Digital innovation in logistics warehouses

SUPPLY CHAIN

Article | June 29, 2022

Contents 1. Accessing The State and Federal Benefits 2. A Learning Portal to Educate Rural Communities On EV Charging 3. The Significance of an Equitably Relevant EV Charging Network Electric Vehicles (EVs) are making waves in cities and are more than just the latest trend in transportation. With the advancement of the EV charging network and its deployment across urban areas, experts are asking what’s next and how this growth can be replicated in rural areas. 1. Accessing State and Federal Benefits Based in Oregon, Forth is an EV research and advocacy group that recently announced a partnership with General Motors to build grant templates that can help rural communities win and access state and federal grant money to build EV charging networks. The templates will be provided free of charge and cover 80% of a complete grant. Geoff Gibson, the senior program manager for Forth, believes this will give rural communities the impetus to seek out the grant money and get over the initial hurdle of framing a grant proposal. 2. A Learning Portal to Educate Rural Communities on EV Charging Forth also announced the slated launch of a learning portal that will address the lack of know-how on deploying a charging program for EVs. The portal will empower communities with not just the knowledge of implementing charging programs but also their significance and long-term impact on the community. The learning portal will tentatively go live in 2023 and will be free for local communities, counties, cities, and states, as well as community organizations. The program will be accessible for a year and could be further extended. According to Steve Lommele from the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, he reiterated the importance of building a national EV charging network. He states that this is the first time a major program has been put in place that covers all 50 states in the U.S., including Puerto Rico and Washington D.C. 3. The Significance of an Equitably Relevant EV Charging Network Deploying EV charging stations in rural areas has to be meaningful for the communities that will be using them. Forth’s Geoff Gibson emphasizes that the needs of the communities need to be given priority when designing the charging network. For instance, DC charging or charging that is publicly accessible should be preferred at trailheads. EVs as part of our transport in the future is inevitable and charging networks and program need to be prioritized to ensure all communities are able to access its benefits equally.

SOFTWARE AND TECHNOLOGY, SUPPLY CHAIN

Article | August 3, 2022

The complexity of today’s supply chain has resulted in a highly fragmented supply chain ecosystem. Whether it is a global pandemic or an ongoing war, streamlining the moving parts in the supply chain management system is an immense feat in the current climate. The resulting shortage of materials, disruption of transportation, and delays have complicated the supply chain even further. Add to it the expectation to minimize expenses, optimize inventory, and enable quality and customer expectations, and stakeholders at every level of the supply chain are inundated with challenges. This is where using advanced analytics in supply chain can be a game changer for many manufacturers. It can help them gain a deeper insight into their operations and how the supply chain is moving. How Supply Chain Analytics Enriches Supply Chain Management A 360-degree view of the supply chain is crucial for supply chain leaders. A lack of insight can cause costly delays and avoidable disruptions. Obtaining complete visibility in supply chain management, on the other hand, can be difficult. The immense volume of data that many organizations have to deal with makes it difficult to gain proper insight. Supply chain analytics tools help in gaining a better sense of the aggregated data from different parts of the supply chain, such as procurement, ERP in supply chain management, warehousing management, shipping and logistics management, and many more. The more accurate the data is, the simpler it is to use advanced supply chain management analytics to forecast, predict, and plan better in order to maximize the supply chain’s capabilities. Optimizing the Supply Chain: 3 Ways to Do so with Analytics With the range of analytics applications in supply chain in use today, manufacturers have the opportunity to completely transform how to view, manage and strategize. Here are five data analytics supply chain tools to consider in the pursuit of optimization. Demand Forecasting Inventory management is at the heart of supply chain optimization. Not calibrating the inventory stock based on demand and supply for bestselling products and those that don’t move fast can cause either an overstocking or understocking problem. Either way, forecasting the right balance is difficult to achieve, but data analytics can make it simpler. The lack of the right products in stock can heavily impact the bottom line. According to a survey by Logility, 36% of supply chain experts consider inventory optimization the primary reason for adopting analytics. An integrated mapping of retail sales, inventory levels, and the flow of goods will lead to accurate demand forecasting. This data can empower organizations to: Strategize sales promotions Define product pricing Maximize budgets Predict accurate inventory levels Inventory management has a cascading effect on the supply chain, and advanced demand forecasting has helped many organizations achieve an optimum level of inventory for the right products. Predictive Warehousing Maintenance Machine Learning (ML), artificial intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT) have been emerging technologies on the supply chain management landscape. By using a mix of these technologies, it is possible for manufacturers to deploy predictive maintenance in warehousing. Predictive maintenance is the process of assessing data generated from the past and in real-time to determine patterns and identify equipment failure and maintenance schedule before a breakdown occurs. This helps manufacturers to: Avoid heavy repair costs Plan spare part supply Slash downtime from equipment failure Eliminate production delays In addition to reducing production bottlenecks, predictive maintenance gives businesses the ability to manage their equipment and optimize their shelf-life. Warehousing Efficiency At the warehouse phase of the supply chain, analytics can help manage the supply chain in more than just one way. The warehouse workflow is just as crucial, as it facilitates a clear view of the condition of goods as well as the optimization of the warehouse space. In addition to warehouse space maximization, quality control is another challenge that warehousing management addresses. Supply chain analytics can enhance warehousing efficiency by: Ensuring the correct storage of goods based on their weight, fragility, and perishability Aligning with resource management like equipment, vehicles Identifying disruptions to storage before they occur One of the advantages of supply chain analytics is getting a deep insight into the warehouse’s operation so manufacturers can identify gaps and take steps to make it more efficient. Transportation Tracking Real-time analytics of transportation and logistics is a crucial piece in the puzzle of supply chain management. For example, the data generated in relation to fuel consumption, weather conditions, and even traffic patterns can help organizations boost their logistics and carrier management. It can help them to: Schedule deliveries Determine better routes Evaluate current routes Strategize their shipping schedule To Wrap it Up To put it simply, a deep insight into the supply chain, inventory management, and warehouse operations is a great way to ensure the supply chain is on track. Effective supply chain management software is an asset for an organization when it is able to leverage the insights and make well-informed strategies to further optimize the supply chain.

SOFTWARE AND TECHNOLOGY, SUPPLY CHAIN

Article | July 14, 2022

The modern competitive environment requires redesigning of functionality for warehouses to deliver the desired results and sustain their presence in their industry. In this context, a well-defined WMS plays a significant role in perfect performance. At the front of your business, an efficient warehouse is the face of your brand: it is essential for customer satisfaction because it helps ensure quick, accurate shipments. Happy customers mean happy business owners, which make happy staff, which just makes everything better.

Article | February 10, 2020

Did you know that the return of your supply chain process depends on how your software technology works as well as the efficiency of the people involved in the entire process? However, changes keep taking place, and you might feel clueless as to where your initiative is going. Supply chain testing is done in order to know and mark the various aspects where the supply chain is the weakest. Since data handling is a crucial aspect, managing it becomes even more necessary.