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.
Continue reading "RFID Technology - Next Generation in Automatic Identification (Future is here)!" »
Continue reading "Effective use of RF Technology in WMS - An example" »
Continue reading "Improving Warehouse Operations Efficiency" »
Continue reading "Logistics Business Transformations - Getting it right!" »
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.
Continue reading "Business transformation challenges for logistics enterprises" »
Continue reading "Secure Freight - will the latest IATA security endeavor catch the bug?" »
Freight Forwarders relieve small shippers the trouble of dealing with carriers for moving cargo. And they help carriers make the most of their cargo space. They also specialize in doing the documentation so necessary in every leg of transportation. However, are they doing all these in an automated manner? Or is use of the age old silken strand of tree bark still dominant in their corridors? Let's explore...
Continue reading "Use of paper by freight forwarders - not a thing of the past" »
Few days ago, I was having a chat with some of our customers and clearly one of the key focus areas that they are looking into is, the impact of GST(Goods and Service Tax) on the overall operations in their sectors. GST is just a tipping point from what we see in the market as other governmental interventions like NREGS has resulted in a consumption boom in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.
Continue reading "GST impact on Logistics Industry in India" »
In certain parts of the world, a place where goods are received, temporarily stored, separated and transported to their final destination - is called Godown. Almost all work done here is manual and is always prone to errors. Warehouses used by large business corporations exist for a similar purpose. However, the transaction volume is much more and the cost of errors is much higher. These needs coupled with innovation has evolved warehouses to become much different from godowns, to the extent that it is almost impossible to envisage them existing for similar business operations. In this blog, we bring out some of the technology marvels that have helped warehouses to ensure higher efficiency and effectiveness despite handling larger volume of goods.
Travelling across the globe, meeting transportation and Logistics business leaders cutting across railroad, shipping, forwarding, logistics, CEP the mood is positively upbeat.
While the jury is still out as far as whether the global economy is heading towards a double-dip recession or we will see anemic growth, LSPs (Logistics service providers) clearly are seeing volume uptick across the board reflected in robust growth in both top line and bottom line across the industry. Let's take a status check ...
Various people/articles have defined reverse logistics in their own way however my understanding is that there are two types of logistics Forwards logistics & Reverse logistics. All kind of logistics involved till the time product is sold to consumer is forwards logistics because this the time when product actually moves forwards in supply chain. Reverse logistics kicks in when handling of the product is needed once it has been sold to consumer.
Continue reading "Reverse Logistics - Missing proper focus?" »
Continue reading "Railroads Intermodal - A train full of opportunities" »
Continue reading "Five Emerging Tech Trends in Transportation & Logistics" »
Ever imagined a
container Yard that does not exist in reality. Well, we are not talking about
ghosts here. It's a technological solution to save costs up to $400 per
container for Ocean carriers...
An important aspect in the movement of an international shipment is the set of activities carried out at the HUB area. Operational activities such as arrival of shipments, break bulk, sorting, warehouse management, outbound operations and departure are some of the prominent ones. While most of these activities are largely automated and streamlined, there are specific set of challenges when it comes to the Bonded Inventory Management.
Continue reading "Customs Clearance - Bonded Inventory Management" »
In a rapidly growing economy like India, where keeping the prices down is of paramount importance, does it make sense to spend "extra" to go green? While talking to some logistics houses and other corporate where supply chain is substantial part of costs, go-green is almost a turn-off for any discussion. The discussion more often than not ends quickly with "Let us get hygiene factors and basic technology in order, before going for any futuristic solution. We will look at it in couple of years time". Which makes me wonder, is going green really that expensive and futuristic?
Continue reading "Green Logistics: Any point in going "Green" ?" »
In an interesting reversal of role, India will soon find herself on the other side of the outsourcing table. No, I'm not talking IT; it is the fledgling Logistics and Transportation industry that is poised to grow at a rapid pace (CAGR of 9.9%) over the next 5 years. While outsourced transportation per se is not a concept alien to India, its adoption and the values that shippers are able to realize out of it have been limited. However, the scenario is fast changing, as various factors are coming together, throwing open new business opportunities in the 3PL arena.
As the world comes out of recession, one thing which comes to everybody's mind is: Does the Uni-polar world really work or do we need a few countries to grow and scale up to be the super powers of tomorrow?
One of the obvious answers to the above question would be India, but for India to be one of the true superpowers of tomorrow - she needs to get her acts together in number of fronts. Coming from a logistics background, I feel that one of the first things which India should do is to have all the different government departments governing the logistics industry exchange data through a centralized mechanism. In this blog, I will talk about the issues in this space India is currently facing, and possible solutions that may be employed to achieve huge cost-benefits.
Continue reading "Logistics and data interchange in India: a checkpoint" »
In my previous blog I talked about customs clearance and the challenges and needs of global logistics players. In continuation I would now elaborate on Infosys offering in this space.
Infosys positioning and offering
Today there are numerous products available in market which helps provide framework for electronic data interchange with regulatory agencies. However just deployment of product is not sufficient to meet the compliance requirements. It calls for a proper in-depth understanding of the rules and regulations while declaring data to authorities.
Continue reading "Customs Clearance - Know the rules to move fast - Part 2" »
With changing economic and geo-political environment it has become imperative for government agencies globally to have more sophisticated tools and means for clearing cargo / freight entering into their air, sea or mainland. The major events in the past decade have led to an increased focused and deployment of stringent measures to enhance security and allow only legitimate trade and travel and thus increases passenger security. The various security agencies now demand prior notification of any cargo entering into their secured areas/zones. This is a de-facto measure and is a must considering the risks and threats that can arise if the shipments do not meet the safety standards.
Continue reading "Customs Clearance: Know the rules to move fast - Part 1" »
Warehouse literally means a structure or room for the storage of merchandise or commodities. But do contemporary warehouses are used just for storage? Today warehouses provide additional services which help the companies they serve to achieve remarkable business benefits. We will discuss some of such additional services provided by warehouses here.
Continue reading "Warehouse - Just a storage facility or more?" »
Continue reading "Cloud computing: Does it have any significance for the retail industry?" »
Continuing with my last post here I would dwell on the solution aspects which can be a step towards a Green field Logistics.
Solutions: LSPs need to innovate and come out with more radically bold moves to help reduce impact of their activities on the environment by introducing new services which may be slow in delivery timelines but are greener.
Continue reading "Green Logistics:Introspection for Next Gen - Part 2" »
Continue reading "Green Logistics: Introspection for Next Generation Solutions" »
