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Top 5 Supply Chain Implementation Risks

Posted on by David Priestman

Smart factory operations can help supply chain leaders achieve many of their highest priorities, but the challenges are too often underestimated, according to research from Gartner, Inc. Successful smart factory initiatives require accompanying cultural and operational transformations that are slow by nature and in many cases will require entirely new organizational designs to integrate the new capabilities within the broader supply chain.

“Smart factory operations hold the allure of numerous benefits for supply chain leaders, from expanding lights out manufacturing capabilities to improving quality and solving labor challenges,” said Simon Jacobson, VP Analyst in Gartner’s Supply Chain Practice. “The potential for transformational benefits can also present the biggest pitfall, as organizations may rush into launching smart factory initiatives without a clear understanding of the extent of the challenges facing them.”

Gartner research has identified the five top risks to avoid when launching new smart factory initiatives:

1. Confusing factory optimization with business model transformation: The optimization benefits of a smart factory are confined to that single site. When smart factory initiatives are disconnected from the rest of the supply chain, the site level benefits can come at the expense of creating costly constraints elsewhere in the business. This risk can be mitigated by ensuring factory objectives are synchronized with supply chain operating models and enterprise digital ambitions, flexibility and automation opportunities.
2. Overlooking the scope of change management: New technology acquisition may be straightforward and relatively cheap. Underestimating the resulting changes to existing processes, integrations and new performance targets can drive up both cost and time. This risk can be managed in part by treating such changes as part of an enterprise-wide initiative that requires alignment between senior leadership and the utilization of continuous improvement teams to ensure initiatives are properly sequenced.
3. Underestimating the complexity of aligning and converging IT, OT and ET: Governance for smart factories is not just centered on plant-business connections but also on how IT, operational technology (OT) and engineering technology (ET) are managed. These three are inseparable, and their convergence and alignment are critical as production models change. To mitigate the complexity of this risk, supply chain leaders should familiarize themselves with alternative organizational models for IT/OT alignment and evolve governance and organizational structures in line with new production models.
4. Insufficient funding for upskilling, reskilling and talent development: Modernizing learning and development (L&D) programs to help associates learn, acquire and retain knowledge to acquiesce to new experiences is essential. So too is enabling employees to execute the work they are aligned to support through additional education and upskilling.
5. Narrowly focusing on a single use case and technology: As technology options increase and expand, too much focus on enabling technologies and the “art of the possible” can expose organizations to a significant IT backlog and technical debt. The environment is complicated by the fact that there is no single dominant technology or vendor that fulfils all smart factory requirements. Technology purchases must be balanced between strategic considerations such as the ability to scale, along with the pragmatic, such as planning appropriately for operational disruptions.

Experts to Discuss Key Supply Chain Technology Trends at the 2023 Gartner Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo in Barcelona, June 5-7

Attendees of the Gartner Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo in Barcelona can learn more in the session: “Eliminate Variability From Your Smart Factory Strategy” on Monday, June 5.
Gartner clients can learn more in: Innovation Insight for Smart Factory. Nonclients can learn more in: Supply Chain Technologies and Digital Transformation.

Gartner experts will discuss key issues facing the industry during Gartner Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo. The conference delivers the must-have insights, strategies and frameworks for CSCOs and supply chain leaders to drive impact within their organizations. Supply chain leaders will gather to gain a strategic view of the trends disrupting their business and the insights and frameworks they can use to prepare for disruption, enable digital transformation and build sustainability as a competitive advantage.

Transforming the Supply Chain for Sustainable Future

Posted on by Keith McKinley

As the world becomes more focused on sustainability, businesses across all industries are exploring ways to reduce their environmental impact by driving revenue, reducing operational costs, improving business reputation, building consumer perception, and fulfilling corporate social responsibility, writes Varun Visruthan. Traditional oil-producing countries are moving towards electrical-based production, and businesses are increasingly adopting innovative strategies to make their supply chains more sustainable.

Green logistics, also known as sustainable logistics, is a growing trend that focuses on reducing the environmental impact of extensive transportation and distribution of goods involved in maintaining global commerce. Companies must embrace a range of green logistics strategies to achieve a sustainable supply chain. These include the use of electric or hybrid vehicles for transportation, optimizing routes to minimize fuel consumption and emissions, and implementing waste reduction and recycling programs. Additionally, companies can use automation to improve the efficiency and accuracy of their intralogistics operations, such as by implementing real-time tracking and monitoring systems.

Storage, transport, and inventory management are three important aspects of warehouse operations. With the adoption of robotics and automation systems such as the Automated Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS), companies can consider using efficient motor drives (IE3 or IE4 level), reusing the energy from braking, and using the latest battery technology (LTO) with the longest life cycle. In addition, this is a way for warehouses to utilize the cubic meter vertical space of a warehouse, thereby reducing the overall footprint of the facility. With the advantage of the cost of buildings and land, there is also less area to heat or light up, resulting in energy savings. This is even more critical in applications of frozen warehouses, where there are fewer walls and roofs to absorb heat from the outside, resulting in lower refrigeration costs. This is evident in the Middle Eastern market. Each country, be it in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, or Bahrain, has its own set of challenges due to its proximity to the sea or being placed in the midst of a location far away from electrical transmission lines.

With real-time inventory updates from advanced Warehouse Management Software (WMS), warehouse managers can easily effectuate FIFO (the first-in-first-out) method to reduce inventory wastage with fixed shelf lives. AI-powered software provides analytics to predict demand and accordingly creates inventory. Inventory can also be managed at forward locations such as smaller warehouses or micro-fulfilment centres (MFCs) to not only improve consumer experience but also reduce on-road transportation of vehicles or reduce vehicles with suboptimal capacity utilization. Smart Fleet Management Systems (FMS) and Truck Management Software can combine inventory management with efficient transportation by planning inventory routes, task allocation, and scheduling. With such collaborative and intelligent transport systems, supply chain managers will reduce transition times, leading to energy savings. It also ensures the optimal capacity utilization of vehicles, reducing overall carbon emissions.

A fully automated warehouse can be seen as a lights-out (dark) warehouse with almost no human involvement. When space is better utilized, operations are optimized to every bit, and wastage is reduced significantly; there is less space to illuminate, less distance to transport, and less waste to process. In addition, it increases the efficiency, reliability, and accuracy of warehousing operations.
An automation solution provider with both hardware and software capabilities, such as Addverb, can offer all of these require a higher upfront investment but pay off in energy consumption and is better for the environment.

The future of logistics is green, and companies that embrace sustainable practices are better positioned to succeed in the long run. By reducing their environmental impact and building a reputation for sustainability, companies can attract customers and partners who share their commitment to a sustainable future.

Costa Rican Logistics Company Implements WMS

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Infor, the industry cloud company, has announced that Grupo Servica, a logistics company in Costa Rica, has selected Infor WMS warehouse management solution. Grupo Servica is adopting Infor to manage logistical operations and continue its steady growth while increasing customer services.

Sales and implementation will be done by Cerca Technology, Infor’s distribution partner with more than 30 years of experience in helping companies digitise their supply chains.

Grupo Servica was founded more than 46 years ago in Costa Rica and has a modern warehouse and transport infrastructure, with an area of more than 22,000 sq m in warehouses, 30,000 sq m in yards, more than 60 transport vehicles and more than 8,000 SKUs. The company is focused on providing solutions for the logistics chain to import and export companies with personalised, reliable and competitive services. Grupo Servica has a fiscal warehouse, where it receives imported products and does the nationalisation process. It also has a distribution centre with 80 employees dedicated to services in the supply chain.

“Our goal is to support productive sectors that are an important part of the growth of Costa Rica’s economy. We identify needs and offer highly efficient services. We will continue with our support to companies´ growth,” says Gabriela Corrales, project manager at Grupo Servica.

The company already had a warehouse management system that was not as robust as needed to support its operations and customers. Due to its steady growth and new customers, Grupo Servica needed a world-class solution, so it selected Infor WMS.

Implementation will take place in the fiscal warehouse and distribution centre, initially in two categories, food and hygiene, where Infor WMS will be focused in providing more flexibility in the planning process and order management. Grupo Servica  also expects to improve control of cargo containers in the fiscal warehouse from receipt to delivery.

“Infor WMS will help Grupo Servica face current and future challenges in the operation, developing capacities to deal with customers´ complexities, managing information in real time, with a new solution platform to fulfil all delivery requirements and omnichannel challenges,” says Paola Quiroga, sales manager at Cerca Technology.

“New functionalities will enable Grupo Servica to continue growing and strengthening their service portfolio for customers. Cerca Technology has more than 300 successful implementations with more than 100 customers in Latin America. We aim to turn Grupo Servica into a new success story.”

Adriana Gutierrez, Infor Latin America channel director, said: “Infor WMS has once again been recognised as a Leader in Gartner’s latest Magic Quadrant for Warehouse Management Systems, and is designed to help companies such as Grupo Servica improve processes. Infor WMS enables companies to boost their profitability, reduce costs with more visibility into their logistics operations, helping customers on their paths to digitalisation. It is the best decision a company can make for innovation and digital transformation.”

 

NTN Streamlines Warehouse Operations

Posted on by David Priestman

Infor Japan K.K., the Japanese subsidiary of Infor, the industry cloud company, has announced that NTN Corp., a manufacturer and seller of bearings, driveshafts and precision equipment, has rolled out its Infor WMS warehouse management system.

NTN will use Infor WMS as its supply chain execution solution to combine warehouse management, labour management, transportation management and third-party logistics (3PL) billing management into a single integrated and rational business process for the entire supply chain. In addition to helping achieve on-time shipping and delivery to customers, Infor WMS is also enabling NTN to streamline operations through standardisation and visualisation of finished product shipping processes at all of its warehouses and plants across Japan.

Background

Since it was founded, the NTN Group has embraced its “Founders’ Spirit” (comprising a “Frontier Spirit,” which encourages it to keep challenging, and a “Coexistence and Co-prosperity Spirit,” which encourages it to develop together with society). With this in mind, it has expanded globally in line with its corporate philosophy of “We shall contribute to international society through creating new technologies and developing new products.”

NTN is working to enhance the business foundations that underpin its operations so that it can continue delivering sustainable growth. It will do this by not only enhancing its fundamental technologies and core products, while expanding into new fields that take advantage of the core technologies it has developed over the years, but by also driving digital transformation (DX) to achieve more sophisticated business management and create new business models.

NTN adopted its previous core business system in the 1980s, but the system had aged to a point where operation and maintenance had reached their limits. In addition, the system was seriously impacting business continuity due to a shortage of engineers, software updates not being implemented and security risks. NTN also had to address limited traceability of business transactions (including product movement records), inefficient inbound/outbound operations at its domestic warehouses, and enhance the standardisation of finished product logistics management. On top of that, it needed to develop a system platform for its DX initiatives.

NTN therefore launched a project to rebuild its core business system. This entailed adopting Infor WMS for a range of systems, including inbound and outbound operations at its warehouses and production history management at its plants. NTN chose Infor WMS for a number of reasons, including its extensive functionality; it enables efficient implementation of business reforms with the purpose-built package; it has been adopted widely in Japan and overseas with extensive integration with ERP; and it enables the creation of a new, innovative logistics platform with future potential. The strong support provided by Infor was yet another reason for NTN’s adoption of Infor WMS.

Results

NTN  adopted three Infor WMS modules for inbound, outbound, and logistics cost management at 52 sites across Japan including 17 regular warehouses, three automated warehouses and 32 plant shipping facilities. Simultaneous operation of all 52 sites was a prerequisite for the project because a range of departments would need to access all warehouses at the same time. Using iPads to efficiently conduct remote training and proficiency testing, the company succeeded in aligning operations at all sites.

The planned rollout was able to avoid initial concerns that adopting the new system would cause confusion in the workplace, leading to delays in receiving and shipping at the warehouses and issues with inventory accuracy. Anticipated results were achieved, including the standardisation of warehouse operations and finished product shipping processes, management of logistics costs, and connection between logistics costs and receiving/shipping transactions.

Receipt and shipping operations were streamlined as well because the new system enabled cross-docking, with products shipped immediately after receipt. This enabled same-day processing for work that previously took two or three days to complete. The benefits of an integrated ERP included being able to maintain safe inventories for each warehouse and each item registered in the ERP and, through integration with transportation lanes registered in the ERP, it also enabled the streamlining of finished product logistics by automating tasks that were previously done manually. Standardisation of outer labels and use of QR codes also enabled finished product traceability.

Koji Takahashi, NTN executive officer and IT manager, commented: “The adoption of Infor WMS has enabled us to instantly identify business-related issues, and then improve and enhance the efficiency of those processes, through the standardisation and visualisation of finished product shipping processes at all of our warehouses and plants across Japan.

“With improved connectivity with other systems, and other benefits it offers, we have no doubt that we made the right decision in adopting Infor WMS. We plan to add additional warehouses and plant shipping facilities in the future as we expand our businesses and distribution warehouses, so we look forward to taking advantage of Infor’s project management capabilities and global support systems.”

Resource Management System Optimizes Warehouse Resources

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Generix Group, a global provider of collaborative SaaS Software solutions for the Supply Chain and commerce ecosystems, announces Resource Management System, its warehouse resource planning and optimization solution. Facing the growing complexity of order flows and the problems of absenteeism and turnover, companies must be able to anticipate better. Generix Group combines, in a single solution, performance analysis and resource planning services to improve warehouse productivity. Resource Management System is a powerful tool that increases employee loyalty by improving the quality of life at work, which enhance the attractiveness of warehouse jobs.

Supply chain managers are dealing with several challenges in the warehouse: performance, flexibility, complexity and granularity of orders and volume variations. In addition, new parameters have emerged with e-commerce, such as customization, deadlines, and volatility, which require organizational hyperagility. RMS provides an answer combining the excellence of the customer promise and the optimization of the first cost item of the supply chain: resources, both human and material. By offering analysis and resource planning functionalities in a single solution, Resource Management System (RMS) is a new performance lever for the warehouse. The solution is available in SaaS mode and can be easily integrated with all the WMS solutions available on the market.

Anticipate needs of resources to reduce the costs

Increasingly erratic orders, absenteeism and difficulties in recruiting, the challenges faced by warehouses impact their productivity and costs. In addition, meeting the growing demand for new and more personalized services requires flexibility, both for operators and in production resources. Warehouse managers want to anticipate the need of resources by considering both the capacity of their staff and the volumes of work planned for each day to better manage their available resources. They must therefore better decide and anticipate the adequacy of their workloads and capacities to have a better visibility of their daily needs. With RMS, logistics managers maximize their resources by being able to measure their productivity, plan their resources and improve the commitment of their teams with a single tool.

Measure productivity to optimize logistics production resources

The unique combination of Labour Management and Resource Planning features allows optimal management of logistics production resources in warehouses, which are becoming larger and more automated. With the RMS solution, the forecasting and organization of human and material resources can be automated. Before investing in new equipment, site managers can be sure to get the most out of their existing resources.

RMS defines and automates load plan updates as finely as necessary: by task, by day, or even by hour. It calculates the average time required to complete the workload per shift (receiving, order preparation, packaging) and considers working conditions and employee profiles to adapt standards and set objectives. Lastly, it measures the productivity of operators, considering the context of execution, to feed the HR tools.
Develop operators’ versatility for more flexible warehouses

With more and more unitary references and preparations, site managers need to increase their flexibility to improve the ability of their resources to move easily from one task to another: an increasing requirement with variations in volumes and a growing demand for new services. With RMS, they plan the allocation of their resources, both human and material, dynamically and in real time. Artificial intelligence adds a layer of automation to the decision-making process: it anticipates the workloads to be executed and optimizes the distribution of resources, while adapting to the specificities of each warehouse, their objectives and constraints. Some warehouses have absenteeism rates of 50%: calculating real capacity and optimizing the use of the available workforce daily is a major challenge, especially for very large sites.
Resource versatility is more than ever a lever to increase flexibility and productivity, considering resource planning and individual performance per shift. RMS allows operators to move from one job to another during the same shift and perform different tasks, reducing fatigue and repetitiveness. The results: increased productivity, smarter scheduling for employees, daily management of employee absences, and a 50% rise in the reliability of capacity forecasts.

Better attract, recruit and retain employees, by strengthening its employer brand

Salary conditions are no longer a sufficient lever to retain employees. Faced with the difficulties of recruiting and retaining employees, the attractiveness of work sites and the diversity of assignments are a major challenge for both managers and human resources, especially since the use of temporary workers and staff training are very expensive. In addition, companies must address several societal issues: managing long careers with physical tasks, preventing work-related accidents, occupational diseases, and hardship. Thanks to the RMS solution, which dynamically assigns relevant tasks to operators and measures their performance, both individual and global, in an objective and transparent manner, warehouses can reinforce their attractiveness. By considering actual performance and monitoring learning curves, site managers can reward their operators and increase their motivation and loyalty by up to 20%.

Another motivator is gamification. Warehouse workers like to participate in challenges like counting their daily steps. Taking part in challenges keeps operators energized and motivated, allowing them to track their activity more accurately, the number of peaks per hour and their personal performance data compared to the group. RMS measures instantaneous productivity against a target.

“Today, logistics managers face a major challenge: accurately anticipate what they will be able to produce in the next few hours, days, months. How much would it cost, for example, considering new products, customers, etc. on an existing logistics capacity, while ensuring the loyalty of the teams in place? Warehouses need to be more flexible to meet their objectives and to anticipate and plan the allocation of their resources. With its data analysis, load calculation and forecasting, planning and

simulation services, RMS supports supply chain managers daily. The solution is also a way to get the most out of the existing before engaging in more complex and costly projects of integration of new means of production such as robots or automats, for example.”, explains Nicolas PICQUEREY, Chief Solutions & Services Officer for Generix Group.

Construction Supplier Commissions Dematic Solution

Posted on by David Priestman

F.lli Zangrillo Materiali da Costruzione, one of the largest wholesale distribution companies in the Italian hardware and building materials industry, has recently commissioned a Dematic automation solution managed by Dematic software and designed specifically for two warehouse sites.

The project features stand-alone AutoStore cube storage systems at two Zangrillo locations in Lecce and Formia. With the facilities now operational, the family-owned company has taken the first steps toward automating its production sites.

According to CEO Aldo Zangrillo, the new Dematic solutions allow the company to achieve faster deliveries, which will help secure their position in the market. Additionally, the new solutions will enhance warehouse space to expand product range in the future. “We are in a position where we must be able to increase logistics capacity to support rapid growth and increased market share,” says Zangrillo. “We set an aggressive goal of reducing delivery times to our customers from an average of about 72 hours down to 24 hours.”

Founded in 1974 in Formia, south of Rome, the company had been looking to improve the performance of several of its processes, including picking and storing small parts, while improving safety and productivity of goods-to-person staff. According to Zangrillo management, they selected intelligent automated solution provider Dematic based on its strong analysis produced in the project design phase, its ability to pull resources from a global structure and network of professionals, its experience in supplying extensions to existing facilities, and the overall professionalism of the Dematic team.

For the Lecce location, the Dematic solution features an AutoStore system with an 8-level grid for storage and order fulfilment processes, three picking carousel ports, conveyor, eight R5 robots and 8,000 bins. Dematic Software manages the overall solution.

Meanwhile, at the Formia location, the Dematic solution features an AutoStore system with a 16-level grid for storage and order fulfilment processes, three picking carousel ports, conveyor, 12 R5 robots and 20,000 bins. Again, Dematic Software manages the overall solution. “It has been gratifying to contribute to improving Zangrillo’s logistics processes and to support them in their initial and most important step in implementing automation in their production sites,” says Flavio Este, CEO at Dematic Italia.

Rosario Filomena, the Dematic sales manager responsible for the negotiations of the two solutions, adds, “With our solution now in place, we are confident Zangrillo can achieve their goals with these compact, scalable, easily expandable, high-performance storage systems which require minimal energy consumption and provide a high degree of security and employee safety.”

Dematic designs, builds, and supports intelligent automated solutions empowering and sustaining the future of commerce for its customers in manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution. With research and development engineering centres, manufacturing facilities, and service centres located in more than 35 countries, the Dematic global network of over 11,000 employees has helped achieve approximately 8,000 worldwide customer installations for some of the world’s leading brands. Headquartered in Atlanta, Dematic is a member of KION Group, one of the world’s leading suppliers of industrial trucks and supply chain solutions.

SnapControl – Warehouse Automation Connectivity

Posted on by David Priestman

Synergy, the experts behind cloud-based WMS software SnapFulfil, have unveiled a breakthrough tech solution that orchestrates all automation devices and robotic systems within the warehouse from one centralized and convenient platform. As a multiagent, rather than just a point solution, SnapControl brings a more uniform approach to automation, which also makes this pioneering orchestration platform completely device and technology agnostic.

Synergy has successfully delivered the solution in an expanding customer DC, featuring AMRs and automated packaging systems, where SnapControl was deployed in just weeks, without major software upheavals. This deployment is the first of many as more businesses explore the need for many different types of automation in their warehouses.

Rich Pirrotta, Group CEO said: “As businesses adopt new technologies and automation to mitigate labour challenges and make warehouses more efficient and productive, the ability to rapidly integrate and operate these investments is critical. Synergy is one of the very few WMS providers with an integrated, holistic and high value solution that can be deployed quickly, cost effectively and with minimum disruption.”

SnapControl orchestrates the prioritization of work, automatically allocates tasks and workflows, evaluates which robotic devices best match specific operations, and enables data capture to assess the value each device yields – all with a low total cost of ownership and rapid time to value. Equally, it connects to all types of devices, including RF, AMRs, Conveyors, Palletizers, Putwalls, ASRS, etc, plus in any possible transport method (API, CSV, etc,) – and if one type stops working, you can switch over to another device quickly and in real-time. SnapControl uniquely promotes bi-directional MQTT (MQ Telemetry Transport) messaging and conversational decision-making between the WMS and remote warehouse devices, which typically have a small code footprint and minimal network bandwidth.

“In other words, SnapControl speaks to the devices and the devices talk back, enabling the most efficient warehouse decisions to be made automatically,” explained Pirrotta.

Consequently, it’s an ideal solution for mixed portfolio and multiple vendors offering both AMRs and other autonomous/manual systems, plus it works hand in hand with SnapFulfil and any other incumbent WMS, OMS or e-commerce front end system – both in the cloud or locally. This latest technological differentiator from Synergy facilitates a much more efficient and adaptable warehouse that accelerates integration and gives customers the freedom to choose automation and robotic devices that best fit specific operational needs and can futureproof the business and workforce needs. Additional benefits due to the power of SnapFulfil’s Tier 1 WMS rules engine functionality include the capacity to make adjustments for expiry dates and traceability, create buffers for delaying tasks and manage exceptions without downtime.

Pirrotta concludes: “Single point integrations prolong onboarding time, slow growth and often operate within ineffective and separate silos. In today’s especially challenging times the ability to rapidly augment and orchestrate your technology investments, without unnecessary service fees, has never been more important. It’s now mission critical to harness control with 24/7 visibility from one centralized system.”

To download a free handy guide explaining multiagent orchestration and its many benefits visit here.

Technology Empowering Logistics Workforce

Posted on by David Priestman

Technology in logistics can be a powerful tool to empower your team and enhance the logistics sector workforce. Logistics software supplier CartonCloud are known for creating systems that empower and cater to the needs of small-medium-sized logistics companies. In this article, the software leaders look at what humans can do while aided by technology.

“We’re interested in exploring how the logistics workforce can be empowered to achieve more, by the use of emerging technology and innovative solutions,” said CartonCloud CEO and Founder Vincent Fletcher. “We’re seeing a number of new technologies emerge that are increasing safety and workforce enjoyment, and opening up new opportunities to engage a wider workforce in logistics roles.”

Fletcher says the innovation is already there, it’s how the sector uses it that matters most. “Logistics providers are already using technology and software solutions to focus on optimization. They are streamlining workflows and processes, and simplifying tasks at hand, in order to get more out of every dollar and resource they have. The industry is being pushed to deliver faster shipment timeframes and more flexible order and delivery options, and this means all logistics operators must be working smarter to find efficiencies – including smaller companies who may not have the financial clout to cover massive upfront costs for solutions.”

Small-medium sized operators make up a majority of the supply chain across North America. “We need to ensure that these smaller players have access to the tools they need to stay competitive,” said CartonCloud Head of North America/COO Shaun Hagen. “It comes down to the suitability of the software for their needs, and how quickly and easily they can have the system up and running, to start seeing the benefits. First and foremost, they need solutions that are easy to use and implement – there’s no point having the highest tech if it’s too difficult to train their staff on. Next, it has to give them flexibility and to allow them to scale according to opportunities and demand as the market shifts. And finally, it needs to provide a range of seamless and flexible integration options that allow them to connect with their customers and industry partners as they need.”

Technical innovation in logistics is not about replacing humans – it’s about empowering your workforce to do more.

“Robotics, automation, and software can remove the need for certain manual tasks, and increase workforce output and productivity,” adds Fletcher. “The right tools and solutions can even reduce risk for humans working in high-risk conditions like high or low temperatures, physically demanding roles, or working with heavy machinery. There’s a huge opportunity for smaller players to access the solutions as a plug-and-play service, once they already have their business online – and that’s where we come in.”

CartonCloud’s warehouse and transport management software is designed specifically for SMB logistics operators, with user-centred design and features created specifically for the industry.
The software, often referred to as ‘mission-critical’, removes tedious and time-consuming tasks, boosts scalability, and increases efficiency.

“Our software is designed by logistics people, for logistics people, with every design feature, functionality and update created to make the lives of logistics people easier – while allowing them to grow their business,” concludes Fletcher.

With greater access to logistics technology and automation and human-centric technology, Fletcher and his team believe the world of work within logistics will evolve, offering new roles that are aided by machinery and technology, and creating new opportunities for others to build new solutions within the network.

 

WMS: Size Doesn’t Matter

Posted on by David Priestman

If an SME is struggling with its warehouse operations and WMS, Big Box Group may have just the right answer, as Peter MacLeod discovers.

Unlike many other systems integrators operating in the logistics space, the Big Box Group says its expertise lies in optimising the operations of SMEs, rather than the household-name high street and ecommerce retailers. The group comprises three business units, namely a rapidly growing warehouse intralogistics company (dealing with racking, mezzanine floors, warehouse design and material handling products), a temporary warehouse company (although many of these so-called temporary solutions are still in everyday use decades later) and an automation arm, which covers AGVs, AMRs, goods-to-person systems, tote-to-person systems, through to scanning technologies, RFID and WMS.

Jason Dyche (pictured), Big Box Group’s Division Director, says that post-lockdown, SMEs have spent three years getting goods out of the door and hitting sales targets rather than looking at where to invest to optimise their processes, so there are now opportunities to help them bring their systems back up to date. With the IT element of the industry’s technological advances arguably running at a faster pace than other more physical aspects, Dyche feels a modern WMS system such as that offered by Big Box Group can offer small businesses the greatest immediate gains.

As an independent supplier, Big Box says it can offer solutions based on the customer’s specific needs. But sometimes in the case of SMEs the customer doesn’t have a brief – they know improvements need to be made but don’t have the specific knowledge to pinpoint exactly where. That’s where Big Box comes into its own, walking a business through its pain points and offering options to solve them whilst working to a set budget. A second challenge is that sometimes these businesses also don’t know what their budget is. A further challenge is when a customer’s IT department is change averse.

“Yes, that can be a bit of a stumbling block especially in smaller companies,” says Dyche. “We come up with some efficient solutions for colleagues and decision-makers within that business. But a lot of companies don’t find it particularly easy to understand what systems are brought into place, So we try to organise a steering group meeting, which somebody will head-up from that business, and then you can go through the whole process so the company knows exactly what you’re looking to do. We’ll also involve not just the heads of the company; we include operations and pickers from the warehouse . It’s vitally important in order to engage with end users.”

Those pain points could be related to ordering, inventory, scanning efficiencies, or the purchasing area of the business. Increasing picking accuracy towards 100% from the current industry-standard 95-97% is another area where Dyche is focusing. “We can’t be all things to all men, but if I see a business that is struggling with their systems, then I will bring in the right resource to come up with a solution. Our aim is to achieve increased productivity and increased accuracy. We can also look to reduce carbon footprint and emissions on the back of a new WMS system, especially as compliance in this area is getting stricter.”

Operating out of a satellite office in Beverley, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, Big Box Group covers the entire length and breadth of the UK. Rather than retaining a large staff, its strategy is to boost its existing in-house capability by bringing in expertise on an as-needed basis. Thus by only having staff overheads when actual projects are successfully won, Big Box believes it can approach SMEs with a solution that’s likely to be more cost-effective for them.

Whatever aspect of the business is being improved, Dyche always calculates achievable payback options, a task not always simple when not all businesses have a clear idea exactly where their costs have previously been accounted for. It’s important to use a collaborative approach which effectively wins the hearts and minds of a customer’s workforce. Dyche says increased employee satisfaction is a major goal: “If you can get more people on board and understand the reasons for change, this inevitably makes their lives a bit easier, resulting in increased productivity. A happier workforce means everybody is pulling together.”

Dutch Supply Chain Consultancy Groenewout Acquired

Posted on by David Priestman

Consulting, engineering and optimization of logistics networks: with the acquisition of a majority stake in Dutch supply chain consultancy Groenewout, EPG Consulting is strengthening its consulting business in Europe and worldwide. Groenewout has more than 55 years of experience in its consulting services, especially in the area of (re-)design and optimization of logistics networks, realization and implementation of (mechanized) warehouse operations. The common goal is to expand the Benelux and international customer business and to strengthen the position of the company as an independent holistic supply chain consultancy.

Both companies will benefit from strong synergies and complementary service offerings. After the acquisition, the two companies are together one of the leading independent supply chain and logistics consultancies and leaders in terms of experience and realized projects. The location in Breda, the Netherlands, will be the starting point for the further expansion of the joint activities. The management team consists of Alain Beerens (Director Groenewout) and Marcel Wilhelms (Director and Managing Director EPG Consulting). Groenewout will operate in the market as a member of EPG.

Supply chain consulting for the European market

Groenewout was founded in 1966 and is today one of the best-known logistics and supply chain consulting specialists in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. The company designs supply chain and logistics solutions for its international customers and has in-depth expertise in construction management & engineering (CM&E).

“Groenewout combines their expertise in supply chain, logistics and CM&E into a great overall package, perfectly complementing our service offering,” says Marcel Wilhelms, Managing Director of EPG Consulting. “We are observing an increased demand for holistic planning and realization, especially with regard to automation solutions. In addition, it is becoming increasingly important to plan logistics real estate precisely according to customer needs and the logistics solution it entails. Groenewout also has an excellent network on the European and international market. We see great potential for development and can also open up new consulting segments for us – for example in the area of transport management consulting.” In line with the new TMS Consulting business area, EPG Consulting has the right solution in Greenplan for a holistic consulting and optimization project, including the implementation of the solution.”

According to Alain Beerens, Director Groenewout; “Groenewout has over the past 55 years built a successful logistics and supply chain consultancy. We are well positioned to further develop our full potential as part of EPG Consulting and to provide an even better service offering to all our customers.”

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