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Month: October 2024

Mapping and Routing Technology can Elevate Logistics Operations

Posted on by David Priestman

With peak season rapidly approaching, logistics companies are once again preparing for the busiest time of the year. Typically, the rush leading up to Black Friday, Christmas, and Boxing Day sales means a surge in demand, with consumers snapping up deals and bagging a bargain. However, the peak period has slowly started to extend beyond the usual end of year rush, and logistics companies are being forced to scale up their operations sooner than ever before.

As a result, businesses will hire additional staff over the next few months, ranging from warehouse workers to drivers, to handle the increased volume. However, blindly adding more staff is no longer the answer – or in some cases, due to the driver shortages, even harder to do anymore. Now, having the right technology in place early is essential to deliver a flawless service during this critical period.

Andrew Nowell, Sales Director at Trimble, believes that in a season where every minute counts and consumer expectations are at an all-time high, commercial mapping and routing technology can support logistics companies by staying ahead of the curve and delivering a 10/10 service when it matters most.

Fail to Prepare Then Prepare to Fail

Unlike five years ago, when planning for peak season involved the use of manual tools and guesswork, today’s data-driven insights allow companies to forecast with confidence what Q4 will look like. When it comes to last-mile delivery, mapping and route planning technology is specifically designed for fleets and commercial vehicles, offering historical data and strategic and operational strategies to create precise plans ahead of time. Ultimately, this technology allows logistics businesses to optimise delivery routes, ensure the best utilisation of the fleet, and maintain driver retention, which is key in an industry where every parcel company is competing for additional peak season drivers.

Boosting the Onboarding Process

Commercial mapping and routing technology can be a game-changer for peak season drivers. For example, with companies onboarding seasonal specific or inexperienced drivers who are unfamiliar with routes, advanced mapping tools can really simplify the process, making a new driver’s day-to-day a lot less stressful. The reason for this is that these tools enable new drivers to confidently navigate unknown areas by providing them with optimised routes and historical traffic data.

This means that even someone unfamiliar with a route can be handed a van loaded with parcels, and they would be able to successfully complete their deliveries. This capability not only helps the drivers ease into their new job, but also improves their efficiency. Without this technology, logistics businesses’ would ordinarily have to assign fewer parcels and avoid late-night routes for inexperienced drivers in order to make the learning curve less daunting. However, with smart mapping technology helping to integrate staff into a business’s delivery ranks seamlessly, companies gain the ability to onboard new recruits in days rather than the weeks or months it traditionally takes – which is crucial during the peak season when time is of the essence.

Boosting Employee Retention

Due to the fact that many seasonal delivery drivers are paid per stop, meaning their income directly correlates to how efficiently they can complete their deliveries, route optimisation not only beneficial for the company but also for the drivers themselves. Ultimately, this can significantly reduce the number of stops a driver can make in a day, impacting their earnings and overall job satisfaction. By reducing unnecessary driving and time spent in traffic, drivers can increase their per-day earnings while also reducing the stress that comes with inefficient routing.

It’s clear that advanced mapping and routing technology presents a solution that extends beyond simply managing increased demand. With features like data-driven route optimisation, historical traffic insights, and strategic planning, logistics businesses can deliver an efficient service when it matters most. Not only can businesses onboard new employees and get them up to speed faster, but it will also enhance the experience for both seasoned and seasonal employees. In a competitive environment where the peak season stretches beyond traditional boundaries, embracing mapping technology is essential to stay ahead of the curve.

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Costa Coffee Selects Global EDI

Posted on by David Priestman

TrueCommerce, a global provider of supply chain and trading partner connectivity, integration, and omnichannel solutions, has been selected by Costa Coffee, one of Europe’s leading coffee chains, to spearhead their global EDI expansion. TrueCommerce will support Costa Coffee’s ambitious growth plans by providing unified EDI integration and enhancing operational agility.

Costa Coffee has a vast and growing presence with more than 3,000 establishments spread across the continent. The company’s decision to partner with TrueCommerce highlights their commitment to optimising operations and enhancing their global supply chain capabilities. The chain is now employing TrueCommerce’s fully managed EDI solution to refine its operations. This solution will seamlessly integrate with Costa’s existing ERP system, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations, making it an ideal match for the company’s extensive EDI needs.

Given its expansive network, a solution capable of adapting to its rapid growth and evolving requirements was required. Keith Patterson, Global Enterprise Architect at Costa Coffee highlights, “In addition to the scalability and reliability demands of our ever-growing organisation, we were concerned with future-proofing our trading partner connectivity. The EDI platform provided by TrueCommerce will ensure we are well-prepared for ongoing growth during this exciting period for our business.”

Matthew Wilcock, Senior Vice President, Sales, Europe at TrueCommerce, emphasises the partnership’s value: “Our collaboration with Costa Coffee is aimed at enhancing scalability, reducing risk, and accelerating growth. By leveraging our advanced EDI solutions, Costa Coffee will benefit from improved operational efficiency and reduced technical burdens, enabling them to focus on expanding their market presence with agility.”

TrueCommerce is set to deliver vital support for maintaining high standards and achieving international goals. The solution ensures EDI compliance and fosters better interactions with customers, suppliers, and logistics providers.

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Nulogy Acquisition of Mingo Smart Factory

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Nulogy, a provider of manufacturing supply chain solutions, has announced its strategic acquisition of Mingo Smart Factory, a leader in manufacturing productivity technology. Mingo Smart Factory, which offers real-time visibility into machine throughput and efficiency on the factory floor, will significantly complement Nulogy’s bespoke capabilities for external manufacturing partners such as FMCG brands, co-packers, contract manufacturers, and value-added logistics providers.

Mingo Smart Factory has established itself as an innovator in real-time manufacturing analytics, offering powerful tools that enable manufacturers to optimise operations, reduce waste, and enhance overall productivity. Mingo’s smart factory solution is transforming manufacturing by providing an end-to-end solution, from sensors to data collection to analytics, delivering scalable, real-time insights into factory floor productivity. By integrating Mingo’s advanced technology and expertise with Nulogy’s existing solutions, Nulogy will be able to offer its customers a more comprehensive and robust suite of tools to optimise their manufacturing operations, empowering them to respond to market changes with agility and precision.

“At Nulogy, we are committed to equipping brand manufacturing supply networks across the globe with the latest technology required to collaborate effectively with partners and streamline workflows for greater agility and success,” says Jason Tham, CEO and co-founder of Nulogy. “Our acquisition of Mingo Smart Factory introduces additional innovation for our customers and will enable a wider range of manufacturing operations to harness the power of their data for a more automated, sustainable, and resilient external supply chain.”

“Mingo Smart Factory and Nulogy share a common vision of digitally empowering manufacturers with the data and systems they need to be smart, agile, and efficient in today’s market,” says Bryan Sapot, CEO of Mingo Smart Factory. “Our combined capabilities will provide external manufacturing supply chains with a premier platform purpose-built for their success.”

Nulogy is a purpose-built, multi-enterprise collaboration platform for the extended supply chain, digitally enabling brand manufacturers and their external supplier networks to collaborate seamlessly on a centralised, data-driven, AI-enabled solution. Nulogy’s solutions are deployed within the supply networks of global FMCG leaders such as L’Oréal, Colgate-Palmolive, and Church & Dwight, as well as at hundreds of supplier sites worldwide.

The acquisition of Mingo propels Nulogy’s vision to become the definitive leader in digital transformation solutions for external manufacturing operations and the extended supply chain. Together, Mingo and Nulogy will offer customers even more powerful tools to enhance productivity, reduce waste, and optimise manufacturing operations.

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Dexory Secures Funding to Drive Global Expansion Goals

Posted on by David Priestman

Dexory, a leading robotics and data intelligence company, today announced it has successfully closed an $80 million Series B funding round. The round was led by DTCP, with participation from Latitude Ventures, Wave-X and Bootstrap Europe, along with existing investors Atomico, Lakestar, Capnamic and several angels from the logistics industry. As part of this investment, DTCP’s Michael Rager joins Dexory’s board of directors.

The new funding, made up of a mix of equity and growth debt, will support an expansion of their artificial intelligence (AI) powered features across the DexoryView platform, grow its global team and accelerate the deployment of its autonomous robots with customers like GXO, Maersk, DB Schenker and beyond. A significant focus continues to be on expanding across the US market, where Dexory is already live with customers in seven states. The Series B will also enhance development and production facilities at its UK headquarters.

With the close of the round, Dexory has now raised $120 million over the past three years. The company has demonstrated incredible growth since the first commercial launch of their autonomous warehouse robots and software platform for the logistics space only 18 months ago.

Dexory’s continued innovation of warehouse optimisation technology will ensure that the firm remains a leader in this space. It is setting new standards and unlocking new value for the warehouse of the future, as businesses continue to manage myriad challenges across their supply chains, amidst cost and service pressures.

The global logistics automation market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15% by 2030. The market size will reach around $90bn by 2030. Additionally, the market value for digital twin technologies is set to rise by a CAGR of 35.7% by 2030, representing a revenue forecast of $155.83bn. Dexory’s innovative solutions are ideally placed in the market to capitalise on the market trends, whilst ensuring warehouse and supply chain professionals can deliver exceptional accuracy and service levels for even the most high-paced and demanding of operations.

Dexory directly addresses the logistics market’s urgent need to maximise operating efficiencies across national and global networks. The company’s product, DexoryView, provides comprehensive real-time visibility across warehouses of any size through its autonomous mobile robots and AI. Through unique data sets generated from far-reaching sensor and image data, continuous scanning and the latest AI developments, Dexory unlocks new levels of optimization and seamless efficiency.

“We are incredibly excited about the momentum we’ve built over the past 18 months,” said Andrei Danescu, CEO and co-founder of Dexory. “DexoryView is proving to be an unrivalled technology for driving real digital transformation and delivering better business outcomes in the warehousing and supply chain industries. AI is clearly at the forefront of business leaders’ minds. With the quality of the data we are extracting and the powerful insights into operations that we generate, DexoryView will deliver commercial success for our customers and investors alike.”

“We are very impressed by the progress Dexory has made in transforming warehouse operations with its cutting-edge technology,” said Michael Rager, Partner – Growth Equity at DTCP and board member at Dexory. “The company is perfectly positioned at the intersection of our investment thesis on digitisation and automation. Its ability to capture detailed, actionable data from physical spaces and integrate it seamlessly into the supply chain is impressive. We are confident in its vision and excited to support their product innovation and expansion into global markets.”

Dexory’s platform is already making a significant impact in leading distribution companies such as GXO, Unipart, Yusen Logistics, as well as manufacturing players such as GE Appliances and Denso. By providing 360-degree visibility into warehouse operations, DexoryView enhances inventory management and operational decision making. The platform’s capability to perform rapid warehouse scans and create digital twins of warehouse spaces allows for optimised performance and future scenario simulations. Organisations such as DB Schenker have been able to increase their inventory accuracy by 6% and maintain it daily, whereas businesses like ID Logistics have been able to reduce manual inventory investigations by 41% in just two months to free up valuable time for other critical tasks.

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Innovative Drive Technology for AGVs

Posted on by David Priestman

With the increasing employment of AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicle) in factories and warehouses, there are great opportunities for companies that can develop and supply technology relevant into this developing market.

One area of key importance is the motive power source employed to drive these vehicles. In addition to delivering the power required the drive units must be compact and as efficient as possible in order to maximise battery life. Typically, they must have a low floor clearance profile to maximise use of headroom for loads whilst also minimising the space required within the AGV to accommodate them so load capacity is optimised.

An example of such technology is the ‘Smartris’ drive unit from Lafert, which is equally suitable for tow vehicles, assembly line trucks and mobile robots to mention just a few of its potential applications. Two ranges are available currently, the ECO Line and PRO Line to give an extended range of performances to match specific end user requirements.

The Lafert Smartris is a compact, battery-powered unit comprising a Cycloid Gearbox, Servo Motor, Drive and Wheel with rubber tyre. It features a gear in-wheel design that provides low floor levels demanded to help maximise an AGV’s space and load carrying potential.

Overall dimensions of the Smartris from the smallest to the largest units are 110 to 196mm (flange) and 249 to 309mm total length. Motor only lengths are 157 to 196mm. Payload capacities of the existing systems range from 800 up to 2,700Kg. Nominal wheel torques go from 16 to 87.5Nm with speeds to 2m/second and accelerations of 1.0m/s2.

Application flexibility for AGVs is offered thanks to various mounting options – including shaft rotation and frame rotation. Consequently, it is easier to incorporate into a vehicle’s design. In addition, there is a wide range of load capacity options to further extend the systems potential applications.

Another advantage of the Lafert Smartris is the fact all the major components – including the Gear, Servo Motor and Drive – are produced by companies within the Sumitomo Group.

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HVO Fuel Trial to Reduce Carbon Emissions

Posted on by David Priestman

As part of their long-standing relationship, Suttons Tankers and Nippon Gases UKI, part of Nippon Sanso Holdings Corporation have embarked on a three-month Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) trial. This collaboration aims to reduce carbon emissions within Nippon Gases’ logistics operations.

Last year, Suttons Tankers trialled HVO fuel across a selection of its fleet, achieving an 80% reduction in carbon emissions. Building on this experience, Suttons Tankers and Nippon Gases UKI are now working together to understand the potential benefits of HVO in their operations.

HVO is a renewable fuel made from used cooking oil and waste feedstocks, offering up to a 90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to traditional diesel. Suttons is using HVO certified by Zemo Partnership, with the sustainability of the feedstocks and supply chain certified by the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC).

During the trial, a selected fleet of Suttons Tankers’ vehicles based in Stockton and dedicated to Nippon Gases will operate on a blend of HVO, with performance data being gathered to assess the impact on fuel efficiency and emissions reduction. The first month of the trial with Nippon Gases has already resulted in an emission reduction of 87 tonnes.

Rajat Bhardwaj, ESG Manager at Suttons Tankers Limited, commented: “This trial builds on our previous success with HVO, and we are eager to see how it continues to reduce emissions. The initial results are promising, and we’re committed to finding sustainable solutions for our customers.”

Joanne Rawlinson, Supply Chain Manager at Nippon Gases UKI, added: “We are thrilled to partner with Suttons Tankers on this HVO fuel trial. This initiative aligns perfectly with our commitment to sustainability and reducing our carbon footprint. The early results are encouraging, and we look forward to exploring the long-term benefits of HVO fuel in our entire logistics operations.”

Nippon Gases and Suttons Tankers recognise their responsibility to a sustainable future and are committed to exploring innovative solutions that contribute to reducing environmental impact. The trial’s outcomes will inform the potential for a wider roll-out of HVO across Suttons Tankers’ Nippon Gases fleet, contributing to long-term sustainability goals.

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Boost RFID Ecosystems in Distribution Centres

Posted on by David Priestman

In a business environment where accuracy and efficiency are crucial, data loss, unexpected downtime and the need for on-site visits to upgrade software are challenges in distribution centres.
Clustag has launched ZENTUP, an innovative solution that transforms the way companies manage their RFID ecosystems by offering a comprehensive tool connected to any enterprise management system.

ZENTUP allows users to manage all RFID devices installed in multiple locations from a single platform. According to Manolo Reguart, Director of Strategy and Business Development at Clustag, “ZENTUP offers complete visibility into the RFID ecosystem, allowing companies to manage their operations with unprecedented accuracy.”

This solution not only centralizes real-time monitoring and control of device status and activity, but also makes it easy to assign specific tasks and record detailed traceability of operations. Users can monitor connections, device status and activity in real time, direct RFID devices for specific operations, log activity and traceability of solutions, says Reguart.

One of the highlights of ZENTUP is its ability to manage customized data efficiently. Developed in collaboration with renowned global brands, the platform has been designed to optimize data import, processing and export, ensuring optimal performance and high scalability. “This pioneering technology release has already been validated as integrable, flexible and scalable software, in order to guarantee a return on investment,” assures Reguart.

ZENTUP’s ability to identify and manage alerts on RFID devices remotely is another of its strengths. By detecting potential problems early, the platform enables users to significantly reduce downtime and avoid data loss, which translates into a considerable improvement in operational efficiency.

For Reguart, RFID plays an “incredibly important” role within the supply chain. It is capable of tracking products at item-level throughout a company’s operations. “Fundamental to achieving high levels of inventory accuracy that minimize waste and optimize efficiency,” he points out.

ZENTUP is a powerful solution for companies faced with the complexity of managing multiple RFID devices in different locations. By offering remote monitoring and management, ZENTUP not only reduces the need for costly on-site interventions, but also ensures that RFID systems are always up-to-date and operational. Clustag has not only launched an innovative tool, but has set a milestone in RFID ecosystem management, allowing companies to focus on what really matters: making their business more efficient and competitive.

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Polish Prime Logistics Hub Sold

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Kajima Europe, a pan-European real asset investor, developer, and manager with £10bn AUM, has successfully completed the sale of it’s prime logistics scheme in Zgorzelec, Poland. The asset was held in JV with Panattoni and sold to Arete Investment Group.

Strategically located next to the German border along the A4 highway, this state-of-the-art facility provides unparalleled access to Germany, Europe’s largest economy, and key consumer markets across Central Europe. Split across two buildings totalling 65,000 SQM, the logistics hub currently houses two institutional tenants in the global logistics and healthcare equipment sectors on long-term leases, highlighting the hub’s strategic positioning in serving businesses’ supply chain needs in the region.

Polish Prime Logistics Hub

Positioned between Prague, Wroclaw, and Dresden, it offers excellent connectivity for goods transport. The A4 corridor, linking Zgorzelec to the rail terminal in Kodersdorf and Leipzig Airport, Germany’s second-largest airfreight hub, reinforces its role as a crucial European logistics centre.

The facility’s BREEAM Excellent certification highlights Kajima Properties’ commitment to sustainability on all of its development projects across Europe.

Jan Trybulski, Investment Director and Head of Poland, said: “The Zgorzelec scheme is an example of a high-end, sustainable warehouse developed in a strategic location in Poland. The sale of this scheme demonstrates liquidity in the Polish market and shows demand for high quality logistics is strong despite more challenging economic environment.”

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