Supply Chain Management News Archive
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Week of November 18, 2019
Lockheed Martin boosts productivity using robots, Volvo fosters ethical mineral sourcing with blockchain, and more supply chain management news
project44, a supply chain technology company, published a report that reveals how traditional supply chain companies are grappling to stay relevant in the age of the Delivery Economy. The report, based on a survey of 300 supply chain professionals, finds that SCM managers and executives are having a tough time addressing the changing needs and expectations of customers brought about by new trends and technologies, such as same-day delivery and on-demand delivery apps. To tackle this challenge, supply chain companies need to adopt “better processes and technology combined with collaboration both internally and with external supply chain partners,” said Tommy Barnes, president at project44. [Read more]
Volvo Cars recently announced that it will join the Responsible Sourcing Blockchain Network (RSBN) that has companies such as Ford Motor Company, Volkswagen Group, LG Chem and Huayou Cobalt as its founding members. The network, built on the IBM blockchain platform, has participating companies that use the blockchain platform to trace and ensure minerals have been responsibly sourced. Volvo Cars joining the RSBN is an indication of how blockchain is gradually becoming the preferred technology for companies to meet their supply chain auditing and compliance requirements. [Read more]
Lockheed Martin saw a tremendous boost in productivity, with up to a 381% increase in line per hour (LPH) picked, after deploying eight autonomous mobile robots (AMR) to replace a manual process where associates picked parts to a cart. Known as “Chucks,” the 6 River Systems AMR solution integrated with Lockheed Martin’s warehouse management systems (WMS) to offer associates detailed instructions on efficient pick paths, drastically reducing their travel distances in the warehouse. The case study is a telling example of how companies can leverage robotic automation to augment their supply chain workforce and boost productivity. [Read more]
Week of November 4, 2019
Mastercard forays into blockchain-based food supply chain, UPS expands its healthcare facility, and more supply chain management news
Tompkins Robotics, a provider of autonomous, mobile robots, has announced a strategic partnership with PULSE Integration, a supply chain technology solutions provider. PULSE Integration will offer its clients Tompkins’ t-Sort system, a Robots-as-a-Service (RaaS) solution, comprising small robots that automate the sorting of goods in warehouses or backrooms. The partnership is targeted at companies looking for a cost-effective way to automate warehouse operations using robotics technology. [Read more]
Logistics giant UPS recently announced the addition of 1.3 million square feet of distribution space in the U.S., which will expand its total capacity for dedicated healthcare warehousing and distribution space to 4 million square feet in the U.S. by 2020. UPS says the expansion will help it offer patient-centered logistics and faster deliveries, much needed in the face of changing customer expectations brought about by new trends and technologies, such as the rise of neighborhood healthcare providers, personalized therapies, and wearables. UPS also received the European Union’s Goods Distribution Practice (GDP) compliance certification award this week for its French and German healthcare operations locations. [Read more]
Global payments company Mastercard has announced an integration partnership with Envisible to power Wholechain, a system designed to enable blockchain-based traceability. Wholechain will be piloted by food cooperative, Topco Associates LLC, to help its members track the origin of seafood. Envisible, a company that facilitates supply chain visibility in food systems, will use Mastercard’s blockchain-based Provenance Solution to drive Topco’s project. This news helps to confirm blockchain’s validity for supply chain companies dealing in fast-moving consumer goods that want transparency into the quality of delivered goods in order to preempt product recalls. [Read more]
Week of October 21, 2019
Walmart launches in-home grocery delivery, Minehub’s blockchain platform goes live, and more supply chain management news
[null-IMAGE_EMBED](https://software-advice.imgix.net/managed/other_pages/external-link-icon.png) Logistics companies face record-low unemployment
Top logistics companies, such as UPS and FedEx, have announced massive hiring drives to boost productivity during the upcoming holiday season. However, the unemployment rate has dropped to 3.5%—the lowest in 50 years according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)—which makes finding skilled workers an uphill battle for these companies. To ensure smooth operations during the peak season and offset the labor shortage, logistics companies should invest in technology and automation strategies, such as robotics, while also training their employees to use the new technologies.
Last week, blockchain startup Minehub launched its blockchain-based supply chain platform for the mining and metals industry. The startup claims the platform is a cost-effective automation technology that will drive efficiency and improve transparency at various supply chain stages as goods travel from mines to the end buyers, for example: maintaining records of mineral production and digital contracts. Supply chain companies looking to invest in blockchain technology should follow Minehub’s story. [Read more]
On Oct. 16, Walmart announced the launch of its in-home grocery delivery service in three cities: Kansas City, (Missouri and Kansas); Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Vero Beach, Florida. Customers in theses cities can use the service, called InHome, for a monthly subscription fee of $19.95. The Walmart delivery staff will enter the customer’s home using a one-time, unique passcode and livestream the entire delivery on the customer’s smartphone. With the launch of this service, Walmart seems to be gearing up to compete with the already popular in-home delivery service from Amazon. [Read more]
Week of October 7, 2019
DHL plans to invest $2.2 billion in digital, drones to deliver medicines, and more supply chain management news
[null-IMAGE_EMBED](https://software-advice.imgix.net/managed/other_pages/external-link-icon.png) Convoy targets small shippers with free transportation management system
Convoy, the Seattle-based startup that offers a digital marketplace to match truck drivers with shippers, announced the launch of its free transportation management system (TMS). The tool is targeted toward small shippers that typically use Excel, email, and phone calls to book appointments with truck drivers and track freight. The free tool will allow users to schedule appointments online, track the drivers carrying their freight, collect bids, and access Convoy’s real-time pricing details. The news, coming in the wake of Uber Freight’s integration partnership with TMS vendor MercuryGate, is a clear indication that digitization is how shipping and freight companies plan to beat the competition.
UPS, after a year of testing the technology at the WakeMed Campus in Raleigh, N.C., was awarded the certification to fly limited drone deliveries on medical campuses by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). This is the first step for the company toward its goal of delivering packages via drones throughout the nation. The news bodes well for logistics companies that are planning to invest in drone technology—which has been in the news for its potential for cost savings over the traditional delivery model. [Read more]
DHL, the American-founded German logistics behemoth plans to invest $2.2 billion in its digital transformation journey. Calling it “Strategy 2025,” the key focus areas are: modernizing existing systems, integrating new technologies, and training employees. The news is an industry giant’s acknowledgement that digital is the only way to survive in a market that is being constantly disrupted by modern-day supply chain companies, such as Amazon. [Read more]
[null-IMAGE_EMBED](https://software-advice.imgix.net/managed/other_pages/external-link-icon.png) Robots-as-a-Service: A low-risk path to warehouse automation?
Following the cue of software vendors offering cloud-based software for a monthly or annual subscription fee—also known as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)—robotics companies are now offering what’s being called “Robots-as-a-Service,” or RaaS. Touted as a low-risk, cost-effective path to warehouse automation, the RaaS model might be the way forward for small and midsize logistics companies looking to invest in robotics and test the technology’s benefits without burning a hole in their pockets.