Execution Technology
Using Transportation Management Tech to Promote Best Practices
Transportation management systems are helping companies to embrace best practices in their supply-chain execution programs, according to industry analysts and software vendors. Quoting research from the Aberdeen Group, a recent white paper from Manhattan Associates, Inc. notes that companies have long adopted such best practices as centralization of transportation management, automation of order consolidation, tighter control over inbound freight and self-invoicing. More recently, TMS technology has aided in the development of three additional best practices: carrier collaboration, universal information access and "360-degree" scorecarding. All three make for a more integrated supply chain, in which information flows smoothly within the company and between trading partners. At the same time, they can help companies to keep costs in check. Still, Manhattan warns against viewing technology as a "silver bullet," without the simultaneous creation of new organizational structures and greater interaction with internal departments and trading partners. In addition, Manhattan cautions, "don't promote the [technology] problem as 'one and done.' With ever-changing requirements, transportation management calls for continual technology evolution." RedPrairie Corp., another leading vendor of execution technology, says TMS software can give companies "better visibility to the entire set of order fulfillment activities in play at any moment, as well as more effectively managing interaction activities with carriers." Bottom line, say the vendors: state-of-the-art TMS packages can deliver an even stronger return on investment than before. Independent analysts echo that view. According to Greg Aimi and Debra Hofman of AMR Research, Inc., supply-chain execution software plays a key role in delivering product on time, accurately, and without damage the so-called "perfect order." A single percentage-point improvement in demand visibility correlates with a 2-percentage-point improvement in perfect order performance, and a 3-percentage-point rise in perfect orders results in 1 percent of additional profit margin, the AMR analysts say. Even more critical from an investor's standpoint, a 2-percentage point improvement in perfect order means a 10-cent rise in earnings per share.
www.manh.com
www.redprairie.com
www.amrresearch.com
HighJump Releases Several New Supply Chain Advantage Products
HighJump Software has released version 8.0 of Supply Chain Advantage, the vendor's suite of software tools for supply-chain execution. The new version contains a number of product enhancements, including an improved graphical user interface on the Microsoft .NET-enabled platform. In the area of warehouse management systems (WMS), HighJump has strengthened its Warehouse Advantage software based on current best practices, emerging industry trends and customer feedback. The WMS has been fully integrated with the Voice-Directed Distribution system from Vocollect, which adds voice-enabled picking options that are configurable by warehouse, pick area or employee. HighJump has also introduced enhancements for inventory replenishment, allowing for dynamic calculations of quantities based on demand. To the software's supply-chain visibility feature, the vendor has added a complete set of executive dashboard performance metrics and Web pages. Manufacturing Advantage, HighJump's manufacturing execution system, now includes a scheduling workbench which allows planners to manage production against a set schedule. The system also includes stronger shop-floor production reporting and asset management capabilities, which aid in the tracking of operational efficiency. HighJump has equipped its Yard Advantage software with a graphical user interface, permitting drag-and-drop yard moves, multi-yard support and real-time location tracking for trailers. Customers can visualize their yards on-screen and make adjustments based on real-time inventory usage requirements. The latest version of HighJump's Advantage Platform includes support for Microsoft SQL Server 2005 and Oracle 10g.
http://www.highjump.com
http://www.vocollect.com
GT Nexus Releases Global Freight Audit Management System
GT Nexus, a provider of transportation portal technology and related software for international freight management, has released its new Global Freight Audit system. Deployed over the GT Nexus Web portal as a network-based service, the system is designed for importers and exporters as well as third-party logistics providers. It is intended to aid in the management of global freight spend, especially through the alignment of actual freight charges with contract rates and service commitments. According to GT Nexus, customers can avoid the less-effective options of matching rates manually, purchasing packaged software, or outsourcing the job to a third-party invoice-management firm. The GT Nexus platform automates the capture, correction, validation and analysis of global freight charges. Invoices are captured electronically from service providers in a central data store. Actual charges are then compared automatically against digitized freight contracts, which are represented as "structured" data and stored in the same system. Exceptions based on customer-set thresholds can be identified, and discrepancies resolved. The system can also provide insight into monthly freight spend; variance by lane, product line or carrier, and the impact of new fuel charges or other accessorials.
http://www.gtnexus.com
Apriso Upgrades FlexNet Tool for Manufacturing Execution
Version 9.3 of FlexNet is now available from its developer, Apriso Corp., as well as from resellers. FlexNet is a software application that supports manufacturing execution. It can be deployed in a standalone fashion or as part of other business software, such as enterprise resource planning, customer relationship management and product lifecycle management. The product ties together the various activities of a manufacturer's organization, supplying a modular suite of applications that can be deployed as needed. At the heart of FlexNet 9.3 is Process Builder, an authoring tool which supports electronic process "flows" that can be deployed to workstations within a facility as well as throughout the manufacturer's extended supply chain. The new version contains more than 160 of these pre-built "flows," as well as a full range of modules that automate primary functions. They include Production, an adaptive manufacturing execution system with real-time monitoring of operations; Warehouse, a specialized WMS that is RFID-ready and integrates inbound and outbound logistics with warehouse operations; Quality, a paperless quality management system that finds defects and pinpoints their root causes; Maintenance, which integrates asset management and maintenance execution into product, logistics and field services operations; Reporting, a business intelligence application which collects, aggregates and updates performance data; and Global Process Management, a composite system which automates engineering change orders and supports global deployment, among other things.
http://www.apriso.com/
Provia Unveils Latest Version of ViaWare WMS Application
Provia Software has released ViaWare WMS 7.0, the latest version of its warehouse management system software. The product's underlying service-oriented architecture (SOA) provides integrated business intelligence and personalization capabilities. With SOA, ViaWare WMS can be integrated into an existing I.T. and supply-chain systems environment. In addition, the integrated business intelligence within ViaWare gives customers access to multiple levels of information analysis and related functionality, while enabling reports that grant access by all users to critical data. A dashboard view allows them to sort through all transaction data in real time from every warehouse in their distribution network. Information related to a particular day can also be viewed, and modified as events change. The Web services architecture built into ViaWare lets companies add functionality to the WMS on their own, while maintaining a standard product configuration, without the need to redevelop, re-integrate or re-test application extensions in future releases. Personalization capabilities provide end-user adaptability for the desktop, as well as radio-frequency and mobile devices. Users can easily set up and adapt menus, screens, language, reports, mobile device dialogs and field-level access to meet changing operational and customer requirements.
http://www.provia.com/
Maker of Rugby Shirts Meets 2006 Tournament Deadline
Cotton Traders, a producer of replica rugby shirts, has acquired a new warehouse management system (WMS) and supporting technology in time to meet peak demand generated by the February 2006 Six Nations Rugby Tournament. Cotton Traders recently implemented a WMS from SAP AG as part of a larger SAP project. It subsequently worked with Catalyst International, a provider of supply-chain execution systems, as well as its logistics partner, Elite Forwarders, to introduce wireless technology into its inbound, internal and outbound stock-management processes. Catalyst was chosen to develop a fully integrated radio-frequency system to automate the customer's warehouse operations. The system supports Cotton Traders' wholesale operation for supplying sports clothing stores throughout the United Kingdom. It is based on native SAPConsole technology, and enhanced by Catalyst's own SAP Transactions to manage inbound, picking, replenishment and dispatch. The system is operational at Cotton Traders' main distribution center, run by Elite Forwarders, in Leeds, Yorkshire. The previous technology, said Catalyst, did not allow for real-time visibility of warehouse movements. Cotton Traders says it expects to see a full return on its investment in the new software within 12 months.
http://www.catalystinternational.com
Bar-S Foods Opts for Nistevo Network Transport Management
Bar-S Foods, a U.S.-based meat processor, has selected the Nistevo Network transportation management system from Nistevo Corp. The Web-hosted application will allow Bar-S to automate its transportation planning, execution, settlement, reporting and scorecarding. The company selected Nistevo because of its experience in providing on-demand TMS software, said Jim Kline, vice president of procurement, logistics and product management. Bar-S began operating in 1981, after acquiring assets of the Cudahy Co. Today, it ranks among the 40 largest meat-processing companies in the U.S., selling more than 100 processed meat products under brands such as Bar-S, Extra Lean, President's Pride and Chuck Wagon. Annual sales exceed $400m.
http://www.nistevo.com/
Tailwind Offers Electronic Manifesting System for Truckers
Tailwind Management Systems Inc. has developed an electronic manifesting system for its trucking company clients. The product supports new U.S. Customs and Border Protection requirements for the electronic transmission of manifest data to all Customs border-crossing offices for truck shipments that are inbound to the U.S. The program will soon become mandatory, Tailwind said. In response, the vendor has partnered with Oceanwide Inc., whose established electronic manifest technology will ink up with Tailwind's Carrier Management System. The result, said the partners, will be quick approval for Tailwind clients of their e-manifests. Clients will only have to enter manifest data once into the Carrier Management System. Oceanwide's software will edit the data and automatically transmit it to U.S. Customs. "We feel truckers will begin to embrace E-Manifest once they understand that [it] will reduce paperwork and costly delays at the border awaiting customs clearance," said Keith Retallack, business manager with Tailwind. Oceanwide's truck e-manifest system has already been approved by U.S. Customs, he added.
http://www.tailwindsys.com/
Manhattan Teams Up With Indiana U. for RFID Simulations
Manhattan Associates, Inc. has joined with Indiana University's Kelley School of Business in Bloomington to build a scale model of a radio frequency identification-enabled supply chain in the school's lab. The project is intended to expose students to the new technology and its application in the new world, the partners said. In addition, it will create a controlled environment that can be utilized by companies who intended to deploy RFID in their supply-chain, as well as future professionals aiming to join the business marketplace. "By using actual RFID equipment in the classroom, students can understand the technology's role in helping companies track goods through the supply chain, see into inventory and eliminate out-of-stocks, ultimately increasing revenue," said M.A. Venkatarmanan, chair of the Kelley Undergraduate Program and a professor in the Operations and Decisions Technologies Department. "It's something quite different from just seeing it animated on a computer screen or reading about it in a textbook." Indiana University is one of the first business schools to build a working model of an RFID environment. Its lab will use miniature train sets, radio-controlled trucks, RFID tags, readers and antennae to create a scale model of how goods flow through the supply chain.
http://www.manh.com/
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