DC operators are turning to technologies like AI in their quest to deliver goods faster, better, and cheaper. The fascination with AI technology and the large, expected payoff is driving a great deal of enthusiasm in many companies. But there is a general lack of understanding of how AI-based software can be put into practice to enhance warehouse/distribution center operations. Here’s how to get started…
Before digital transformation revolutionized last mile delivery in grocery retail, one of my favorite activities was going to the supermarket with my family. Hand-picking items, pushing the shopping cart, driving home with the bags, and carrying them up the stairs was quite the Sunday afternoon activity. Fast-forward to the present day: we still shop together […]
When it comes to managing your freight spend, there are a few options to consider. The three traditional methods are the use of a transportation management system (TMS), transportation execution system (TES), and managed transportation services (MTS). Ultimately it comes down to whether shippers want to manage their freight spend in-house or outsource it. A […]
McKinsey, the global consulting firm, has done research and writing on supply chain collaboration. In some industries, suppliers account for over 80 percent of the value of the products that are produced. In one McKinsey survey of more than 100 large organizations in multiple sectors, companies that regularly collaborated with suppliers demonstrated higher growth, lower […]
Artificial Intelligence is not a new technology, but widespread adoption and use of AI and machine learning in supply chain is still in its infancy. Nevertheless, there are indications that AI in the warehouse is becoming a reality a lot sooner than most people might have expected. Preliminary results from a Lucas-commissioned survey of 350 […]
Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) as a process has been around since the 1980’s. While the terminology evolved, the underlying thesis of S&OP has stayed the same, i.e., bridge the divide between sales forecasts and operational plans while respecting the budget. In general, S&OP consists of a New product review, Demand Review, Supply Review, Management […]
I am wrapping up my Transportation Management Systems market study which looks at the total size of the market, the forecasted growth through 2025, and the leading suppliers across a number of categories including industry, region, and customer size. A key piece of the study is looking at the key drivers for TMS growth from […]
Pick your country, but you will find the same story: there are not enough drivers to meet transportation demand and the situation is not likely to change for years. Ecommerce experienced significant growth globally during the pandemic and is not slowing down as countries continue to open up. Other country-specific factors, such as Brexit which […]
Business professionals talk about “agility” and “resilience” as if they are the same thing. They are not. A company with an agile supply chain can react quickly to big increases or decreases in demand. An agile company is like a half back in football that can dart quickly to the left or the right depending […]
As an entrepreneur I’ve been reflecting on this a lot: The current milestone in logistics and fulfillment is using emerging technologies to capture and leverage exponentially growing data sets in warehouses and throughout the entire fulfillment network. Data sets have grown quickly in the cloud paradigm – and they exploded in 2020. Perhaps nobody realized how […]