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Execution Technology
Roehlig Overhauls Transportation Management Systems With Adoption of LSP Portfolio From SAP
Roehlig & Co. is a global provider of sea- and air-freight services, with a focus on the midmarket. Based in Bremen, Germany, the family-owned company has operations in 100 locations in 25 countries, with around 1,500 employees. It found itself coping with the increasingly rigorous demands of customers. In addition, Roehlig needed to consolidate a fragmented information-technology landscape. It looked at multiple providers before selecting a software package designed specifically for logistics service providers, from SAP AG. The tool is built on the vendor's mySAP ERP (enterprise resource planning) application and NetWeaver platform. The user called on the system to boost I.T. integration, both within and between its country organizations. Following the first phase of its SAP rollout for accounting processes in Germany and throughout Europe, Roehlig will deploy the vendor's software for transportation management in 2007. SAP's transportation management system (TMS) package integrates processes all along the logistics chain, from order to invoice. It includes modules for financial accounting and costing, according to the vendor.
http://www.sap.com
Herbalife Takes a New Approach to Managing Global Supply Chain, Order-Fulfillment Processes
Herbalife, the seller of weight management, nutritional supplement and personal care products, has implemented new systems for enhancing global supply-chain collaboration. The company does business in 62 countries. It was looking for a way to improve its metrics for tracking supplier performance. At the same time, it wanted to reduce inventory, warehousing and administrative costs. The company chose the Xtended Process Control (X.PC) suite from ClearOrbit, a vendor of supply-chain execution and reverse logistics software. The tool ties all order visibility and process controls directly to Herbalife's enterprise resource planning (ERP) system from Oracle Corp., all on a real-time basis. The user now has purchase-order visibility and replenishment capabilities with all of its suppliers. It can also use the system to help selected suppliers implement vendor-management inventory (VMI) programs, from a common, real-time data platform. Herbalife can track supplier metrics and performance scorecards, while engaging in load planning and event management. It can lead to lower inventory levels, as well as reduced warehousing and administrative costs, with the help of process controls at the supplier's shipping dock, which ties in directly to Herbalife's ERP system. A key module of the X.PC suite is PO Collaborator, which lets users synchronize replenishment among multiple parties in real time, based on purchase orders for required materials.
http://www.clearorbit.com
NewCo Europe Meets Challenge of Next-Day Fulfillment, Shipping Perishable Products in Benelux
NewCo Europe BV has implemented new warehouse management system (WMS) software at its warehouse in Zevenbergen, the Netherlands. The company is a distributor of durable goods, seasonal products and multimedia to retail outlets across the Benelux region. NewCo promises next-day service fulfillment, yet must deal with perishable stock returns. The company, which keeps more than 12,000 SKUs of perishable and non-perishable items in stock, needed a WMS that could not only address current challenges, but position it for growth. It also needed to boost customer service. NewCo chose the Radio Beacon WMS from Radio Beacon Inc., a vendor of warehouse-management software for distributors, manufacturers and third-party logistics providers. The company installed Radio Beacon at its 16,000-square-meter warehouse, with assistance from Bloxx IT, an authorized Radio Beacon reseller located in nearby Zundert, the Netherlands. Radio Beacon is helping NewCo to maintain accurate, up-to-the-minute stock levels, and efficiently manage a first-in, first-out (FIFO) inventory policy. Mark Simons, logistics manager of NewCo Europe BV, said the company has noticed "many improvements" in its warehouse processes since installation of the Radio Beacon WMS.
http://www.radiobeacon.com
Scenic Technology Adds Rating, Manifesting to sce-Star Supply-Chain Execution Suite
Scenic Technology Corp. has added the sce-Ship shipment rating and manifesting system to its sce-Star suite of business applications and connectivity tools for the supply chain. Built on Microsoft .NET platform specifications, sce-Star is written in Microsoft's Visual Studio.NET, and relies on the SQL Server. Sce-Ship in a multi-carrier shipping tool that can be deployed on single or multiple servers, and globally accessed via a Web browser. The system integrates easily with existing warehouse management, enterprise resource planning (ERP) and other host systems. It allows complex business rules and different carrier modules to be developed and plugged in, reducing risk and operational costs, according to Scenic. Sce-Ship can quickly interrogate rates from one to many carriers once all relevant information is available. It completes orders with minimal touch points and boosts shipment throughput, the vendor claimed.
http://www.scenictechnology.com
Metro Group Joins With Savi to Enable Shipment Monitoring From Asia to Europe
Global retailer The Metro Group has joined with Savi Networks in the Advanced Logistics Asia (ALA) project, a venture to enable real-time monitoring of shipments moving from Asia to Europe. Managed by the Metro Group's MGB Hong Kong unit, ALA will utilize SaviTrak, a Web-based, real-time information service from Savi. The technology draws on automatic data transmissions from passive and active radio frequency identification (RFID) tags that are compliant with Electronic Product Code (EPC) standards, as well as from other wireless devices. MGB Hong Kong manages Metro Group imports from sourcing to delivery at distribution centers in Germany. Under the ALA project, SaviTrak will monitor retail products as they move through a global RFID reader network, stretching from a consolidation center in Hong Kong, through the ports of Hong Kong, Rotterdam and Duisburg (Germany), ultimately reaching the Metro distribution center in Unna, Germany. Active, battery-powered RFID tags on containers will allow the retailer automatically to transmit information to the SaviTrak information service. ALA is a six-month pilot that was designed to evaluate improvements in shipment visibility, management and security. It will also evaluate the impact on lead times, inventory, customer service and overall supply chain and financial performance, the partners said.
http://www.savinetworks.com
Argo Tracker Creates Eagle, a GPS-Equipped Device for Tracking Transport Assets
Eagle is the name of a new asset-tracking device created by Argo Tracker Corp., the vendor of tracking equipment that utilizes global positioning system (GPS) technology. The company's GPS-Plus features draw on advanced power-consumption technologies for better efficiency in power management, the vendor said. GPS tracking accuracy is enhanced by signal triangulation from identified cellular communication sites. GPS-Plus is an outgrowth of Argo Tracker's research in inertial navigation unit technology. It allows customers to monitor assets and receive specific information from virtually anywhere, the vendor claimed. Specific positions can be reported via any Web browser. In addition, the system can be configured to provide real-time, sensor-captured data such as temperature, pressure, tilt, voltage and shock or vibration. Individual and multiple units can be monitored at one time through Argo Tracker's Web-based portals. In launching the Eagle, Argo Tracker is offering a 30-percent discount and free activation to the first 500 customers.
http://www.argotracker.com
Hand Held Shrinks Industry-Grade Terminal Features Into Small, Ergonomic Mobile Computer
Hand Held Products Inc. has released the Dolphin 7600, latest in its Dolphin 7000 series of mobile computers. The new device offers the functionality and versatility of an industry-grade mobile computer, packaged in a small and ergonomically designed version, Hand Held said. Featuring Adaptus Imaging Technology 5.0, the 7600 can read any linear or 2D barcode and capture digital images. Design elements include an integrated finger saddle that mirrors the natural curves of the hand, angled barcode scanner designed to limit hand and wrist movements, and strategic weight distribution which balances the device in the user's hand while minimizing grip and stress. The Dolphin 7600 incorporates 802.11b/g and Bluetooth technology. The battery-operated device can provide barcode reading and batch applications for an entire work shift. It is especially suited for light-industrial applications in the retail, parcel delivery, postal, route accounting, healthcare, field service and warehousing sectors, the vendor said.
http://www.handheld.com
Transwide, Inttra Join in Forging New Electronic-Commerce Link for Ocean Shipments
Carriers seeking ocean shipments have a new electronic-commerce tool, thanks to a partnership between Transwide and Inttra. Transwide is a European electronic commerce communications platform and software developer for logistics execution management. Intrra offers a platform for electronic ocean-carrier connectivity. It is used by 22 of the world's largest ocean carriers, representing 61 percent of worldwide ocean-freight capacity. Under the new arrangement, Transwide customers can send electronic bookings and shipping instructions to ocean carriers, who receive a more direct pipeline to the European intermodal industry. Clients who handle all of their road, rail and combined-mode transport needs through the Transwide platform will now be able to exchange information electronically on booking requests and bill of lading instructions via Inttra's connection with shipping lines. According to Transwide, the collaboration with Inttra evolved out of customer requests to have the vendor carry data communications for the ocean leg of international shipments.
http://www.inttra.com
PeopleNet Enhances System for Onboard Truck Communications and Fleet Management
With the release of g3 Services, PeopleNet has enhanced its onboard communications and fleet-management system for truckers. The new technology allows third-party providers to share the capabilities of PeopleNet's g3 onboard system, including mobile communications and operational data, at the discretion of the fleet customer. G3 is PeopleNet's transportation and fleet-management system. It is supported by a built-in application programming interface, which permits third-party applications to access the g3 system while allowing g3 to access data from those applications. PeopleNet has announced the first three applications to be delivered through the g3 service interface. They are collision-avoidance system integration, remote vehicle management and disablement system integration, and tethered trailer-tracking system integration. The last makes it possible for fleet operators to be sure that a tractor is hooked to the correct trailer; users also know when a trailer has been dropped and precisely where it can be found. The applications will be brought to market later this year and into early 2007, PeopleNet said. The company also announced the creation of new driver-friendly displays for the g3 onboard system. Available in 2007, they include both tethered onboard versions and a selection of portable, handheld wireless devices. The Enhanced Driver Display platform will run on the Windows CE operating system.
g3 Applications: http://www.peoplenetonline.com
Driver Displays: http://www.peoplenetonline.com
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