Logistics - On the move

Technology and Posts - Ability to intercept shipments in mail

Sun, 13 May 2012 18:56:21 +0000

In this edition of Technology and Posts, we take a look at how a simple technology is giving an important capability to mail consolidators that has a positive impact on clients who ship prescription drugs through mail.

RFID Technology - Next Generation in Automatic Identification (Future is here)!

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 05:37:37 +0000

RFID has come a long way since its early stages in 1980s. Seventeen years ago when Internet was commercialized, only few people thought it would become part of daily operations. RFID is like the Internet -Read on to know more on RFID and the various options it opens up.

Technology and Posts - Hybrid Mail

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 22:00:00 +0000

Postal networks have come a long way since the first letter was delivered. In the era of instantaneous messaging, how are the postal service providers coping? This article, on Hybrid Mail, is the first in a series that discusses how postal networks are keeping abreast of technology. Read on to know more about hybrid mail and the possibilities it opens up!

Railroads - Taking the "On-Time" Bug head on

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 14:47:00 +0000

Are you stuck by or running from the "on time" bug surrounding the Railroad industry? Read on - this article might just be on time for you.

Railroads : Some Insights

Tue, 26 Apr 2011 16:28:20 +0000

I love the smell of diesel fuel in the morning! Is this a famous movie line? Is this from someone working at the fuel rack? It is not from the shipper fuel procurement person who is seeing prices on the rise. It is not from all of us who are watching the birth of new "democracies" in the Middle East that are causing the rise in prices. However, it is an opportunity for all of us to save fuel by putting more trailer, container, bulk and boxcar loads on the railroads in North America. Capacity is available on existing trains and there is capacity to add more trains and services. This convergence of opportunity for shippers and the railroads is not one to be missed.

What if your shipment is suddenly expedited?

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 14:47:50 +0000

At a very high level - how do we get a shipping cost? While taking a dive in time, it seems that in the beginning there were predefined routes with fixed costs from origin to destination. But with growing needs of the customer things have changed. For example, some do not need the cargo as quick as others but would like a cost incentive, while there might be a segment that does not care about the cost but need a quick delivery. There are people who need a stretched time to bring in the shipment which in-turn needs a stretched cut-off period. There are numerous such needs which the shipping industry has beautifully catered to keep up with the "just in time" theme.

However we humans have no limits and so does the competition. I was thinking what else could be done in current situation where the requirement driven services are almost exhausted. Going by the basic human psychology that any reward, gift or opportunity that we get unexpected out of the blue gives us immense pleasure - makes me think the following:

Entry summary declaration - the latest buzz in the world of customs security - Part 2

Sun, 27 Feb 2011 03:05:54 +0000

This is second of the two part series on Entry Summary declaration or ENS requirements to be submitted by carriers to European Union ports. In this part I shall outline the specific data elements that are mandatory for ENS submission and provide some insight into its implementation by various carriers.

Effective use of RF Technology in WMS - An example

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 16:05:22 +0000

The mere usage of different modern technologies in warehouse might not produce the desired results. Belonging to the community of the creator of these technologies - humans, who make use of these technologies, can always find loopholes and can make use of it to achieve individual benefits defeating the very purpose of implementing the costly technologies. So effective use of the technology to make it definitely achieve what it is primarily intended to achieve becomes a necessity. We will take here an example of usage of RF Technology in warehouses and determine how it can be effectively used.

Can Cloud help Railroad during Recession?

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 13:15:30 +0000

Recent Quarter results from Class I US Railroads are promising. The economy over the past two years has forced all industries, including Railroad, to squeeze the maximum out of their systems. Organizations were able to do this more efficiently on their core competencies. Could they have run some of their non-core departments more efficiently?

Entry summary declaration - the latest buzz in the world of customs security - Part 1

Tue, 08 Feb 2011 12:43:05 +0000

Carriers and 3PL s are gearing up to meet the latest regulation in customs security measures - the Entry summary declaration from the European Union. This blog is the first in a two part series that looks into various aspects of this regulation and how it impacts the Logistics community.

Railroads - a status check

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 17:07:40 +0000

The railroads are the canary in the recession coal mine. The canary is starting to breathe a little easier as per volumes announced by the Association of American Railroads. Let's take stock.

Railroads - Mobility for Agility

Tue, 18 Jan 2011 02:35:05 +0000

With the ever changing and increasing demands from consumer groups, businesses are now required to make the relevant data accessible beyond the normal confined areas of fixed infrastructure. With "on-the-go" becoming the trend of the normal ecosystem, there is now a growing trend to empower the workforce across the board by making data accessible on the move. Herein lays the concept of "Enterprise Mobility" which allows extension of enterprise systems to the workforce on move. Such mobility helps enterprises improve productivity, enhance revenue by improved customer experience and overall enhances the brand value and customer loyalty.

Improving Warehouse Operations Efficiency

Fri, 31 Dec 2010 18:57:26 +0000

Two of the most time consuming processes in the warehouse are picking and pack out process. They also account for the majority of the warehouse operating cost - Lets discuss some of the key aspects that should be considered to reduce cost and increase warehouse operations efficiency.

Logistics Business Transformations - Getting it right!

Fri, 24 Dec 2010 06:28:44 +0000

In my previous blog, I talked about the challenges of doing Business Transformation (BT) programs in transportation & logistics enterprises with large scale IT modernization. In this blog, I would like to list five fundamentals for BT programs that I believe are a must for the program to be successful.

Business transformation challenges for logistics enterprises

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 06:24:24 +0000

Acquisitions, agents and partners are integral to the DNA of the transportation and logistics industry. With a myriad of different entities working across the globe to establish a strong network comes the increased complexity of diverse processes, diverse metrics and disparate IT systems often stitched together to keep the business running.

In most logistics companies today, this diversity is accompanied by problems like data quality issues, lack of standard enterprise operating model, increased transaction costs, reduced end to end tracking / visibility etc. These challenges manifest more distinctly when the organization tries to get a unified view of the data and processes across the enterprise and enable strategic imperatives like network optimization, cost reduction and other levers for top line and bottom line growth.

A business transformation program coupled with large scale IT modernization is needed to alleviate many of the above issues and help an enterprise take its business to the next level. With the ever increasing speed of commerce, freight forwarders and other transportation players are rapidly rolling out large business transformation programs to bring more agility and better control over their business.