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Tag: IT

IFS releases Autumn update of IFS Cloud

Posted on by David Priestman

IFS, the global cloud enterprise software company, has announced the latest enhancements to its cloud-based solution, IFS Cloud. The Autumn 2022 release, part of a twice-annual release cycle of the software, contains numerous enhancements, designed to help customers accelerate their automation efforts; connect operations globally across sites, functions, people, and assets, and achieve their environmental social and governance (ESG) goals.

Automation and analytics highlights

Central to the new release are enhancements that will support end-to-end process automation, and advanced analytics capabilities. The heightened automation in this release will help organisations transform operations, work efficiently, and liberate staff. Key new features include a cash planning analysis model enabling customers to improve cash management and reduce risk and a streamlined Manufacturing Execution System (MES), designed to improve production quality control and performance.

The Autumn release of IFS Cloud also includes enhanced analytics capabilities, which will allow customers to gain a faster understanding of key challenges across the business, transform operations, work more efficiently, and increase productivity. It also provides simpler, more intelligent analytics for faster time-to-insight, and improved predictive capabilities to support planning and reduce downtime.

Enhanced connectivity

The new release also includes capabilities that will help global companies connect operations across sites, functions, people, and assets, helping them serve customers faster, reduce downtime, and meet compliance requirements. Highlights include a new capability to manage and visualise operations across multiple currency rates and the ability to set and manage absence limits based on each country’s absence requirements, providing HR teams with a full absence view from multiple countries.

Helping customers meet ESG goals

The latest enhancements contain many features aimed at making it easier and faster for customers to collect, manage and record key data that provides visibility into their environmental performance. Key enhancements in this area include new functionality to track indirect greenhouse gas emissions. This will help organisations to better assess their overall carbon footprint in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, while also providing  the ability to help company and project teams connect and extract data from various sources to assess their performance in Scope 1 and 2 of the Sustainability Hub.

Christian Pedersen, Chief Product Officer, IFS, said: “With each successive evolution of IFS Cloud, we are continuously looking to develop the solution to ensure it is fully aligned to how customers buy and use technology across each industry we work with – from construction and engineering to energy to aerospace and defence. Today, our customers are telling us they are looking to accelerate automation and attain intelligent insights faster; connect operations as they scale and grow into new countries; and drive forward on their journey to sustainability. That’s exactly what we have delivered to them in this latest release of IFS Cloud.”

IFS’s twice-annual release cycle, of which the Autumn 2022 update is the latest example, allows customers to constantly evolve their solution without the need for major upgrades or migrations, clearing their road to focus on business transformation.

AI essential to supply chain transformation

Posted on by Keith McKinley

In our connected and digital world, using artificial intelligence (AI) across the supply chain enables companies to maximise productivity by reducing uncertainties. It also helps to speed up decision-making, reduce cycle times and contribute to continuous improvement. By increasing the expectations of improved efficiencies between suppliers and customers it highlights the need to use the capabilities of AI wherever possible across the entire supply chain.

The use of AI is helping to deliver some of the most powerful optimisations required for accurate capacity planning, improved productivity, higher quality and lower costs – all whilst creating safer working conditions. The COVID-19 pandemic had a devastating impact on companies and showed just what effect global events can have on the supply chain, highlighting that companies need to invest more and plan more effectively to deal with any future uncertainties.

Here, Jean-Baptiste Clouard, CEO at Flowlity, innovative AI-based supply chain planning and forecasting solution, highlights the benefits for businesses using AI, as well as the challenges businesses face, and why ultimately, it is essential to transform the future of supply chains.

Four benefits of using AI in supply chains

1. Accurate Inventory Planning

When companies can manage and plan their inventory, it can ensure accurate flow of items in and out of a warehouse. Supply chain management considers the different variables such as order processing, and the time taken to pick and pack any orders – which can be time-consuming. Inventory planning will prevent any overstocking or unexpected stock-outs.

2: A more efficient warehouse

An efficient warehouse is integral to the supply chain, as it supports a smooth product journey from component parts to the warehouse and all the way to the customer. By using an AI system, it can solve issues quickly and accurately while simplifying the processes and speeding up the work. It will save time by freeing up capacity in the warehouse which can in turn allow staff to better use the time to upskill.

3: Reduce operational costs

The reduction of operational costs is one of the best benefits from using AI in the supply chain for many companies. Automated intelligence operations offer longer periods of error-free time by reducing workplace errors, and incidents.

4: On-time delivery

AI systems can reduce any dependency on manual inputs and make delivery times faster, safer, and smarter. Smarter systems can help facilitate timely deliveries to customers and automation will support traditional warehouse systems to remove any potential bottlenecks.

Variety of challenges

As with all new systems and processes, the introduction of a new way of working can present a variety of challenges across many different areas of the business. But by understanding the challenges that might be faced, supply chain leaders can address them.

Most AI and cloud-based systems like Flowlity are very scalable – meaning that no matter how much a business grows, supply chain executives always have the systems to support it. What is worth knowing at the start of the process is how it can be difficult to assess the initial number of users and systems that might be needed across a business to make any new investments have an impact and be effective. Before supply chain managers start looking for a new system, it is important to realise that all systems are unique, and requirements must be discussed to ensure the right one is chosen.

Whether it be the costs of training, or the operational costs involved, with any new system, there is a requirement for investment – both in terms of time and money. Good supply chain business partners will have a thorough onboarding process, and a rigorous training program to ensure everyone is aware of what they need to do. AI systems are usually cloud-based and can require a lot of processing power and bandwidth. Specialised hardware may also be required, and it takes time to gather data and build working algorithms. But initial investments must be offset by potential long-term savings.

Investments in smart technology and the use of AI, can capture huge amounts of data that was previously disaggregated. Supply chain managers need to be able to cut through the sheer volume of real time data that is available, make decisions and be able to identify where any potential bottlenecks occur.

Recent studies have suggested that artificial intelligence (AI) can deliver value throughout the supply chain and logistics operations. Everything from reducing operational redundancies, risk mitigation and cost savings, to enhancing forecasting and reducing the time for delivery through a more optimised route, AI in the supply chain is preferred by manufacturers and retailers across Europe and the UK.

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Supply Chain Optimisation Key to Retail

 

GSLS transforms operations with Descartes’ solutions

Posted on by David Priestman

Descartes Systems Group, a global leader in uniting logistics-intensive businesses in commerce, has announced that GSLS, a provider of cash management solutions to retail, hospitality, financial services and public sector organisations, is maximsing its fleet efficiency with Descartes’ cloud-based route planning and optimisation and mobile proof of delivery (POD) solutions. Descartes is helping GSLS pursue its growth strategy by achieving a fully digital chain of custody for cash management while driving cost savings, improving fleet efficiency and delivering customer service excellence.

“Providing exemplary cash management solutions for our clients requires levels of accuracy, efficiency, traceability and security that are second to none. We recognised that growing our market-leading position required a data-driven approach to process improvements, underpinned by technological innovation,” said Fiacra Nagle, Chief Executive, GSLS. “Descartes’ route optimisation and mobile proof of delivery solutions, integrated with our vault management and cash processing solutions, have given us that end-to-end, digital chain of custody while also increasing the efficiency of our operations.”

Part of Descartes’ route planning and execution, mobile and telematics suite, Descartes’ route planning and optimisation solution helps brands, retailers and logistics providers achieve more agile, efficient and sustainable routing, improving fleet resource management by generating additional delivery capacity and reducing costs. Descartes’ execution helps drivers perform their daily routes, keeps managers aware of the progress and provides estimated-time-of-arrival (ETA) to notify customers of their deliveries.

Descartes’ mobile application helps drivers execute the route, with POD supporting customer service excellence and order accuracy through real-time mobile communication. For GSLS, Descartes has improved the efficiency and usage of its fleet of over 80 secure armoured vehicles while reducing overall fleet mileage. Sustainability improvements are also supported by removing paper from the supply chain.

“As the market-leader in secure cash logistics in Ireland, GSLS prides itself on customer service excellence and faultless cash management execution,” said Pól Sweeney, EMENAR VP Fleet Sales at Descartes. “We’re delighted to help GSLS enhance these services by facilitating a fully digital chain of custody that supports accuracy, auditability and security of operations; offers tangible efficiency savings; and provides a platform for future growth.”

 

JLT VERSO Series validated as ‘Navis Ready’

Posted on by David Priestman

JLT Mobile Computers, the developer of reliable computing solutions for demanding environments, has announced that its VERSO Series of high-performance vehicle-mounted terminals (VMTs) has passed Navis Ready Validation for the latest version of the Navis N4 terminal operating system (TOS). The validation reinforces the fact that the JLT VERSO Series – specifically developed for use in the harshest conditions – is the ideal mobile IT platform for highly demanding port operations the world over.

Navis is a premier brand from Kaleris for best-in-class port, terminal, carrier and vessel solutions. Kaleris, the provider of cloud-based supply chain execution and visibility technology solutions, offers a global platform that unlocks operating data, connects workflows and increases visibility to improve the entire shipment lifecycle. Navis brand technology plays a key role by linking the busiest nodes in the global supply chain to the Kaleris platform.

This revalidation announcement sees a continuation of JLT’s long-term partnership with the Navis Ready Program that began in 2015 and was reinforced in 2019, when JLT became the first hardware provider to ensure that its rugged computers for the port segment would be validated for use with major upcoming Navis N4 TOS releases for the following five years. This gives customers an extra level of security and confidence when purchasing JLT terminals for their Navis system.

According to the Navis report: “This [validation] ensures customers can buy and engage with vendors with confidence knowing that the majority of the integration work has been completed. The information provided in the Navis Ready Validation report helps customers assess the level of integration achieved and what is possible with a vendor.”

As an experienced supplier of rugged IT solutions for the port environment, JLT has also committed significant resources to those requiring help and support in the port sector, including the popular Port Guide: Five ways to make IT your port’s hero, not its headache, which can be downloaded in English or Spanish for free.

 

 

FarEye launches new order-to-door delivery solutions

Posted on by David Priestman

Global e-commerce sales are expected to grow to $7.4bn by 2025, more than double since 2018, leading to increased last-mile logistics complexity and heightened consumer expectations. FarEye is introducing new solutions addressing these challenges, oriented to key areas in the order-to-door delivery journey – ship, track, route, execute, and experience.

“Our mission from day one has always been to make the delivery experience better. Today, it is no longer just about delivery, it’s about the entire experience, from first click to order through to doorstep delivery,” said Kushal Nahata, CEO and co-founder, FarEye. “Companies must solve the last mile first, as the most critical, complicated, and costly aspect of the delivery journey. Our new solutions help companies turn the last mile into a competitive advantage, driving value, reducing last-mile costs, all while increasing brand loyalty and repeat purchases.”

FarEye’s products are underpinned by the FarEye Platform, an all-in-one low code/no code delivery logistics platform combining orchestration, real-time visibility, branded customer experiences, and business process management to ensure deliveries are on-time and accurate, from order-to-door.

These new modular products sit atop the Platform, and efficiently execute the last-mile delivery process, ensuring a seamless consumer experience:

  • Ship: Meet customers where they are, offering a flexible range of delivery options. Optimize multi-carrier-enabled deliveries for peak efficiency and on-time delivery performance.
  • Track: Provide real-time shipment-level visibility throughout the order-to-delivery journey, avoid delays and disruptions.
  • Route: Make deliveries more profitable with dynamic constraint-based route planning and scheduling.
  • Execute: Accelerate cross-dock and driver operations, leading to faster operations at the delivery hub or warehouse.
  • Experience: Deliver a branded, differentiated customer experience throughout the pre- and post-purchase process – from order tracking and scheduling, to delivery notifications to returns and exchanges.

Companies in the e-commerce and retail, big and bulky, and courier and logistics industries looking to increase operational efficiencies and create superior customer delivery experiences can download the new Last-mile Technology Buyer’s Guide on the FarEye website.

 

 

The lone warrior becomes lonely

Posted on by David Priestman

Until now, the use of open-source software has not played a major role in improving logistics processes. But that is changing. Ralf Duester, board member and SCM expert at Setlog, explains why IT service providers who jump on the bandwagon will be more successful than their competitors in the future.

It’s hard to believe that in the 21st century, the age of digitisation, you can still find medical facilities asking their colleagues or patients to send them a fax with the necessary information. However, the device first introduced by Xerox in 1966 does not only continue to play a role in the private everyday life. In logistics, as well, the “communication dinosaur” still spits out printed paper in some offices.

Admittedly, for most logistics companies, other systems have long replaced the fax. But the crux in supply chain management is still there. Each player usually works with his own system. Brands and retailer use their ERP systems, forwarders use proven transport management systems (TMS), logistics companies operate warehouse management systems (WMS), and the suppliers often stick to their Excel spreadsheets.

In everyday logistics, this means that data runs via Excel lists and e-mails – and when there is a problem, some people like to pick up the phone to find a solution. Recently, a few smart start-ups disrupted the logistics sector; they became the digital forwarding companies. With their platforms, they inserted themselves between the involved players and pushed the digitisation and automation of processes. With success. Data and good flows work better now in every aspect. The right use and control of good data is becoming the new recipe for success in transport and logistics.

This also applies to sourcing, buying and supply chain management. But even with the best data quality you are ill-advised if it lies dormant in spreadsheets or must be transferred manually between partners by email. One solution to these challenges is a modern SCM software. With OSCA (short for “Online Supply Chain Accelerator”), for example, Setlog enables the digital management of the supply chain in a cloud-based tool.

Providing customised extensions, all partners involved in the respective supply chain are integrated. More than 150 brands from the apparel, electronics, food, consumer goods and hardware sectors in more than 90 countries use the solution. It makes the supply chain transparent for everyone – for example, delivery delays and new deadlines can be communicated to all players in real time. Collaborative communication runs via a single tool.

What works easily with the help of a dashboard in terms of overviews and early warning functions such as “to do” messages, requires an intensive preparation. In the past, the integration of partners on platforms was costly due to the increased complexity in logistics, and the effort for the connection via interfaces. Setlog has often developed customised solutions for processes and data flows – which required a lot of time and money depending on the requirements. But the IT world is changing.

Customers want simple integrations to speed up data flows and coordination processes. The key to this is called open source. For the development of supply chain platforms on which all partners around the globe can work together, a quick and easy integration by API (API, short for Application Programming Interfaces) via open source, i.e. open source standard interfaces, is only advantageous.

When the keyword open source software is mentioned, some people in logistics are still surprised. Until now, it has hardly played a role in the optimisation of logistical processes. But that is changing right now. The experts’ belief is that IT service providers in logistics who use open source are successful more quickly. Yes, open source is even proving to be a sales support. Because many customers are now able to assess the added value. Especially when it comes to interfaces, open source can help the community not only to become faster and more efficient, but also to create standards. This means that no longer does everyone develop standards by themselves, but several providers fall back on the same basics – of course in compliance with all rules and regulations. This is a great lever for all partners involved in a platform.

Setlog recognised the advantages of this new IT world early on. The company is a founding member of Open Logistics e. V., the supporting association of the Open Logistics Foundation. It relies on the use of open source components for services in the platform economy of tomorrow, the Silicon Economy. According to Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Michael ten Hompel, head of the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML and co-initiator of the Open Logistics Foundation, standardised interfaces are not a sanctuary for anyone in logistics – neither for shippers and forwarders nor for IT service providers. Because the intelligence still lies in the software itself. The foundation has set itself the goal of supporting logistics on its path to standardisation – very specifically in the area of interfaces.

When it comes to data exchange, some logistics experts still raise their fingers in warning and point out that companies must not allow themselves to be deprived of data sovereignty and that security must be guaranteed during transfer. They often lack knowledge about the solutions to these challenges. But it is also a fact that trust in IT systems has increased significantly in recent years. Today, sensitive information is entrusted to platforms – not only bits & bytes about transports, but also, for example, sensitive IP such as technical sketches and samples of new releases. Each of the players must be able to rely on the processes being secure. As a founding member of the International Data Spaces Association IDSA, Setlog is also open to open source solutions that affect the infrastructure.

In conclusion, those who work in silos in logistics, compartmentalise systems and accept media disruptions will sooner or later lose touch. Collaboration is key to access the new logistics world. Open source software, especially standardised interfaces, can help IT service providers in logistics – especially medium-sized companies – to improve their own solutions. The lone warriors will become lonely.

Open Source

The term open source is used to describe software whose source code is public and can be viewed, modified and used by third parties. Open-source software can usually be used free of charge.

Individuals often make a software to an open-source software out of altruistic motives. Companies and organisations usually have other intentions for doing so: they want to save costs in development and increase market share. Users who are empowered to do so can adapt the software to their own challenges and needs. It is also possible to publish a fork. So-called pull requests contribute to the continuous improvement of the software.

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Setlog and Rhenus Join Forces

 

K3 Syspro rebrands to NexSys

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) specialist K3 Syspro has rebranded to NexSys Solutions Limited as part of a strategic move to better represent its services and solutions. The new brand was revealed during the company’s annual Customer Day at the Jaguar Experience Centre in Birmingham in front of over 150 customers and partners.

The company remains an elite partner of SYSPRO ERP, specialising in delivering best-of-breed solutions to customers. This involves integrating its own technologies with SYSPRO at the core to enable customers to gain maximum visibility over business-critical data, thereby aiding aid rapid decision-making.

Nick McGrane, managing director of NexSys, explained how the new name better reflects the company’s proposition. “We’re going through a period of change where businesses are having to continually evolve, adapt and update their proposition in order to remain competitive. Innovative solutions are critical to this and throughout our near 40-year history, we have been committed to providing best-of-breed solutions that help our customers thrive.

“We are excited about the future that digital transformation offers for companies looking to power business growth through advancing technologies. SYSPRO ERP remains central to our solutions, complimented by our own DataSwitch integration tool, our Orchard warehouse management technology, and Making Tax Digital solution. Our focus is on helping businesses gain a competitive advantage by adopting appropriate technologies which integrate to solve pressing challenges, and our rebrand reflects this. As part of the global K3 group, NexSys has access to complementary technologies, expertise and support which benefit our customers.”

K3 Syspro was established in 1983 under the previous name of McGuffie Brunton. In 2007, the firm was acquired by the K3 Business Technology Group for £12.5 million, becoming a focal point in the K3 portfolio for manufacturing and distribution technologies. NexSys remains a K3 company and will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2023.

McGrane continued: “We may have a new name and brand, but we retain our ethos of putting people at the heart of our operations. Our customers know that an investment in SYSPRO is not just an investment in an ERP product, but an investment in a long-lasting partnership with us.

“We have also carried over our culture from K3 Syspro. We remain customer-focused and approachable, as extensions to our customers’ technology project teams. Most of our own people have been with us since the McGuffie Brunton days. Indeed, I have worked my way up through the company over the past few decades and remain proud of everything we have achieved. With a new name, a new brand, and continually developing technology innovatively, we remain well positioned to help our customers navigate the future.”

CAPTION (left to right): Nick McGrane, Managing Director; Catherine Oakley, Finance Director; Chris Burnett, Sales Director; Steve Gore, Services Director

Bowe invests in MOV.AI

Posted on by David Priestman

Bowe Group, a leading provider of integrated automation technology, has made an $8.2m investment round in MOV.AI – a startup revolutionising Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMR) development. The round is led by Bowe Group and includes MOV.AI’s existing investors State of Mind Ventures, NFX, and Viola Ventures. The investment reflects Bowe’s strategic view of robotics in the future of automation and is a vote of confidence in MOV.AI’s innovative approach to robot software.

Automation is playing an increasingly important role in the supply chain, specifically in intralogistics, with robots at the forefront of this trend. ABI Research estimates that worldwide shipments of warehouse mobile robots will experience a Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of almost 40% from 2021 to 2030, reaching over 500,000 global shipments in 2030.

To date, developing – and more importantly, deploying – Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) has been an expensive and time-consuming task, due to monolithic, inflexible robot software that is tightly coupled with robot hardware.

“We are extremely bullish on MOV.AI’s ability to modernise the robotics market, a market that is a key pillar in modern industrial automation and is poised for hypergrowth,” said Joachim Koschier, Bowe Group Managing Director. “The MOV.AI Robotics Engine Platform enables smooth human-robot collaboration in automation projects – something that Bowe Group experienced first-hand as a customer.

“The digital transformation occurring in the intralogistics space requires flexibility, operational agility, and maintainability. MOV.AI provides the complete infrastructure and tools required to create and operate fleets of any AMR.”

MOV.AI’s Robotics Engine Platform changes how AMRs are built, separating software from hardware and offering both AMR manufacturers and automation integrators the enterprise-grade tools they need for advanced automation. The Robotics Engine Platform helps AMR manufacturers quickly develop and differentiate their robots. Automation integrators can deploy in days, not months, and ensure secure, uninterrupted operation in constantly changing business and operational environments.

“We are excited to have such an innovative leader as Bowe Group join our strong group of investors and lead this round,” said MOV.AI CEO Motti Kushnir. “The pressure on supply chains creates an opportunity for AMR manufacturers and automation integrators, who need to develop and deploy robots that meet customer needs quickly. Bowe Group is a leader in the world of intralogistics and automation. Their knowledge and expertise will drive forward MOV.AI’s ability to meet customer needs and extend our market reach.

“We are thankful to our investors – State of Mind Ventures, NFX, Viola Ventures, and now Bowe Group – for their ongoing belief in our vision and in our ability to execute it. Their confidence as evidenced in this round is helping us drive change in the market and provide our customers with a much-needed solution.”

Following the investment, Joachim Koschier, Bowe Group Managing Director, and Mike Swift, Managing Director of Red Ledge North America, will be joining the MOV.AI board of directors. The company will use the proceeds from the round to accelerate product delivery, meet the demands of more customers, and engage with the ROS developer community.

Home delivery: one size does not fit all

Posted on by David Priestman

One of the key findings of Descartes’ recent study of consumer sentiment of sustainable home delivery practices was that consumers have different delivery expectations when it comes to sustainability. Half of the respondents said that they were quite/very interested in sustainable delivery options. Moreover, the great news about the delivery options favoured by consumers is that they are all lower cost alternatives. The challenge and opportunity, then, is for retailers to recognise that consumers want sustainable delivery choices and that providing choice results in happier customers and a better bottom line while helping the environment, as Chris Jones, EVP, Descartes, outlines.

Essentially, the study underscores that a lot of consumers have sustainable delivery personas. In fact, there are a number of delivery personas that retailers can use to increase loyalty as well as top and bottom line performance. So, what are delivery personas? The concept of buying personas is widely understood in the retail community as a way to maximise sales by serving different types of consumer purchasing experiences. The same thing can be applied to home delivery. Consumers have differing expectations for home delivery and are happier when they can select the delivery option that is most consistent with those expectations.

In working with leading retailers, we previously identified four delivery personas that relate to the speed and precision of a home delivery:

  • Cost, Cost, Cost: Some consumers are extremely cost-sensitive and will take the slowest delivery service if it saves them money. They are willing to wait days for the product and care less when the delivery arrives during the day.
  • Parcel Mentality: Typical parcel deliveries are fast, but not necessarily time definite at the point of purchase. The majority of goods such as apparel and other smaller items are delivered this way. These customers are happy with the fast delivery cycle and don’t care if the package is left on the doorstep sometime during the day.
  • Convenience Matters: Many large format items fit into this category. These consumers don’t value fast; they value a tight time window. For instance, a kitchen renovation purchase (e.g. fridge) is made in advance, but the delivery is made close to the installation date. If delivered too early, the item would consume space in the customer’s home for weeks and risk damage until the appropriate time in the project for its installation.
  • Time Is Their Currency: There are a class of consumers who are cash rich and time poor. They want their delivery ASAP and won’t sit around waiting all day for it. This may be high-value impulse purchase goods or replacement items, for example. These customers are also most likely to pay for the privilege and it doesn’t take too many of them to offset a significant amount of the overall delivery cost.

Now there is a fifth delivery persona: sustainability.

Clearly, the study identified that consumers want eco-friendly delivery options and are very flexible in terms of delivery choices when they are tied to sustainability efforts. For instance:

  • Over half (54%) said that they would be willing to accept longer lead times for environmentally friendly deliveries.
  • Half said that they were quite/very interested in grouping orders for delivery on a specific day of the week (50%) or when the retailer had deliveries in the area (47%)
  • Almost half (48%) want the retailer to recommend the most environmentally friendly delivery option

All of these options present retailers with the opportunity to lower their delivery costs by reducing the number of deliveries they must make, increasing delivery density, better planning deliveries with longer lead times to improve efficiency and steering customers to eco-friendly – and lower cost –  delivery options. In addition, the sustainability persona can be combined with other personas. For instance, identifying the most sustainable options for ‘parcel mentality’ or ‘time is their currency’ deliveries.

Sustainable delivery was so important to some that 20% of respondents said they would pay more for an environmentally-friendly delivery. For Gen Z and Millennials, the number increased to 27%. This may not sound like a significant percentage, but Descartes has worked with retailers who have realised millions of pounds in incremental revenue by up-charging for premium services at that attached rate.

Not only do consumers want eco-friendly delivery options, 42% of those surveyed also want retailers to provide details around the potential environmental consequence of their delivery options. The sustainability message here goes beyond retailers to the logistics industry as a whole (i.e. parcel carriers, LTL carriers, dedicated last mile services providers, etc.) as they will have to be able to provide the carbon footprint of their delivery services and – in a number of cases – do this dynamically for retailers.

Conclusion

Sustainability has now become an important delivery persona option. The key change for retailers to leverage delivery personas is to abandon monolithic, ‘one-size-fits-all’ approaches to home delivery, provide consumers with delivery choices that are priced accordingly and let consumers self-select the delivery option that best fits their desires. Consumers will happily select an option that could lead to lower costs or increased revenue for the retailer.

Just as retailers steer consumers during the buying experience, the same can also happen when consumers are choosing a delivery option. The study showed that almost half of the respondents wanted retailers to identify the most sustainable delivery options. How often do consumers want retailers to provide service options that actually lower the retailer’s costs? This is precisely why Descartes named the study “Retailers: Sustainability is Not a Challenge, It’s an Opportunity”.

PTV launches next-generation navigation app

Posted on by David Priestman

PTV Group has launched the next generation of its professional truck navigation app, PTV Truck Navigator G2. Powered by TomTom Navigation SDK (Mobile Software Developer Kit), the app includes the most up-to-date maps, custom truck routing and is available globally for the first time.

PTV Truck Navigator offers custom truck routing that considers truck attributes such as the size and weight of large vehicles, as well as truck-specific factors such as hazard restrictions, cargo, tunnels, and low-emission zones. The new mobile app accesses TomTom online maps directly from TomTom’s server park.

To guide truck drivers to the best and most economic routes, PTV Truck Navigator G2 considers historical traffic patterns, live traffic data and artificial intelligence to calculate daytime-dependent routes and to predict delays in the future.

“A culmination of our decade-long collaboration with PTV, the PTV Truck Navigator G2 powered by TomTom Navigation SDK brings a safer, more comfortable experience to professional drivers,” says Mike Schoofs, Managing Director of TomTom Enterprise.

“A professional truck navigation app is key to achieving transport efficiency. By combining TomTom’s most exact online maps with our technology and experience, we can offer the best and most accurate truck routing system, tailored exactly to our customers’ needs,” says Christian U. Haas, CEO of PTV Group.

PTV Truck Navigator G2 supports the driver with a new look and feel, featuring a more intuitive user interface. With One Field Search, it’s even simpler for users to enter addresses and POIs.

The mobile app is offered for Android and comes with an API for connecting to other apps.

The use of PTV Truck Navigator G2 is device agnostic, enabling logistics companies to decide daily on which devices the app should be used. Thanks to this flexibility, it’s easy to roll out to entire fleets. As fleets grow, additional subscriptions can be easily added.

What’s next? The app will soon also feature offline maps stored locally on the navigation device. Such hybrid maps reduce data usage and ensure seamless navigation and live traffic in remote areas with poor mobile data coverage. In addition, an SDK to embed PTV Navigator G2 into third party mobile solutions is planned for Android and iOS in 202

 

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