Archive for Logistics Technologies
The CEO and VP of Marketing of Airclic, a software-as-a-service provider of Mobile Resource Management (MRM) solutions, came in to brief us recently. One of the stories that caught my attention was how one of its customers, a waste collection company, uses the company’s solution.
The problem the customer was experiencing was that its drivers would go to an industrial dumpster, empty it, and move on with their… Continue reading
I recently spoke to the folks at BabbleWare, a new software vendor with a low-cost warehouse management, manufacturing execution, and mobile field-based execution applications. BabbleWare mentioned that one of its WMS clients is actually experimenting with using the iPhone as their barcode scanning application.
Are they crazy?
Yes, you can buy a barcoding application at Apple’s App Store, and it is cheap—only $1.99 for the RedLaser
This Week in Logistics Software News
· CommentsThis was a very busy week in logistics software news, with many announcements made at the National Retail Federation (NRF) Annual Convention & Expo. In case you missed it, here is a quick round-up of some of the announcements this week (all of the vendors below are ARC clients):
- Descartes Unveils Comprehensive Logistics Suite for Retailers
- Descartes and Motorola Announce Latest Intelligent AVL Solution
Our annual Transportation Management Systems (TMS) Market Outlook Study was delayed this year due to other priorities, but it will get published after the holidays with a forecasted market size for 2009 and a five-year outlook through 2014. I won’t steal the report’s thunder here, but it’s sufficient to say that despite the strong value proposition of transportation management systems, the market was not able to fully escape the… Continue reading
Revisiting Supply Chain Operating Networks
· CommentsBack in August 2003, I wrote a report titled “The Emergence of Supply Chain Operating Networks (SC-ON).” I recently reread the report and I was struck by how relevant the content remains today. Here is an excerpt of the executive summary:
Companies are no longer masters of their own destiny. They’re dependent on suppliers, service providers, customers, and many other external parties to succeed.
Whereas in the past business… Continue reading
Google Maps Navigation and Private Fleets
· CommentsGoogle is shaking up the GPS and navigation industry with some recent announcements. For example, Google is developing a map database to compete with the routing and navigation maps provided by NAVTEQ and Tele Atlas.
The company also announced it is offering a free turn-by-turn (TBT) navigation app with its Android 2.0-based smart phones (see video below and click here for more info and screenshots). Android… Continue reading
Software as a Capital Expense
· CommentsEarlier this year, some of my colleagues here at ARC wrote a Strategic Report titled “Capital Expenditure Survey 2009” (available to ARC clients only). The report got me thinking about the differences between how hardware and software are expensed, and how those differences affect a logistics executive’s annual budget.
I talked to executives at some of our logistics software vendor clients, including i2 Technologies, RedPrairie
Dow’s RFID Journey
· CommentsThree years ago, Dow Chemical, the largest chemical company in the world, began a journey to explore the usefulness of RFID to enhance security, improve customer satisfaction, and reduce costs.
When Dow began to explore this new and still maturing technology, it put together a thorough set of processes to facilitate the analysis and adoption of RFID. Additionally, the company decided that RFID and GPS would work well… Continue reading
