Coles Liquor automates supply chain with Relex

Australian retailer Coles Liquor has partnered with Relex Solutions to implement its Living Retail platform across its 931 stores.

The Relex solution will service Coles Liquor’s Liquorland, First Choice Liquor Market and Vintage Cellars stores as well as five distribution centres throughout Australia, driving improved availability for Coles Liquor customers through supply chain planning and AI driven replenishment.

Relex’s AI-based supply chain planning provides multi-channel inventory visibility and long-term planning horizons, to support better availability.

“Relex has a proven track record of helping retailers master the intricacies of each retail category’s specific inventory management needs,” says Coles Liquor General Manager Transformation and Supply Chain, Genevieve Hawkins.

“This is an exciting and important investment for Coles Liquor, which will materially improve our ability to have the right stock in the right place for suppliers, shops and customers.

“It will drive greater operational efficiency across our business and is a key element of our strategic drive to be a truly omnichannel business.”

“We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Coles with this expansion into Coles Liquor – I’m confident that we will provide value to Coles Liquor today and into the future,” says Mikko Kärkkäinen, CEO at Relex Solutions.

“This also marks an important step in our continued Australia expansion, and we are excited to strengthen our presence in Australia even further this year.”

Coles Liquor automates supply chain with Relex

Australian retailer Coles Liquor has partnered with Relex Solutions to implement its Living Retail platform across its 931 stores.

The Relex solution will service Coles Liquor’s Liquorland, First Choice Liquor Market and Vintage Cellars stores as well as five distribution centres throughout Australia, driving improved availability for Coles Liquor customers through supply chain planning and AI driven replenishment.

Relex’s AI-based supply chain planning provides multi-channel inventory visibility and long-term planning horizons, to support better availability.

“Relex has a proven track record of helping retailers master the intricacies of each retail category’s specific inventory management needs,” says Coles Liquor General Manager Transformation and Supply Chain, Genevieve Hawkins.

“This is an exciting and important investment for Coles Liquor, which will materially improve our ability to have the right stock in the right place for suppliers, shops and customers.

“It will drive greater operational efficiency across our business and is a key element of our strategic drive to be a truly omnichannel business.”

“We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Coles with this expansion into Coles Liquor – I’m confident that we will provide value to Coles Liquor today and into the future,” says Mikko Kärkkäinen, CEO at Relex Solutions.

“This also marks an important step in our continued Australia expansion, and we are excited to strengthen our presence in Australia even further this year.”

TIP acquires Ryder‘s trailer business

TIP Trailer Services, a portfolio company of I Squared Capital and one of the leading trailer leasing, rental, maintenance and repair providers across Europe and Canada, has signed a deal to acquire the trailer leasing and maintenance business of Ryder Ltd. Ryder Ltd is a leading provider of commercial vehicle rental, contract hire, maintenance, and dedicated delivery solutions in the UK.

TIP will integrate Ryder assets and contracts from its mobile maintenance services division into its existing business in the UK, enriching its fleet with around 3,550 additional trailers and expanding the number of workshops in the UK to 18, which will now include a site in Lichfield and two parking locations in Shepshed and Manchester. The completion of the transaction is expected to take place in June 2022.

Announcing details of this latest acquisition, Bob Fast, TIP President and CEO, said: “Acquiring the trailer leasing and maintenance business of Ryder Ltd is another key milestone in our growth path. It increases our UK & Ireland footprint, allowing us to improve service offering and infrastructure in areas where we have gaps today. It will increase our service offering to customers, expand and diversify our customer base in the UK.”

David Hunt, Vice President & Managing Director – FMS Europe, Ryder Ltd, adds: “With TIP we have found a great partner to guarantee a successful future for the mobile maintenance services part of our business. The acquisition will ensure continuation of the business, no disruption to customers and business partners along with providing 133 Ryder UK employees with continuity of employment.”

“Over the next months, both companies will work on the fleet integration to manage a smooth transition with customers and suppliers,” says Michael Furnival, TIP Vice President UK and Ireland Region. “A significant portion of the Ryder Ltd mobile maintenance services employee base are mobile technicians which will be a great addition to TIP’s maintenance and repair business. We are delighted to welcome the mobile maintenance services staff of Ryder UK into the TIP family.”

TIP acquires Ryder‘s trailer business

TIP Trailer Services, a portfolio company of I Squared Capital and one of the leading trailer leasing, rental, maintenance and repair providers across Europe and Canada, has signed a deal to acquire the trailer leasing and maintenance business of Ryder Ltd. Ryder Ltd is a leading provider of commercial vehicle rental, contract hire, maintenance, and dedicated delivery solutions in the UK.

TIP will integrate Ryder assets and contracts from its mobile maintenance services division into its existing business in the UK, enriching its fleet with around 3,550 additional trailers and expanding the number of workshops in the UK to 18, which will now include a site in Lichfield and two parking locations in Shepshed and Manchester. The completion of the transaction is expected to take place in June 2022.

Announcing details of this latest acquisition, Bob Fast, TIP President and CEO, said: “Acquiring the trailer leasing and maintenance business of Ryder Ltd is another key milestone in our growth path. It increases our UK & Ireland footprint, allowing us to improve service offering and infrastructure in areas where we have gaps today. It will increase our service offering to customers, expand and diversify our customer base in the UK.”

David Hunt, Vice President & Managing Director – FMS Europe, Ryder Ltd, adds: “With TIP we have found a great partner to guarantee a successful future for the mobile maintenance services part of our business. The acquisition will ensure continuation of the business, no disruption to customers and business partners along with providing 133 Ryder UK employees with continuity of employment.”

“Over the next months, both companies will work on the fleet integration to manage a smooth transition with customers and suppliers,” says Michael Furnival, TIP Vice President UK and Ireland Region. “A significant portion of the Ryder Ltd mobile maintenance services employee base are mobile technicians which will be a great addition to TIP’s maintenance and repair business. We are delighted to welcome the mobile maintenance services staff of Ryder UK into the TIP family.”

Greater insight drives IoT adoption

Greater supply chain insight and improved cost efficiency are the top drivers behind IoT adoption among today’s transport businesses, recent research by Inmarsat, a world leader in global, mobile satellite communications, has revealed.

A significant proportion (71%) of transport respondents stated that greater supply chain insight is a key driver behind their adoption of IoT technologies, while cost efficiency (59%) and greater automation (53%) followed. Despite these benefits, many transport organisations continue to face several key barriers when deploying IoT – with a lack of in-house skills, a lack of turnkey/off-the-shelf solutions and security implications in the deployment phase (36%, 23% and 23%, respectively) chief among them.

Despite the accelerating speed of IoT adoption over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, improvements are still needed to draw the optimum benefits from the technology. Unreliable connectivity, inadequate data strategies, and a lack of skills are hampering many businesses’ ability to reap the rewards of IoT.

Around half of those seeking cost efficiencies or greater supply chain insight (51% and 48%, respectively) felt their investments met or surpassed their expectations – yet for those with a formal IoT strategy in place, these figures were notably higher, at 81% and 65% respectively.

Equally, a higher proportion of organisations not struggling with connectivity challenges also achieved greater cost efficiencies and greater supply chain insights (both 69%). Yet, 13% of transport organisations suffer from a lack of consistent and reliable connectivity post-deployment, hindering their ability to achieve the same.

The IoT skills barrier is also hampering transport organisations’ efforts to achieve their IoT ambitions. In those without a formal IoT strategy in place, this is particularly acute. A large proportion of this group continues to struggle due to a lack of in-house skills in their IoT projects, particularly post-deployment (55%). In organisations with a formal IoT strategy this reduced to 15%, showing they are better equipped with the skills needed to solve issues uncovered during IoT deployment.

Steven Tompkins, Director of Market Development at Inmarsat Enterprise, said: “It is promising to see that the transport industry sees the clear value in IoT to deliver transparent, real-time oversight of its supply chain as well as increasing operational efficiencies. Adoption of IoT technologies has huge potential to deliver these benefits, however both investing in the right connectivity mix and having fit for purpose data management strategies in place is crucial to be able to acquire data in a timely manner and get it into the hands of the right decision makers for best effect.”

Commenting on the findings, Mike Carter, President of Inmarsat Enterprise, said: “The efficiency gains and cost savings IoT can deliver, in addition to the benefits of greater supply chain insight, paints a clear picture as to why most organisations are pursuing IoT. But to get the optimum benefits from their IoT deployments, organisations must ensure they have all the right skillsets and connectivity requirements in place. The research shows that organisations struggling to implement the right connectivity strategies are lagging behind their peers, and those with a formal IoT strategy are better placed to reap the benefits of optimised and more sustainable operations.

“We can see that too many businesses still struggle to deploy IoT projects due to unreliable, insecure, or poor connectivity. This is where satellite IoT connectivity can play a key role. Some of the most valuable data often hails from the hardest to reach places, so investing in effective collection, storage and analysis of that data is crucial to successful IoT strategies.

Inmarsat ELERA, our industry-leading narrowband network, is ideally suited to the rapidly evolving world of IoT. The billions of devices being connected every year are benefitting from global reach, extraordinary resilience, and the fastest speeds, along with the smallest, lowest-cost terminals in their class. ELERA is inspiring new possibilities and enabling organisations from all sectors to access IoT anywhere. It will be a catalyst for the next wave of world-changing technologies, so organisations looking to accelerate their IoT deployments need look no further than Inmarsat and our global partner ecosystem – the widest of any satellite provider – to solve their IoT connectivity needs.”

As part of the research, Inmarsat is also offering businesses the opportunity to measure their IoT readiness versus the respondents in the survey, using a free IoT maturity tool.

CLICK HERE to use the IoT Maturity tool and download the full report – Industrial IoT in the Time of Covid-19.

Greater insight drives IoT adoption

Greater supply chain insight and improved cost efficiency are the top drivers behind IoT adoption among today’s transport businesses, recent research by Inmarsat, a world leader in global, mobile satellite communications, has revealed.

A significant proportion (71%) of transport respondents stated that greater supply chain insight is a key driver behind their adoption of IoT technologies, while cost efficiency (59%) and greater automation (53%) followed. Despite these benefits, many transport organisations continue to face several key barriers when deploying IoT – with a lack of in-house skills, a lack of turnkey/off-the-shelf solutions and security implications in the deployment phase (36%, 23% and 23%, respectively) chief among them.

Despite the accelerating speed of IoT adoption over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, improvements are still needed to draw the optimum benefits from the technology. Unreliable connectivity, inadequate data strategies, and a lack of skills are hampering many businesses’ ability to reap the rewards of IoT.

Around half of those seeking cost efficiencies or greater supply chain insight (51% and 48%, respectively) felt their investments met or surpassed their expectations – yet for those with a formal IoT strategy in place, these figures were notably higher, at 81% and 65% respectively.

Equally, a higher proportion of organisations not struggling with connectivity challenges also achieved greater cost efficiencies and greater supply chain insights (both 69%). Yet, 13% of transport organisations suffer from a lack of consistent and reliable connectivity post-deployment, hindering their ability to achieve the same.

The IoT skills barrier is also hampering transport organisations’ efforts to achieve their IoT ambitions. In those without a formal IoT strategy in place, this is particularly acute. A large proportion of this group continues to struggle due to a lack of in-house skills in their IoT projects, particularly post-deployment (55%). In organisations with a formal IoT strategy this reduced to 15%, showing they are better equipped with the skills needed to solve issues uncovered during IoT deployment.

Steven Tompkins, Director of Market Development at Inmarsat Enterprise, said: “It is promising to see that the transport industry sees the clear value in IoT to deliver transparent, real-time oversight of its supply chain as well as increasing operational efficiencies. Adoption of IoT technologies has huge potential to deliver these benefits, however both investing in the right connectivity mix and having fit for purpose data management strategies in place is crucial to be able to acquire data in a timely manner and get it into the hands of the right decision makers for best effect.”

Commenting on the findings, Mike Carter, President of Inmarsat Enterprise, said: “The efficiency gains and cost savings IoT can deliver, in addition to the benefits of greater supply chain insight, paints a clear picture as to why most organisations are pursuing IoT. But to get the optimum benefits from their IoT deployments, organisations must ensure they have all the right skillsets and connectivity requirements in place. The research shows that organisations struggling to implement the right connectivity strategies are lagging behind their peers, and those with a formal IoT strategy are better placed to reap the benefits of optimised and more sustainable operations.

“We can see that too many businesses still struggle to deploy IoT projects due to unreliable, insecure, or poor connectivity. This is where satellite IoT connectivity can play a key role. Some of the most valuable data often hails from the hardest to reach places, so investing in effective collection, storage and analysis of that data is crucial to successful IoT strategies.

Inmarsat ELERA, our industry-leading narrowband network, is ideally suited to the rapidly evolving world of IoT. The billions of devices being connected every year are benefitting from global reach, extraordinary resilience, and the fastest speeds, along with the smallest, lowest-cost terminals in their class. ELERA is inspiring new possibilities and enabling organisations from all sectors to access IoT anywhere. It will be a catalyst for the next wave of world-changing technologies, so organisations looking to accelerate their IoT deployments need look no further than Inmarsat and our global partner ecosystem – the widest of any satellite provider – to solve their IoT connectivity needs.”

As part of the research, Inmarsat is also offering businesses the opportunity to measure their IoT readiness versus the respondents in the survey, using a free IoT maturity tool.

CLICK HERE to use the IoT Maturity tool and download the full report – Industrial IoT in the Time of Covid-19.

Rite-Hite showcases safety solutions at Intralogistica

Rite-Hite, one of the leading manufacturers of loading bay and health and safety equipment, will showcase some highlights of its complete range of solutions for warehouse and logistics environments at Intralogistica Italia, Milan on 3rd-6th May 2022 (Pad.10 Stand C15-D20).

As an expert in loading bay safety solutions, Rite-Hite will display and demonstrate a range of its products that can be utilised inside, outside and around any loading bay environment, to ensure every angle is covered. These include its world-renowned Global Wheel-Lok (pictured), designed to secure any type of trailer to the loading bay, preventing well-known incidents such as vehicle creep and accidents caused by a vehicle leaving its bay too early. It will also demonstrate how the Global Wheel-Lok can be connected and integrated with its robust and versatile Dok-Guardian Safety Barrier to ensure full-time safe operation at the loading dock.

Also on the stand, Rite-Hite will showcase its intelligent LED warning Safe-T Signal system, which can be used to clearly detect and communicate traffic within a busy warehouse environment. It will also show its TS-2000 Trailer Stand, designed to fit most trailers that come into the loading dock with a static load capacity of 227kN, and its innovative Flex Neck LED Dock Lights, which offer enhanced flexibility when lighting a trailer or container at the loading dock.

Thorsten Mauritz, Marketing Manager (Europe) at Rite-Hite, says Rite-Hite is more than just a ‘products’ business: “We take a holistic approach with our clients and our leading range of solutions are proven to improve safety, security, productivity, energy savings and environmental control within any logistics environment.

“Italy is an important market for us, and Intralogistica provides the ideal opportunity for us to further connect with the market and meet with new and existing partners and customers to discuss their needs, and further grow our presence in the region.”

Rite-Hite showcases safety solutions at Intralogistica

Rite-Hite, one of the leading manufacturers of loading bay and health and safety equipment, will showcase some highlights of its complete range of solutions for warehouse and logistics environments at Intralogistica Italia, Milan on 3rd-6th May 2022 (Pad.10 Stand C15-D20).

As an expert in loading bay safety solutions, Rite-Hite will display and demonstrate a range of its products that can be utilised inside, outside and around any loading bay environment, to ensure every angle is covered. These include its world-renowned Global Wheel-Lok (pictured), designed to secure any type of trailer to the loading bay, preventing well-known incidents such as vehicle creep and accidents caused by a vehicle leaving its bay too early. It will also demonstrate how the Global Wheel-Lok can be connected and integrated with its robust and versatile Dok-Guardian Safety Barrier to ensure full-time safe operation at the loading dock.

Also on the stand, Rite-Hite will showcase its intelligent LED warning Safe-T Signal system, which can be used to clearly detect and communicate traffic within a busy warehouse environment. It will also show its TS-2000 Trailer Stand, designed to fit most trailers that come into the loading dock with a static load capacity of 227kN, and its innovative Flex Neck LED Dock Lights, which offer enhanced flexibility when lighting a trailer or container at the loading dock.

Thorsten Mauritz, Marketing Manager (Europe) at Rite-Hite, says Rite-Hite is more than just a ‘products’ business: “We take a holistic approach with our clients and our leading range of solutions are proven to improve safety, security, productivity, energy savings and environmental control within any logistics environment.

“Italy is an important market for us, and Intralogistica provides the ideal opportunity for us to further connect with the market and meet with new and existing partners and customers to discuss their needs, and further grow our presence in the region.”

Transportation costs drive regional divide

New research shows that business is feeling the effects of inflation, geopolitical tension, port congestion and transportation costs in dramatically different and regionally specific ways, with those in South America and Africa facing a more negative business outlook.

The study, conducted by Economist Impact, surveyed executive-level participants representing businesses in 26 major countries across the globe. The research was commissioned by DP World, global logistics company and a key participant in the World Logistics Passport.

In South America and Africa, executives have a more negative outlook on the impact of transportation costs on business outlook – even when compared to other developing countries.

For example, 42.5% and 49.5% of executives surveyed in South America and Africa respectively identified higher transport costs as the top limitation for increasing exports. This compared to 19.9% for those in China, 27.5% in India and 25% in the UAE.

Mahmood Al Bastaki, General Manager of the World Logistics Passport, said: “This new data tells us that different countries and regions are having remarkably different experiences of the same supply chain pressures. With export prospects for businesses in South America and Africa more likely to be impacted by rising transport costs, the private sector is in need of solutions that will help increase efficiencies and lower these costs to help ease inflationary pressures.”

Improvements in port and logistics infrastructure are cited as a key route to trade growth – for imports in particular. Nearly one in three (31.7%) business leaders across the identified markets indicated that improved port and logistics infrastructure are drivers of import growth.

Both hard and soft port and logistics infrastructure are part of this important driver of growth – with trade routes, technologies and streamlined partnerships being examples of soft infrastructure. For example, over half (55.7%) of executives said that their company had either implemented digital solutions to enable seamless movement through customs and border control in 2021 or planned to do so in 2022.

Improved customs processes have been shown to be important in helping speed the flow of goods and keep trade moving and reducing time-to-trade – therefore boosting cost efficiency.

And while the end of globalisation has been heralded as an expected consequence of geopolitical tensions between Washington and Beijing, the research revealed that companies are instead further diversifying their global trade networks rather than retrenching or regionalising – presenting opportunities for markets able to capitalise on diversifying procurement strategies.

Nearly one in two (47.9%) executives around the world are seeking more diversity of supplier base regardless of location, with approximately three in five executives (59.2%) saying that choosing suppliers and markets based on the lowest possibility of being caught in a geopolitical dispute is ‘absolutely critical’.

This has been a boon for economies such as WLP members Vietnam and Mexico, which even pre-pandemic had benefitted from increased diversification of manufacturing bases due to geopolitical tensions.

Al Bastaki continued: “Despite the headwinds out there for all to see, there are opportunities for countries to boost trade. In particular, these can be found through investment in trade solutions that help facilitate faster movement of goods, such as improved soft infrastructure and digital solutions.

“Additionally, countries that are part of growing trade networks and already have the soft infrastructure to service new markets will be in a better position to capitalise on the diversification of suppliers.”

Transportation costs drive regional divide

New research shows that business is feeling the effects of inflation, geopolitical tension, port congestion and transportation costs in dramatically different and regionally specific ways, with those in South America and Africa facing a more negative business outlook.

The study, conducted by Economist Impact, surveyed executive-level participants representing businesses in 26 major countries across the globe. The research was commissioned by DP World, global logistics company and a key participant in the World Logistics Passport.

In South America and Africa, executives have a more negative outlook on the impact of transportation costs on business outlook – even when compared to other developing countries.

For example, 42.5% and 49.5% of executives surveyed in South America and Africa respectively identified higher transport costs as the top limitation for increasing exports. This compared to 19.9% for those in China, 27.5% in India and 25% in the UAE.

Mahmood Al Bastaki, General Manager of the World Logistics Passport, said: “This new data tells us that different countries and regions are having remarkably different experiences of the same supply chain pressures. With export prospects for businesses in South America and Africa more likely to be impacted by rising transport costs, the private sector is in need of solutions that will help increase efficiencies and lower these costs to help ease inflationary pressures.”

Improvements in port and logistics infrastructure are cited as a key route to trade growth – for imports in particular. Nearly one in three (31.7%) business leaders across the identified markets indicated that improved port and logistics infrastructure are drivers of import growth.

Both hard and soft port and logistics infrastructure are part of this important driver of growth – with trade routes, technologies and streamlined partnerships being examples of soft infrastructure. For example, over half (55.7%) of executives said that their company had either implemented digital solutions to enable seamless movement through customs and border control in 2021 or planned to do so in 2022.

Improved customs processes have been shown to be important in helping speed the flow of goods and keep trade moving and reducing time-to-trade – therefore boosting cost efficiency.

And while the end of globalisation has been heralded as an expected consequence of geopolitical tensions between Washington and Beijing, the research revealed that companies are instead further diversifying their global trade networks rather than retrenching or regionalising – presenting opportunities for markets able to capitalise on diversifying procurement strategies.

Nearly one in two (47.9%) executives around the world are seeking more diversity of supplier base regardless of location, with approximately three in five executives (59.2%) saying that choosing suppliers and markets based on the lowest possibility of being caught in a geopolitical dispute is ‘absolutely critical’.

This has been a boon for economies such as WLP members Vietnam and Mexico, which even pre-pandemic had benefitted from increased diversification of manufacturing bases due to geopolitical tensions.

Al Bastaki continued: “Despite the headwinds out there for all to see, there are opportunities for countries to boost trade. In particular, these can be found through investment in trade solutions that help facilitate faster movement of goods, such as improved soft infrastructure and digital solutions.

“Additionally, countries that are part of growing trade networks and already have the soft infrastructure to service new markets will be in a better position to capitalise on the diversification of suppliers.”

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