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— April 26, 2006

Execution Technology

Aberdeen: On-Demand Supply-Chain Apps Are Gaining Popularity
Supply-chain execution software is increasingly being made available in an on-demand format, also known as software as a service (SaaS), according to Aberdeen Group, Inc. A new report by the consultancy, sponsored in part by software vendor GXS, says that companies with superior supply-chain performance are the most common adopters of the SaaS model. Many have already implemented on-demand versions of customer relationship management (CRM) and sales force automation (SFA). Supply-chain management (SCM) software, however, has been somewhat slower to embrace the trend. An Aberdeen survey does find that 51 percent of respondents are considering the use of on-demand applications for SCM. For those companies, visibility ranks as one of their top priorities related to supply-chain execution. Eighty percent of those thinking about deploying on-demand SCM said they would consider using it for supply-chain visibility. Other popular functions within on-demand SCM applications include data synchronization and the matching of supply and demand between suppliers and manufacturers. “Based on our study, on-demand SCM provides overwhelming benefits, especially in implementation speed, maintenance ease and return on investment,” said Beth Enslow, senior vice president of enterprise research at Aberdeen. “This is a market that is attracting interest from companies of all sizes in nearly all verticals.” Vendors such as GXS, who have an established base of customers coupled with a menu of on-demand SCM services, are most likely to reap the benefits of surging interest in that area, Enslow said. The report further notes that nearly half of the survey respondents expect to turn to on-demand SCM specialists, instead of existing enterprise resource planning (ERP) and logistics services vendors, for their new SCM applications.
http://www.aberdeen.com/

Wagner Industries Installs New Warehouse-Management Software
Wagner Industries, a logistics service provider based in Kansas City, MO, has acquired new software for managing its warehouse operations. The company purchased two applications from RedPrairie Corp.: DLx Warehouse for distribution management, and DLx Labor for workforce performance management. Wagner plans to implement the systems at a 500,000-square-foot facility in Kansas City in July. It will then roll them out to nine other facilities over the next 12 months. Wagner said it needed new tools to meet growing customer demands for more sophisticated distribution, visibility and system integration. The vendor's customers include companies in the consumer packaged goods, retail, paper, and food and beverage sectors. Wagner has nearly 4m square feet of distribution space, providing extensive warehousing, transportation and packaging services. RedPrairie's roots are in warehouse-management software; it has since branched out to offer a variety of other supply-chain execution applications.
http://www.redprairie.com/

VKI Technologies Aims to Support Lean Manufacturing Processes
VKI Technologies, a manufacturer and distributor of coffee-making equipment and related products, is augmenting its Lean manufacturing processes through the purchase of software from QAD. Based in Quebec, Ont., VKI makes product for the North American market, in addition to licensing its technology to equipment manufacturers in Europe and Japan. The company was determined to reduce supply-chain costs through the elimination of redundant systems, while laying the foundation for expansion into new markets. It sought information technology that could ensure a consistent standard for operations throughout the supply chain, including finance and on the factory floor. The manufacturer needed to support multiple Lean processes and just-in-time techniques, such as mix-model assembly lines, point-of-use storage, cellular manufacturing in the sheet metal department, and kanban cards for production parts replenishment. The answer lay in the MFG/PRO eB2 system from QAD. Information from the QAD system has allowed VKI to implement business scorecards that utilize nearly 30 key performance indicators, including financial, technical and customer-support information, on a daily basis. VKI expects to make further use of QAD software to facilitate customer self-service via the internet.
http://www3.qad.com/

Beverage Distributor Boosts Visibility Into Delivery Ops
Empire Distributors, Inc., a wholesale distributor of alcoholic beverages with coverage in the southeastern U.S., has implemented the Cube Route Visibility Solution to gain tighter control over its delivery operations. The Cube Route software is an on-demand, subscription-based logistics management system. It supports the monitoring and management of delivery fleets. Dispatchers, managers and customer-service representatives gain a real-time view of driver movement and order status across their operations. Empire is deploying the application at its location in Atlanta, where it runs the largest of seven warehouses serving restaurants, bars and grocery and liquor stores in Georgia and North Carolina. Before, Empire had limited visibility into the delivery end, said director of operations Dyrc Mcleod. Now it has access to a substantial amount of real-time and historical data with which to set delivery benchmarks, make drivers accountable for their routes, and measure productivity against a plan. Visibility begins when an Empire driver departs for the first stop, with status conveyed via GPS-enabled mobile phones. A series of GPS “pings” automatically updates the vehicle's location, speed and direction, using maps on a dedicated website. Empire said the technology has resulted in improved on-time performance, fewer returns from customers, and easier tracking of customer delays.
http://www.cuberoute.com/

Moran Reconfigures Warehouses for Greater Service Flexibility
Moran Industries Inc., a logistics services provider, has reconfigured its warehouse operations to allow for the handling of more diverse customers and product lines. Moran offers trucking in the 48 contiguous states, along with more than 1.8m square feet of storage facilities and a full range of distribution services. Value-added options include labeling, shrink-wrapping, and a variety of pick-and-pack operations. Moran's customers require receipt by truck, rail and other modes, with goods shipped as full pallets, parcels and in multimodal containers. Further complicating matters are varying requirements for storage and refrigeration, coupled with compliance mandates of the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. Moran purchased the SSA Warehouse Management (SSA WMS) system from SSA Global. According to Moran project director Michael Gilger, the company was able to reduce training costs and go live with the system at three locations in less than 12 weeks. SSA WMS is part of the vendor's SSA SCM (Supply Chain Management) suite of applications, which also includes tools for advanced planning and scheduling, and transportation management. Users include retailers and logistics services providers.
http://www.ssaglobal.com/

Hanjin Logistics Customers Gain Access to Log-Net Technology
Customers of Hanjin Logistics, Inc. throughout the world now have access to the supply-chain execution systems of Log-Net. The Web-based tools operate in 14 languages and can be customized through configuration. Functions include inventory visibility, order, transportation, customs, compliance, warehousing, exception management, freight audit, product allocation, documentation and an ad hoc report writer. Log-Net can also provide links between factory and supplier, and between carrier and custom broker, via electronic data interchange. Other services include enterprise resource planning interfaces and barcoding. Hanjin said it will utilize the Log-Net technology “to ensure that all interested accounts can gain access to the most up-to-date information available in a highly secure environment.” Hanjin Logistics was founded in 2001 as the domestic arm of South Korea's Hanjin Shipping. It specializes in domestic container repositioning in North America. A full-service third-party logistics unit was launched in North America in January, 2005.
http://www.hanjinlogistics.com
http://www.log-net.com

HighJump Software Debuts New Application for Labor Management
HighJump Software, a vendor of supply-chain execution software, has released HighJump Labor Advantage. The new product is a labor-management application with complex tracking capabilities. Labor Advantage compiles real-time performance data, allowing users to plan and measure labor activities throughout distribution facilities. Customers can select among engineered, discrete and historical standards. The software features objective performance measurement, to highlight those employees whose work consistently exceeds or falls short of productivity targets. Visibility tools provide real-time data instead of standard key volume indicators and employee utilization statistics. Features include direct and indirect labor tracking, standards based on multiple variables, travel path creation and XYZ coordinate mapping. Labor Advantage is available as a module in the HighJump Supply Chain Advantage suite.
http://www.highjumpsoftware.com/

Servigistics Unveils Workforce Management for Service Parts
New software from Servigistics promises to improve companies' service-parts planning and pricing activities at the labor-management level. The Servigistics Workforce Management application was designed to help companies forecast, plan and monitor their field-service technicians. It works in tandem with Servigistics' service-parts planning and pricing software to create a system for strategic service management. New features include Service Planner, applying the vendor's service planning and forecasting technology to forecast work orders and technicians, and recommend hiring and training plans. The Service Command Center provides real-time, global visibility into the status of all service calls and exceptions. Exception-driven workflow coordinates the actions of dispatchers, technicians, field managers, third-party logistics providers and outsourced partners. Integration Gateway supports integration and data normalization from multiple-source business systems. New delivery options allow the software to be implemented behind a company's firewall, or as an on-demand system.
http://www.servigistics.com/

Voxware Certifies LXE Devices for Browser Software; Offers Voice-Driven Tool for Warehouses
Several models of rugged mobile computers from LXE have been certified to run open-standards-based browser software from Voxware, Inc., a developer of voice-driven logistics systems. LXE's VX6, VX7, MX3X and MX7 computers can all run Voxware's VoiceXML Browser, part of the latter's VoxBrowser software. The VX6 and VX7 are voice-enabled, vehicle-mounted computers used in voice-driven logistics applications. The MX3X and MX7 are dual-use handheld computers. VoxBrowser can be used in voice applications throughout the warehouse, the vendors said. It runs on any Windows CE mobile computer that is configured for logistics voice operations. In a related announcement, Voxware has made generally available its new software suite for system providers. VoiceLogistics Pro allows vendor independently to sell voice systems to warehouses. The tool enables the development of open, platform-independent and configurable voice systems using a Web-based visual development studio. Also included is a graphical integration tool for direct-connect interfaces to warehouse-management and enterprise resource planning applications. A component-based, service-oriented architecture allows systems to be configured at a high level, Voxware said. VoiceLogistics Pro supports 22 languages and is immediately available worldwide.
http://www.voxware.com/


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