardware and leveraging the latest technologies, while changing software and database systems whenever needed to adapt to ever-changing business and customer needs.

Sainsbury’s has been a Körber customer for a number of years, benefitting from voice-directed warehouse operations and K.Sight CLASS warehouse simulation. One example of the latest technology in this regard is the Körber One Screen to Voice function for streamlined picking in the warehouse: instructions to pickers are delivered via voice commands – replacing the scan gun. This allows two-handed operations, speeds up the process and leads to fewer errors. The result is greater operational efficiency and faster fulfilment to stores and customers.

Cloud WMS helps Sainsbury’s transform network

Posted on by David Priestman

Körber has partnered with UK supermarket chain Sainsbury’s, which also comprises general merchandise retailer Argos, to deliver K.Motion Warehouse Management System (WMS) to enable the transformation of its logistics and fulfilment networks.

In a rapidly changing business landscape, modern retailers need unified and effective warehouse management solutions to handle increasingly complex supply chains and meet evolving customer needs.

Sainsbury’s currently has a network comprising multiple legacy warehouse management solutions, which are often product type and channel specific. The implementation of the Körber WMS is a key part of the retailer’s transformation journey to a more integrated network, which will enable it to serve its stores and customers better.

The retail chain’s biggest challenge was finding a WMS adaptable enough to span the different requirements of the entire business. This encompasses multiple distribution and fulfilment centres, catering for differing product types across food, general merchandise and clothing. Additionally, temporary depots are used to provide greater capacity in the network at peak times in the year such as Christmas. Körber’s WMS met these requirements.

“Fulfilment centres in today’s business landscape need to run at peak efficiency, and solutions that seamlessly integrate processes and reduce complexity are the key to success,” says Anton du Preez, Executive Vice President EMEA Sales, Körber Supply Chain Software. “With our solution, we provide the agility to cater to Sainsbury’s vast network of stores and broad variety of products. This allows them to maximise fulfilment efficiency, ensuring customer satisfaction and further growth.”

The solution Körber and Sainsbury’s are co-developing will allow the retailer to make configuration changes within the system themselves. This will enable customisation to incorporate new processes unique to the business and industry and reduce lead time to change. Additionally, the software is hosted in the cloud, easily facilitating changes to the solution and deployment across multiple warehouses.

This provides Sainsbury’s with the flexibility to easily upgrade the existing configuration to new cloud hardware and leveraging the latest technologies, while changing software and database systems whenever needed to adapt to ever-changing business and customer needs.

Sainsbury’s has been a Körber customer for a number of years, benefitting from voice-directed warehouse operations and K.Sight CLASS warehouse simulation. One example of the latest technology in this regard is the Körber One Screen to Voice function for streamlined picking in the warehouse: instructions to pickers are delivered via voice commands – replacing the scan gun. This allows two-handed operations, speeds up the process and leads to fewer errors. The result is greater operational efficiency and faster fulfilment to stores and customers.

Edeka relies on Witron technology

Posted on by David Priestman

As part of its “Logistics 2030” optimisation campaign, Edeka Nord is again relying on the storage and picking systems of the general contractor Witron from Parkstein, Germany, for the design and implementation of the new regional warehouse in Neumünster.

With 26 latest-generation COM machines, the current largest German food distribution centre that is run by Witron’s OPM technology is being built in the state of Schleswig-Holstein. From mid-2025, Edeka’s DC will supply almost 700 stores of the Edeka Regionalgesellschaft Nord with more than 10,000 dry goods. Edeka Nord and Witron implemented a highly automated central warehouse in Zarrentin (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania) already in 2015, which was expanded in 2019.

“Our decision to invest in the OPM solution was based not only on economic aspects and workstation ergonomics but also on environmental factors such as CO2 savings in transportation thanks to efficiently packed load carriers for optimal trailer utilisation,” explained Uwe Schmidt, Project Contractor for “Logistics 2030” at Edeka Nord.

The facility with a size of 46,300 sq m includes a total of 70,050 pallet locations, 583,600 tray locations, and 67 highly dynamic stacker cranes. It is designed for a daily picking capacity of 365,750 cases. Most of the cases are stacked fully automatically onto pallets and roll containers by 26 COM machines – without errors and in a way that makes unloading and replenishing in stores easier and faster.

Bulky goods are picked by the logistics staff supported by the semi-automated Witron Car Picking system (CPS). Parallel picking of several orders onto one industrial truck is possible. The Witron Display Pallet Picking System (DPP) places half and quarter pallets fully automatically onto pallets and roll containers. An intelligent Witron IT platform ensures a holistic connection between all processes within the internal and external supply chain and thus guarantees high flexibility as well as process optimisation in real-time.

As already established at the six other automated Edeka and two NETTO sites throughout Germany, a Witron OnSite team will also be responsible for service and maintenance of all processes and system components in Neumünster.

 

Edeka relies on Witron technology

Posted on by David Priestman

As part of its “Logistics 2030” optimisation campaign, Edeka Nord is again relying on the storage and picking systems of the general contractor Witron from Parkstein, Germany, for the design and implementation of the new regional warehouse in Neumünster.

With 26 latest-generation COM machines, the current largest German food distribution centre that is run by Witron’s OPM technology is being built in the state of Schleswig-Holstein. From mid-2025, Edeka’s DC will supply almost 700 stores of the Edeka Regionalgesellschaft Nord with more than 10,000 dry goods. Edeka Nord and Witron implemented a highly automated central warehouse in Zarrentin (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania) already in 2015, which was expanded in 2019.

“Our decision to invest in the OPM solution was based not only on economic aspects and workstation ergonomics but also on environmental factors such as CO2 savings in transportation thanks to efficiently packed load carriers for optimal trailer utilisation,” explained Uwe Schmidt, Project Contractor for “Logistics 2030” at Edeka Nord.

The facility with a size of 46,300 sq m includes a total of 70,050 pallet locations, 583,600 tray locations, and 67 highly dynamic stacker cranes. It is designed for a daily picking capacity of 365,750 cases. Most of the cases are stacked fully automatically onto pallets and roll containers by 26 COM machines – without errors and in a way that makes unloading and replenishing in stores easier and faster.

Bulky goods are picked by the logistics staff supported by the semi-automated Witron Car Picking system (CPS). Parallel picking of several orders onto one industrial truck is possible. The Witron Display Pallet Picking System (DPP) places half and quarter pallets fully automatically onto pallets and roll containers. An intelligent Witron IT platform ensures a holistic connection between all processes within the internal and external supply chain and thus guarantees high flexibility as well as process optimisation in real-time.

As already established at the six other automated Edeka and two NETTO sites throughout Germany, a Witron OnSite team will also be responsible for service and maintenance of all processes and system components in Neumünster.

 

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