Supply Chain Integration & Technology News

Enterprise Resource Management (ERP) systems continue to evolve and expand as major companies improve their warehouse management and transportation management routines, expand planning capabilities, link customers and suppliers, and add new features such as event management. The net result is a softening of the once hard line between ERP and supply chain software systems that manage human resources, accounting, and other duties. Is your company effectively integrating ERP software with your other software management systems?

INTERAL Procurement makes supply chain management a breeze, with integrated calls for tenders and part requisitions, both of which are easily transformed into purchase orders. When combined with INTERAL Maintenance, it allows you to plan ahead for your maintenance needs, helping you make sure that your spare parts are at an optimal level.

Success in today's business environment requires a solid foundation in essential management and business skills. Drexel University's program equips individuals to handle diverse management responsibilities that require knowledge in finance, economics, operations, human resources, and marketing. Go here to review the features and benefits.

A new radio frequency identification (RFID) tag is aimed at a variety of applications where reading from a distance is important, including logistics, warehouse management, and large equipment tagging. The tags can be read from as far away as 16 ft so they can be used for tracking shipping containers and scanning tall shelves.

A real-time location system, including warehouse management software, is helping the U.S. General Services Administration track a vast array of assets through its western distribution center. The system uses ultra-high frequency RFID transponders to track pallets, boxes, and bags, and record when an item is shipped. The system also provides warnings when items are about to be incorrectly placed.

To cope with increasingly demanding order cycles, this article advocates planning today for what you'll need to do tomorrow. Key elements to success using this strategy are: encourage customers to postpone delivery whenever possible, be wary of processes that depend on running at full speed for efficiency, batch orders appropriately, and create independent lines for orders that have many common characteristics.

This case history describes how a new warehouse management system and a set of mobile computers helped a vehicle glass replacement service improve the efficiency of its two distribution centers. The new system ensured that the centers have the right assortment of replacement parts on hand to meet the immediate needs of its customers.

The DataMan™ 7500 Series readers are the only handheld products in industry that handle everything — from challenging DPM marks to clearly printed barcodes — while providing AIM DPM compliant verification. When you add industry-leading software to its features, they become the clear choice for the factory floor. From All-Marks, LLC.

Stephen Gould's expertise in industrial packaging provides highly customized, efficient solutions for your product's most exacting requirements. Utilizing materials like corrugated containers, wood and wood pallets, foam, and soft-side sewn cases, we ensure safe, protective packaging and transit for any kind of industrial product while minimizing material and assembly costs.

Check out these five tips for effective supplier management. Among the keys are simplicity, flexibility, a focus on fundamentals, integration of software tools across corporate functions, and careful consideration of software as a service for supplier management functions. Use these tips to evaluate supplier performance, evaluate risk, and identify opportunities for improvement.

How did a retailer with 48 department stores offering a large variety of goods streamline its purchasing operations? They used a new merchandise planning system that integrated a disparate, inefficient set of procedures to help the company reduce stock levels and markdowns, and to grow sales margins. The system is also helping the company respond to rapidly shifting consumer demand.

Enterprise Resource Planning is helping the Army improve its tactical logistics operations. The ERP system will host more than 160,000 users and help logistics personnel to predict, allocate, and synchronize the movement of materiel throughout all areas of operations. The new system replaces three of the Army's existing logistics software systems.

A new study finds that companies are looking to their distribution networks to help ease the pain of the challenging economy. The study, which covered more than 200 decision makers from the logistics industry, also found that two-thirds of respondents have made changes to the design of their distribution networks, and half will be making additional changes in the next year.

MEI Rigging & Crating — a division of MEI, LLC — offers top-quality rigging and millwrighting services. Our riggers handle all kinds of light and heavy machine rigging, removals, and equipment installations. We do what it takes to get the job done safely, on time, and on budget.

MainBoss, a Thinkage™ solution, is a fully-supported maintenance management software that enhances any facility's ability to connect, direct, and manage all their maintenance people, activities, and resources.

A new supply chain book uses a series of case studies to illustrate 10 characteristics common to successful supply chains. The book, Diagnosing Greatness, is based on academic studies, published literature, and results from annual global surveys of supply chain professionals. The companies described achieve high returns while also meeting investor needs, and maintain good relations with suppliers, business customers, and consumer groups.

Shedding some light on the limits of darkness, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) developed a laser power detector that they covered with a layer of vertically oriented, multi-walled carbon nanotubes. The coating is purported to be world's darkest material — it reflects almost no light in the visible part of the spectrum. The device will be used to make high-precision laser power measurements for high-tech products in optical communications, laser-based manufacturing, and solar energy conversion.

Do You Know Where You're Going?

Do you know your company's strategy for coping with a challenging economy and what role you might play in its future?