Before we get started, a quick request: We’re conducting a brief web survey on “Mobile Technologies in Supply Chain.” The goal of the survey is to understand the current state of mobile technology use (e.g., GPS, cellular, RFID, sensors, smart phones) in supply chain management operations. All responses will be kept confidential; only aggregate results will be reported. The survey findings will be included in an upcoming report, which survey respondents will receive when published. Thank you in advance for your time and support.

Click here to take the survey.

This was a relatively quiet week for news; it must mean summer has begun.

Accellos enhanced its supply chain intelligence software, adding new interface features and key performance indicator enhancements. Having good business intelligence capabilities is the cost of entry these days for supply chain software vendors (and 3PLs) seeking to win deals. If you don’t have it, you don’t get called to the dance.

The CargoSmart-Ningbo E-Port announcement is another example of how software-as-a-service (SaaS) logistics solutions facilitate connectivity. And why companies are (or should start) paying more attention to B2B connectivity (see “IBM to Acquire Sterling Commerce: The Big Picture” for related commentary). According to the press release:

Ningbo Port is the world’s eighth largest port, with a throughput of over 10 million TEUs in 2009. Ningbo E-port is a government-backed organization that provides an information platform to help logistics service providers and cargo owners efficiently process imports and exports through the fast-growing Ningbo Port.

Ningbo E-port connected its platform to CargoSmart by electronic data interchange (EDI) for booking requests, shipping instructions, and cargo tracking data. The EDI integration with CargoSmart helps Ningbo E-port customers connect with their ocean carriers, submit bookings and shipping instructions, and manage their shipments effectively.

The Next View-enVista alliance is interesting. Normally, consulting firms and SaaS vendors don’t mix together well. One of the benefits of SaaS, after all, is simplified implementation, which translates into minimal implementation services revenues for consulting firms. Then again, SaaS does not eliminate the need for quality engineering (including establishing labor standards), training, and project managementent, which is what enVista will focus on.

Also, enVista already works with a SaaS TMS vendor, MercuryGate, which the company uses to power its outsourced freight management service. A consulting firm providing managed transportation services—yet another example of the convergence I wrote about earlier this week in “Time-to-Value: Developing a SaaS Equivalent for 3PLs.”

Finally, Al Gore and David Blood wrote an interesting op-ed piece in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal. This brief excerpt summarizes the theme of the piece nicely:

So how do we best motivate business leaders to manage for the long- term and compensate them for creating sustainable wealth? To begin with, compensation should be aligned with long-term objectives, and financial rewards should be linked to the period over which results are realized.

I normally don’t see eye-to-eye with Al Gore, but this op-ed resonated with me because it links nicely with some of the key concepts of Vested Outsourcing/performance-based outsourcing. It also underscores the key points that I raised earlier this year in “On Courage, Trust, and Patience in Logistics.” In that posting, I highlighted the following words from Richard MacLaren, General Manager North America at Unipart Logistics, from his presentation at our PBO seminar:

Have the courage to manage for the long term against the pressures we face today for instant results.

I then ended the piece with these words:

Trust, Courage, and Patience—you won’t find these things in financial statements or in the metrics used to reward CEOs and board members. But I believe these are the traits that will define leadership this decade. Yes, to trust is to take on risk. The same is true with having the courage to go against the grain and the patience to see it through. But the payoff is arguably greater and more sustainable than following that worn out path that serves as a shortcut today but often leads you back to where you started tomorrow.

Could it be that Al Gore reads Logistics Viewpoints?

Have a great weekend!

(Note: enVista, MercuryGate, IBM, Sterling Commerce, and Unipart Logistics  are ARC clients)

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