Subscribe

Tag: IT

E2open and Shippeo expand partnership

Posted on by David Priestman

E2open Parent Holdings, Inc., the connected supply chain SaaS platform with the largest multi-enterprise network, and Shippeo, a global leader in real-time multimodal transportation visibility, have expanded their partnership to provide clients with a new level of native real-time transportation visibility (RTTV) and supply chain execution management in a unified global platform.

Building on the success of the companies’ strategic partnership announced in 2020, the newly expanded partnership unlocks additional value for clients by combining an unprecedented level of transportation visibility into e2open’s full range of supply chain planning and execution capabilities, for all modes and all geographies.

Beyond simply alerting shippers to a transportation delay, the platform enables users to “peer” inside the truck or container to understand the specific goods being moved, how transportation performance will impact the customer experience, and most importantly, proactively take the best corrective action. This level of control at global scale enables enterprises to improve efficiency, reduce waste, and operate more sustainably across even the most complex global supply chains.

“We are thrilled to take our partnership with Shippeo to the next level to increase value for our clients, with the broadest and deepest real-time transportation visibility made available natively in e2open’s connected supply chain platform,” said Pawan Joshi, executive vice president, products and strategy for e2open.

“Adding Shippeo’s visibility to e2open’s platform is a game-changer for the industry because it allows clients to remove data and decision silos, to drive efficiency and sustainability across the ecosystem of partners as they make, move, and sell products and services. Importantly, this expanded partnership creates shared value for shippers, carriers, and forwarders to foster a healthy, agile, and effective supply chain ecosystem.”

Shippeo’s unique carrier-first approach to real-time multimodal transportation visibility – honouring full compliance with global data management regulations, operating on a strict ‘need to know’ basis, and a commitment against developing freight matching solutions – has made it the RTTV of choice for carriers. This strategy has helped Shippeo earn the highest carrier onboarding satisfaction of 98% and has been the key to rapid expansion across geographies and modes.

In addition, timely access to high-quality data results in higher-fidelity visibility as well as better predictive results, using innovative artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) algorithms. As a result, Shippeo is the only provider to guarantee ETA accuracy with a formal service-level agreement (SLA).

“Our expanded partnership with e2open offers transformative value to customers who will have not only real-time data and visibility to goods in motion, but also the control to take relevant action on one connected  platform,” said Lucien Besse, chief operating officer and co-founder at Shippeo.

“Our relentless focus on customer experience, carrier satisfaction, and exceptional data quality has helped us carve out a leadership position in the global real-time shipment visibility market. This approach has led us to expand our partnership with e2open. Further combining our in-transit visibility data with e2open’s ability to plan and execute addresses the ‘now what?’ when exceptions occur, while proactively avoiding disruptions before they occur, all from one connected platform.”

Case study: How to manage multiple asset inspections

Posted on by David Priestman

A very large chemicals processer increased the efficiency of asset safety inspections with inspection templates and automated reporting using reliable Unitags and SafeTrak software.

A large chemical processing plant was keeping track of asset inspections on paper. With thousands of ladders, handrails and floor gratings on the list of assets that need regular safety inspection, the paper trail became exceedingly complex and time intensive to manage.

The plant was already using Unitag to communicate which assets were inspected, and deemed safe, or out of use. To keep employees safe and the facility compliant in an efficient way, a solution was needed to replace time-consuming handwritten inspection reports.

Solution: A digital asset inspection trail with SafeTrak

Scafftag proposed the SafeTrak software to replace the entire inspection paper trail with an online tool. All assets that need inspection can be set up in SafeTrak to make inspection planning and follow-up a lot more practical. Asset inspections can be planned at regular intervals, and to each type of asset a standard or custom inspection template can be linked.

In-house inspectors receive a notification on their ATEX-compliant handheld from SafeTrak and can start an asset inspection by scanning the asset’s RFID-enabled Multi-Tag from Scafftag. A pre-defined inspection template guides the inspectors in the field, and a report is shared automatically with stakeholders on inspection completion.

Assets are identified in the field with the RFID-enabled Unitag that can resist intensive cleaning processes. The tag’s RFID-chip can be programmed to link the actual field asset to its corresponding inspection history and asset details in SafeTrak.

To answer specific customer needs, Scafftag customised the flexible SafeTrak software in just three months. This enabled our customer to quickly and easily implement the solution in its existing inspection processes.

Results: Fast asset inspection and automated reporting

The chemicals processing plant can now inspect assets faster in a more accurate and easier way. More assets are inspected in a shorter time-span. Digital inspection reports are automatically generated and shared, and the time-consuming asset inspection paper trail is no longer needed.

CLICK HERE to discover a wide range of tools and equipment in the free guide.

Get ahead of the game with DIY Digital Implementation

Posted on by David Priestman

WMS technology innovator Synergy Logistics has produced a free and insightful guide on how its highly agile and configurable SnapFulfil WMS can be onboarded by customers themselves.

A tailored ‘Self Implementation’ programme provides step-by-step and hands-on guidance in project management and execution, to provide clients old and new with greater control, more independence and internal system expertise.

The guide introduces the six simple stages to successful self implementation – Initiation, Rules Configuration, End-to-End Testing, User Training and Verification, Go Live Preparation and Transition – which means customers have all the technical essentials in place for a seamless self-rollout across their DC estate.

It also illustrates how leading online Ag Tech company Farmers Business Network was able to increase its warehouse capacity quickly and cost effectively with the opening of 15 new DCs – in just a calendar year – across the American Midwest.

Synergy Logistics CEO, Tony Dobson, said: “We’re all about speed-to-value partnerships and being able to scale with our customers and be flexible to meet all of the demands of their business and rapidly changing market demands. Self-implementation empowers customers to handle their own multi-site rollouts – saving valuable time, money and resource – and develop more sustainable business models.”

CLICK HERE to receive a free copy of the new SnapFulfil ‘DIY Digital Implementation’ Guide.

 

 

Sustainability sacrificed in race towards tech

Posted on by Keith McKinley

The transport and logistics industry has work to do when it comes to sustainability, writes Stefan Spendrup, VP of Sales, Northern and Western Europe at SOTI. The sector became the largest emitting sector in 2016, and in 2019, it was still producing the same amount of emissions as it was in 2011 – and remains so to this day. Worldwide collaboration is happening to tackle how pollutive this industry is, but even if current and committed policies were to succeed, transport’s carbon emissions would still grow almost 20% by 2050. Highly ambitious policies could cut these emissions by 70% – but not to zero.

But there is also another trend affecting logistics, and many other industries too – and this is e-wastage, caused by the unnecessary disposal of electronics that are in perfect working order. The usual cause of this, according to SOTI’s research, is the perceived need for the latest technologies on the market. And with many logistics companies constantly turning to technology to further digitise their operations, such as 40% of companies offering a more digitised paperless delivery experience and 46% of companies have implemented automatic routing on new digital devices to help save resources and fuel, more hardware is entering the industry all the time. Optimising device’s lifetimes is another important step in tackling the current level of e-wastage being produced.

While device replacement is inevitable, nearly seven in 10 IT leaders of international corporations believe businesses are unnecessarily and prematurely disposing of digital devices. In the logistics and transport sector, tablets are the most popular digital device to streamline green supply chains, complete automated rerouting and deliver new jobs, but they are also amongst the most common devices to be disposed of unnecessarily.

The Need to Stay Ahead

SOTI’s research discovered 56% of IT leaders agree device management is an extremely important environmental issue but not enough is being done to tackle the problem. With global landfills filling up, businesses discarding devices unnecessarily will only amplify the problem. Many IT leaders acknowledge they replace their mobile phones, tablets, laptops and sometimes printers when a newer model enters the market or the device warranty expires. Further exacerbating the negative impact of e-waste, some companies believe having the latest mobile technology hardware makes their organisation more attractive for employees (62%).

Devices are not thrown away accidentally. Societal attitudes about personal technology encourage individuals to regularly replace their devices with the newest model or version on the market. For businesses, it should not be this simple. Both individuals and businesses should not dispose of mobile technologies to acquire a newer model, when the battery dies or because there is an expectation a battery will need replacing soon.

Over 34% of companies are changing devices after employees request an upgrade. This needs to stop if the amount of commercial e-waste is to be reduced. Business innovation is paramount, but not at the cost of unnecessarily disposing of and replacing devices. Businesses are sacrificing sustainability targets and wasting money.

Moving Towards A New Age

While some organisations have considerable financial resources dedicated to device replacement, very few corporate budgets are dedicated to extending the lifespan of devices. There are many cost-effective and sustainable ways to monitor and extend a device’s lifespan. The idea that replacing older devices with the most up-to-date devices attracts potential recruits or clients does not mean better business efficiency if the technology is not fully integrated with existing systems.

SOTI’s report shows 59% of companies have dedicated Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) strategies to maximise the potential of their devices, but companies are not reaping the benefits of these solutions. EMM strategies can monitor device lifespan, downtime and battery life. More than 90% of IT leaders said their organisation’s devices have replaceable batteries. With these strategies, IT leaders can monitor a device’s battery and replace it when necessary for significantly less than the cost of replacing the hardware.

Battery recycling is becoming more advanced and widely available. Companies can continue to update devices without contributing to the global e-waste problem. With the ongoing global supply chain crisis, companies cannot obtain new technologies as easily as they previously could, so proper integration and device management is crucial. EMM strategies are even more critical in today’s market where organisations feel obligated to stay at the forefront of new technologies. They enable a company to stay up-to-date and in-line with its sustainability targets.

CLICK HERE to download a copy of SOTI’s inaugural sustainability report Reduce, Reuse, Rethink: From Discard Mentality to Tech Sustainability.

 

 

WAKU Robotics attracts €1.5m investment

Posted on by David Priestman

Schauenburg Ventures, London-based PropTech VC Pi Labs and Franz Humer (founder of Agilox) have joined Plug and Play, Technologiegründerfonds Sachsen, BITO Campus, and Hans-Jürgen Cramer on WAKU Robotics’ journey to revolutionise the logistics industry using mobile robots.

Founded in late 2019, WAKU Robotics is building software for the future of logistics. With WAKU Sense, robot operators are able to efficiently work side-by-side with mobile robots. WAKU Sense is the performance cockpit for mobile robots, maximising the utilisation of each robot and ensuring seamless operation of the fleet. With this vendor-agnostic solution, WAKU Sense is powering the multi-fleet operations of the future.

Victor Splittgerber, CEO and Founder of WAKU Robotics, says: “Robots are becoming the future workforce in logistics. With WAKU Sense, we are empowering human operators to ensure seamless operations of such fleets. WAKU Sense supports clients through this revolutionary transition to even greater warehouse automation.”

“WAKU Robotics combines an urgently required solution to drive automation across industries with a great team of engaged and experienced entrepreneurs,” adds Malvine Komorek, Investment Manager of Schauenburg International GmbH. “We are looking forward to working together.”

WAKU’s current clients and development partners are international industry-leading logistics and e-Commerce companies, as well as warehouse and manufacturing providers. These also make use of WAKU’s market intelligence and independent robot comparison platform LotsOfBots.com.

Franz Humer, Founder of Agilox, a leading producer of Autonomous Mobile Robots, who also participated in this round, says: “This is incredible. WAKU Sense is the first platform able to orchestrate different AMR/AGV vendors without threatening the vendor’s own fleet or swarm intelligence strengths. WAKU Sense brings all robots to one visualisation and integrates sensors, forklifts, and humans into the system.

“WAKU Sense is already connected to many vendors and many technologies (like JSON/REST, VDA5050, MassRobotics, and many more). This software is amazing for operators that have to work with more than one vendor on the same shop floor.”

“We’re excited to be backed by strong investors and looking forward to leading the fast-growing robotics market,” concludes Sander Nijssen, Co-Founder of WAKU Robotics. “These funds will be used to scale the development and commercialization of WAKU Sense.”

C.H. Robinson extends Descartes relationship

Posted on by David Priestman

Descartes Systems Group, a global leader in uniting logistics-intensive businesses in commerce, has announced that C.H. Robinson, one of the world’s largest logistics service providers, is using Descartes MacroPoint to expand the options carriers can use to connect with the company’s technology.

“We’re pleased to be able to help carriers in C.H. Robinson’s North American freight network delivers important information on their shipments,” said Dan Cicerchi, General Manager, Transportation Management at Descartes. “Supply chains today are extremely fast-paced and fluid, and the ability to access timely insights into the precise movement of goods is critical for logistics service providers and shippers alike.”

C.H. Robinson offers carriers digital connectivity through its Navisphere Carrier website and app, direct integrations with carriers’ own technology and API integration with third-party tools such as the most popular ELDs. For carriers that use Descartes MacroPoint to provide status updates on the freight they’re hauling, C.H. Robinson has extended its agreement with Descartes so that carriers can seamlessly continue to transmit updates via their preferred tool.

Descartes MacroPoint is a cloud-based multimodal visibility platform designed to help manufacturers, retailers, distributors and logistics services providers gain better control of freight movement through real-time location, status, and estimated-time-of-arrival (ETA) data on their shipments. The platform connects road, air and ocean carriers via telematics/electronic logging devices, transportation management systems, a mobile driver application, APIs and the Descartes Global Logistics Network, the world’s largest multimodal messaging network.

Using Descartes MacroPoint, logistics service providers and shippers can improve customer service, increase distribution efficiency, better collaborate with customers, suppliers and carriers, and minimise the impact of disruptions and late delivery penalties.

 

 

Wiliot named a 2022 “Cool Vendor” by Gartner

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Wiliot, the Internet of Things pioneer whose IoT platform is enabling trillions of “things” to gain intelligence and harness the power of the cloud, has been named a “Cool Vendor” by Gartner in their recent report titled, “Cool Vendors in Indoor Location Technologies and Sensors” by Annette Zimmermann, Nick Jones, Bill Ray, and Tim Zimmerman.

This research does not constitute an exhaustive list of vendors in any given technology area, but rather is designed to highlight interesting, new and innovative vendors, products and services.

“It is a unique honour to be named a Gartner ‘Cool Vendor,’” said Tal Tamir, CEO of Wiliot. “We believe this recognition from Gartner represents our innovation, success and progress toward building a massive IoT platform that enables real-time supply chain visibility and asset management.”

Topics covered in the report include: the indoor location service technology stack; an overview of Wiliot and why it’s ‘cool’; key industry challenges; and who should care. The information provided in the report is of value to all supply chain, innovation, and sustainability professionals who are seeking new ways to transform their supply chains and assessment management tactics.

CLICK HERE to download the Gartner report.

 

Decathlon partners with Zeus Labs to handle UK freight

Posted on by David Priestman

Zeus Labs, which is disrupting the freight industry with its next-generation digital solutions, has teamed up with the world’s largest sports retailer Decathlon to help handle its UK freight. The partnership means that Zeus now handles nearly half of all the retailer’s restocking in the UK.

Established in Lille, France in 1976, Decathlon opened its first UK store at Surrey Quays in 1999, and now has 70 sites across the UK with plans to open hundreds more over the next decade.

The partnership comes after Zeus has undergone phenomenal growth since its founding in 2019 by young entrepreneurs Jai Kanwar and Clemente Theotokis. The firm now serves more than 40 enterprise-level clients handling over 660,000 tonnes of cargo annually, worth circa £6bn.

Zeus has also experienced a 100% conversion rate from manufacturers who trialled their platform in 2021, which offers a near ‘zero-touch’ approach to managing road freight, with complete end-to-end tracking, reconciliation and system integrations.

The platform reduces road freight administration for both shippers and hauliers, while helping small-medium fleets grow quickly with fast payment terms.

It also features a generous loyalty programme that includes 50% discounts on premium truck tyres – which amounts to a potential saving of more than several thousand pounds a year to small fleets.

Zeus, which aims to reduce the industry average of 30% of trucks running empty to just 5% by 2025, achieved a 326% growth in total volume in 2021, and is on track to deliver a 400% growth in revenues by the end of 2022.

Zeus Labs Co-Founder Jai Kanwar said: “The addition of major brands like Decathlon is a testament to the great benefits we are bringing to the logistics sector. Our easy-to-use platform is not only helping companies streamline their supply chain but also help move the industry towards better sustainability by reducing the number of empty HGVs on UK roads. Every manufacturer that trialled Zeus in 2021 has awarded business to us this year, showing just how effective our service is in modernising road freight management.”

 

Big Box brings RFID technology to SMEs

Posted on by David Priestman

Big Box Automation, part of Big Box Group, has added Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tagging technology to its range of inventory management products offered to SMEs.

This technology gives smaller businesses access to critical infrastructure, allowing them to compete in an increasingly customer experience-driven trading environment.

RFID technology is not new. Its roots go back to the 1940s. However, the e-Commerce consumer boom has sped up the development of RFID in terms of intelligence and ease of application, whilst reducing cost. It is now within the reach of individual companies and independent stores.

An RFID tag doesn’t have to be seen or handled in order to record and access large amounts of data about an individual item of stock. Multiply this feature across multiple products to realise the advantage this technology offers to businesses who are embracing e-Commerce and same-day remote order fulfilment.

Consumer behaviour changed forever because of the Covid pandemic, accelerating e-Commerce and introducing an entirely new global audience. Alongside this change of behaviour also sits a global labour shortage, huge supply chain and logistical challenges, and unprecedented demand. These factors have created the perfect storm where smaller players with the same technological advantages can compete based on efficiency and flexibility.

Altaf Saddique, RFID Solution Architect, explains: “A retail clothing store, for example, would typically have to close to allow staff to perform a full manual stocktaking audit. This could even be overnight depending on the size and complexity of their stock ranges, obviously inconveniencing staff and costing the company money. Also, depending upon how frequently the manual checks were carried out, they could expect as low as 60% – 70% accuracy.

“With RFID, that same stocktake can happen within 20-30 minutes with 99% accuracy whilst the store is open for business, across multiple floors, stock rooms and changing facilities. If an item is tagged, and on the premises, the RFID scanner will find it.”

Big Box Automation offers clients full technological support to deliver the benefits of RFID where required. Other expertise within the Big Box Group can also help customers with integrating RFID into other supply chain automation. This can include warehouse design, racking, storage systems, and handling equipment, including robot pickers.

Although retail and online fulfilment sectors are the first to benefit from the reduction in cost and increased accessibility to RFID technology, other sectors may eventually follow. The health and care sectors, for example, are looking at RFID tagging solutions to help manage assets and resources.

Jason Dyche, Divisional Director, said: “The Covid pandemic has super-charged progress in automation in terms of development, demand and application across the entire spectrum of application with new sectors opening all the time. Big Box Group is responding to the rise in demand from e-Commerce for same-day order fulfilment needs with robotics and automation. RFID used to be prohibitively expensive for SMEs, but the rapid development has led to the technology becoming the sensible choice in terms of cost-benefit.

“RFID tags have dropped in price considerably in the past ten years, from a few pounds to a few pence per tag. Add labour cost savings and the ability to monitor, and control stock, and respond to specific consumer behaviours, and it’s a technology that no inventory-based business can afford to ignore or be without.

“At Big Box, we monitor developments in automation technology and bring the best of what’s available to our clients when we see the emergence of the effective and affordable technology that can offer the right benefits. One such deployment was for an independent golf shop, not a huge multi-national online name, but a well-established local business with a great offering.

“RFID has helped the company take control of their stock inventory, track where items are in the system, keep up with parts and potential shortfalls and to allocate resources to identify the growth areas of the business rather than on chasing stock and solving supply issues.”

Soracom customers gain satellite IoT connectivity

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Astrocast, a leading global nanosatellite IoT network operator, and Soracom, a global provider of advanced IoT connectivity, have partnered to embed the Astrocast Satellite IoT (SatIoT) solution into the Soracom platform. This collaboration enables Soracom to offer integrators and end customers blended IoT connectivity options that comprise satellite and cellular connectivity.

Since 85% of the globe has zero cellular coverage, Astrocast’s SatIoT solution will provide a key component to Soracom’s 20,000 plus customers across the world; with devices in areas where cellular coverage does not reach. Organisations can access Astrocast SatIoT by subscribing to the Soracom platform, taking advantage of the seamless, secure integration to a choice of cloud services. They will be able to make use of Soracom’s blended connectivity options or SatIoT alone.

Astrocast’s cost-effective global SatIoT will enable Soracom’s customers to derive more value from their IoT investments. An array of organisations and use cases – of all sizes and types – will benefit from SatIoT connectivity. This range includes Smart Agriculture, preventive maintenance and asset tracking.

Satellite IoT Solution Requirements

When Soracom was searching for a satellite IoT provider, several factors were important. Of note, this included global coverage, the cost model, the power efficiency of devices that would connect to the SatIoT network and, very importantly, the ease of operation of the Astrocast SatIoT platform and its integration into the Soracom solution.

Global coverage: From truly remote locations to goods in transit, SatIoT needs to deliver global connectivity that complements the existing cellular network options.

Affordability: IoT operations are incredibly cost sensitive. Whether a business is looking to deploy ten devices or hundreds of thousands of devices, tiny differences in cost, performance and lifetime will fundamentally change the return on investment (ROI).

Power consumption: The efficiency of power consumption has a direct impact on device battery life. With devices typically located in remote and inaccessible locations, it is crucial to maximise battery life, because making replacements or repairs is often impractical and unaffordable. A low power SatIoT solution will radically extend the life of a device – with batteries typically lasting between five and ten years.

Bidirectional communication: Two-way communication is essential both to underpin innovative IoT applications and enable changes to the way the device operates. For example, a business can send a short message to change a device’s operating parameters – reducing the number of times each day a temperature recording is taken, from once an hour to just twice a day, would reduce power consumption, and extend battery life further.

Effective integration: To ensure SatIoT’s commercial viability on the Soracom platform requires seamless integration, ensuring organisations can gain transparent access to IoT data irrespective of the underlying network. Astrocast’s proven API ensured a rapid interface development, enabling Soracom to add the SatIoT connectivity option for its customers.

Kenta Yasukawa, CTO, Soracom, says: “This is only the beginning of our journey with Astrocast. The power of IoT to transform operations is indisputable. What has been achieved to date is compelling; but there is so much more that can be achieved together. With an affordable and accessible IoT platform, Soracom’s addition of Astrocast SatIoT will transform the ease with which integrators and businesses of all sizes can explore the power of SatIoT. We want to work together with Astrocast, and our clients, to accelerate innovation by combining our joint depths of insight, and knowledge of IoT; with the expertise of individuals on the ground that are developing and using IoT for the integrators and customers that we work for. This way, we can ensure the most effective deployment of IoT.”

“With 83% of organisations claiming to have improved efficiency by introducing IoT technology, it is little wonder that IoT solutions have the potential to generate $4-11 trillion in economic value by 2025,” says Fabien Jordan, CEO and Co-Founder, Astrocast. “This is the first time a well-established communication provider like Soracom is expanding its global reach with satellite connectivity. Furthermore, there is a significant pent up demand across many industries for IoT deployments across the 85% of the globe that currently has zero cellular coverage.

“The availability of cost-effective, low power, bidirectional satellite technology is providing new opportunities for an array of organisations and use cases. The accessibility of the Soracom platform with Satellite IoT will give many integrators and organisations a chance to explore and develop a new dimension to their IoT platform.”

 

Subscribe

Get notified about New Episodes of our Podcast, New Magazine Issues and stay updated with our Weekly Newsletter.