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Day: 16 October 2024

Manhattan Showcases Latest Supply Chain Commerce Innovations

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Building on the theme, ‘Make the impossible, possible’, Manhattan Associates opened its annual EMEA Exchange event to an audience of more than 300 customers and press, with keynotes that introduced the European market to Manhattan Active® Supply Chain Planning and Generative AI solutions; Manhattan Active® Maven and Manhattan Assist.

“It is great to be back in Barcelona with a record number of supply chain and commerce professionals. Attending Exchange gives participants a unique opportunity to explore and interact with peers and get a first-hand look at the latest technologies shaping the future of supply chain and commerce,” commented Henri Seroux, senior vice president, Europe, Manhattan Associates.

“With real-world insights from customers including ba&sh, Yusen Logistics, Lacoste and Co-op, amongst others, in addition to cutting-edge technology discussions from Manhattan’s senior leaders, Eddie Capel and Brian Kinsella, there is something for everyone attending this year’s edition,” Seroux continued.

Highlights from the annual event included:

• Schneider Electric, the global leader in energy management and automation, explained how it plans to make its supply chain a competitive differentiator through the unification of its warehouse and transportation functions with Manhattan.
• Bestseller, one of Europe’s leading fashion companies, showcased how it is transforming its supply chain through a strategic partnership with Manhattan. The company highlighted the challenges faced, the need for change, and the collaborative approach taken to implement Manhattan Active Supply Chain.
• L’Oréal described the final stages of its Manhattan deployment and shared how it is leveraging Manhattan Active® Warehouse Management’s full potential to optimise operations and integrate seamlessly into the data-driven world of Beauty Tech
• Kramp, the leading supplier of spare parts in Europe’s agricultural space, guided the audience through the pivotal role Manhattan Active® Omni is playing in its digital transformation journey.
• The introduction of Manhattan Active Supply Chain Planning completes the company’s vision of a truly unified supply chain ecosystem, while Manhattan Active Maven and Manhattan Assist harness the power of GenAI to deliver new levels of customer experience, personalization, productivity, and cost-savings.

Seroux finished: “These latest solutions underline that Manhattan is not just closing the gaps in supply chain commerce, it’s delivering the vision of a unified supply chain, raising the bar for the whole industry and reaffirming a reputation for innovation spanning more than three decades.”

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AI Accelerates Service Performance

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) software provider IFS Ultimo has integrated AI functionality into its next-generation EAM platform to enhance troubleshooting, and enable organisations to reduce the mean time to repair (M5TTR) of their assets. By leveraging AI, EAM toolsets will be more intuitive, accessible and predictive, therefore driving unprecedented efficiency and effectiveness in asset management practices. The new AI features were unveiled on Wednesday, October 16th at the IFS Unleashed event in Orlando, Florida, USA.

“AI will take EAM to the next level. Our vision for AI is to focus on real world use cases,” says Chris van den Belt, Head of Product Management, IFS Ultimo. “When considering what AI to integrate into our platform, we are only embedding features which will add significant value for our customers and improve their user experience. Infusing our EAM platform with AI functionalities will radically improve employee productivity and maximise asset availability.”

Many AI technologies are geared towards predicting and preventing failures and incidents. However, for the majority of organisations, these technologies are more of a long-term goal than a short-term reality. Reactive maintenance will continue to feature prominently in most organisation’s maintenance strategies. With this in mind, IFS Ultimo has made the conscious decision to harness the powers of AI to significantly reduce time spent on reactive maintenance. Realising these short-term benefits starting today puts long-term objectives within arm’s reach.

Minimising Downtime

It is estimated that 80% of time in MTTR is spent on diagnosing a problem. The biggest chunk of time wasted is due to a lack of communication and detail in failure reports. With Ultimo’s built-in AI capabilities, organisations can realise tremendous value with each percentage point reduction in MTTR. This is not ‘chump change’: the average cost of downtime in manufacturing often exceeds $100K per hour. Beyond the clear financial stakes, the productivity impact is also profound, especially in an industry where skilled labour is already hard to come by. Furthermore, the immense increase in overall data quality unlocks a wide array of new and exciting possibilities for achieving operational excellence.

The newly integrated AI functionality provides better quality of failure reporting. Having to spend less time on diagnosing a problem means skilled employees will benefit from increased wrench time, increased asset availability, reduced admin time, improved collaboration and improved employee satisfaction.

More Accurate Failure Reports

Front line workers spend the majority of their working day close to the assets they know so well. Any changes to the way these assets look, sound, smell or feel will not pass them by. Using a large language model (LLM), Ultimo detects the asset in question and provides a series of tailored suggestions that the reporter can easily add to the failure report without having to type. In doing so, all of the sensory observations are captured on the report accurately, providing maintenance teams with complete and accurate information to quickly solve the issue and increase asset availability and reliability.

This same approach will be used elsewhere in Ultimo to empower the faster resolution of diagnosed issues and enhance the accuracy of completed work activities registered in the system. The overall benefits include a substantial reduction of time spent on administration, severe improvements to data quality and a boost to employee satisfaction. Furthermore, Ultimo is working on integrated AI features that will greatly improve user experience, such as photo-based meter readings, auto-generated image and document captions and auto-translated multi-lingual data.

Van den Belt concludes: “We are dedicated to developing our products to help users do their jobs more easily with our best-of-breed EAM software. AI has the capability to enhance EAM in future-ready and efficient ways – empowering employees, improving asset performance, and reducing costs. We are very excited to bring these new AI functionalities to our customers while making sure all relevant data protection is in place.”

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3 Essential Strategies to Face Peak Season in a Sustainable Way

Posted on by David Priestman

As peak season approaches, logistics professionals encounter a unique set of challenges: managing increased volumes, meeting tighter deadlines, and avoiding costly downtimes, all while upholding sustainability commitments. The pressure can be immense, particularly when infrastructure is stretched to its limits. However, with a strategic approach, thriving during this critical period without compromising sustainability is entirely achievable.

The balancing act: efficiency and sustainability

Peak season often presents a delicate balancing act between speed and environmental responsibility. For many logistics facilities, heightened demand necessitates ramped-up operations, leading to increased energy consumption and resource strain.

Continuous warehouse operations escalate wear on equipment, raise maintenance costs, and amplify electricity use for conveyor systems. Many professionals may find themselves asking: How is it possible to maintain efficiency without sacrificing sustainability?

3 key areas to enhance sustainable peak season performance

Reducing downtime with smart equipment choices

Unplanned downtime is the adversary of peak season success. Equipment breakdowns or excessive maintenance disrupt operations, causing delays and escalating costs. A sustainable solution starts with durable, low-maintenance equipment that can minimize interruptions. For example, Ammeral Beltech Ziplink™ belts are engineered to reduce maintenance needs and can be installed quickly, even under high-pressure conditions. This allows warehouses to continue operating efficiently with minimal interruptions, enhancing productivity and reducing resource waste, all of which aligns with sustainability objectives.

Minimising energy usage with high-efficiency solutions

Facing Peak Season Sustainably

Energy consumption surges during peak season, especially in high-speed logistics environments. Many warehouses struggle to meet demands without incurring substantial energy bills and increasing their carbon footprint. High-performance conveyor solutions like Ammeral Beltech RAPPLON® high-performance flat belts and heavy-duty roller drives are designed to address this challenge by delivering maximum performance with minimal energy use. These belts, with their wear-resistant polyurethane cover and flexibility, help support accumulation and ensure low energy consumption, even in challenging conditions such as wide temperature variations and heavy loads. Their efficient splicing process also contributes to reliability and reduced downtime, making them an ideal choice when energy efficiency is critical.

Streamlining resources for maximum output

Peak season is an opportunity to reassess resource utilization. Are the materials durable enough to withstand intense demand? Are processes optimized to enhance performance while reducing waste? By minimizing maintenance needs and ensuring easy replacement of key components, like Ziplink™ and RAPPLON® belts, companies can significantly reduce material waste, lowering both costs and their environmental impact. These logistics solutions are designed to handle heavy use while maintaining optimal performance, supporting a more sustainable approach to peak season demands.

Looking beyond the season: Preparing for long-term sustainability

For logistics professionals, peak season may be the most challenging time of year. By investing in energy-efficient, low-maintenance systems like Ziplink™ and RAPPLON® belts, companies can prepare for future demands while simultaneously reducing their overall carbon footprint, ensuring sustainability goals are met year-round.

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