Hi ho, Silver. GlobeRanger, a manufacturer of RFID Edge software, mobility platforms, and sensor-based applications, has been certified as an LXE RFID Integration Partner. The latest release of GlobeRanger's iMotion Edgeware platform supports and integrates with LXE's vehicle-mounted RFID readers.
Planted in good soil. B&Q, Britain's largest do-it-yourself garden center retailer, has selected Voxware's VoiceLogistics software for its distribution centers. B&Q will deploy the software on Motorola's MC3090 terminals, initially rolling out the software at its Preston Brook facility.
Better in the 'Burgh. The Pittsburgh International Airport has installed eight baggage identification and sorting arrays supplied by Accu-Sort Systems. The baggage handling system employs Accu-Sort's AXIOM linear laser scanners and AXIOM-X omnidirectional laser scanners. As a result, read rates have improved from below 65 percent to above 90 percent.
H2O to go. Culligan International Co., the water purification firm, has awarded a contract to DSC Logistics to manage Culligan's distribution. DSC will manage and distribute incoming products from China and other Asian sources as well as perform services such as kitting and parts fulfillment for water filters, softeners, and micro-filtration systems. Two DSC facilities in Des Plaines, Ill., and Mira Loma, Calif., will be used for the Culligan products.
Exhaustive work. Psion Teklogix and DNS Technologies are providing a custom mobile computing solution for U.S. Tire & Exhaust, an aftermarket automotive supplier based in Wisconsin. The solution records the delivery and invoicing for U.S. Tire & Exhaust's delivery fleet in real time. To accomplish this, U.S. Tire & Exhaust now uses DNS's MobileLink delivery notification software application operating on Workabout Pro devices from Psion Teklogix at eight warehouses across the nation. U.S. Tire & Exhaust distributes over 100,000 tires and other automotive products each month.
Jump in. Keller Logistics, a third-party logistics service provider based in Defiance, Ohio, is implementing the HighJump Supply Chain Advantage suite from HighJump Software. The software will enable Keller to integrate with its customers' various ERP systems, as well as improve its inventory accuracy, employee efficiency, and supply chain visibility. The solution includes warehouse management and yard management solutions.
Food for thought. Flemington, N.Y.-based Johanna Foods has begun transporting its La Yogurt and Sabor Latino yogurt lines on pallets from CHEP. Johanna has been using CHEP pallets for the transportation of its beverage products for the past two years.
Sweet deal. Ce De Candy Co. has implemented an enterprise mobility solution from Motorola. The new mobile systems will help the candy company comply with the Food and Drug Administration's Food Bioterrorism regulation, which requires all food manufacturers to maintain traceability of products throughout the supply chain.
Does it come in a box? The Container Store, a retailer of storage and organizational products, is expanding its use of Catalyst International's CatalystComplete supply chain software solution. The company is upgrading its warehouse management system to the new version 10 and is implementing Catalyst's slotting optimization, transportation management, and supplier quality solutions. The software will help the Container Store manage its expanding retail network and direct-to-consumer distribution channels.
Start the presses. Minneapolis-based publishing company The Star Tribune has selected HK Systems' Material Tracking and Control Software to manage its free-standing newspaper inserts. The system, designed specifically for the newspaper industry, provides real-time labor task management, space management, and inventory tracking and control of pallet movements from receiving through delivery to inserting machines.
Location, location, location. The Port of Oakland, the nation's fourth-busiest port, has implemented RFID technology from WhereNet to meet security requirements from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The application includes a truck-tagging system at one of the port's most active marine terminals. Many of the drayage trucks serving the port will be equipped with WhereNet active RFID tags to track their movements and the products they haul. The initial rollout includes 1,700 active RFID transmitters.
On a roll. Tootsie Roll Industries, the maker of Tootsie Rolls, Charms, Andes Mints, and Double Bubble, has signed a two-year contract with DSC Logistics for warehouse services. All of these sweet treats and more will be distributed from DSC's Allentown, Pa., logistics center. The facility includes refrigerated storage and a flexible footprint to adapt to Tootsie Roll's seasonal volumes.
Businesses engaged in international trade face three major supply chain hurdles as they head into 2025: the disruptions caused by Chinese New Year (CNY), the looming threat of potential tariffs on foreign-made products that could be imposed by the incoming Trump Administration, and the unresolved contract negotiations between the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX), according to an analysis from trucking and logistics provider Averitt.
Each of those factors could lead to significant shipping delays, production slowdowns, and increased costs, Averitt said.
First, Chinese New Year 2025 begins on January 29, prompting factories across China and other regions to shut down for weeks, typically causing production to halt and freight demand to skyrocket. The ripple effects can range from increased shipping costs to extended lead times, disrupting even the most well-planned operations. To prepare for that event, shippers should place orders early, build inventory buffers, secure freight space in advance, diversify shipping modes, and communicate with logistics providers, Averitt said.
Second, new or increased tariffs on foreign-made goods could drive up the cost of imports, disrupt established supply chains, and create uncertainty in the marketplace. In turn, shippers may face freight rate volatility and capacity constraints as businesses rush to stockpile inventory ahead of tariff deadlines. To navigate these challenges, shippers should prepare advance shipments and inventory stockpiling, diversity sourcing, negotiate supplier agreements, explore domestic production, and leverage financial strategies.
Third, unresolved contract negotiations between the ILA and the USMX will come to a head by January 15, when the current contract expires. Labor action or strikes could cause severe disruptions at East and Gulf Coast ports, triggering widespread delays and bottlenecks across the supply chain. To prepare for the worst, shippers should adopt a similar strategy to the other potential January threats: collaborate early, secure freight, diversify supply chains, and monitor policy changes.
According to Averitt, companies can cushion the impact of all three challenges by deploying a seamless, end-to-end solution covering the entire path from customs clearance to final-mile delivery. That strategy can help businesses to store inventory closer to their customers, mitigate delays, and reduce costs associated with supply chain disruptions. And combined with proactive communication and real-time visibility tools, the approach allows companies to maintain control and keep their supply chains resilient in the face of global uncertainties, Averitt said.
A move by federal regulators to reinforce requirements for broker transparency in freight transactions is stirring debate among transportation groups, after the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) published a “notice of proposed rulemaking” this week.
According to FMCSA, its draft rule would strive to make broker transparency more common, requiring greater sharing of the material information necessary for transportation industry parties to make informed business decisions and to support the efficient resolution of disputes.
The proposed rule titled “Transparency in Property Broker Transactions” would address what FMCSA calls the lack of access to information among shippers and motor carriers that can impact the fairness and efficiency of the transportation system, and would reframe broker transparency as a regulatory duty imposed on brokers, with the goal of deterring non-compliance. Specifically, the move would require brokers to keep electronic records, and require brokers to provide transaction records to motor carriers and shippers upon request and within 48 hours of that request.
Under federal regulatory processes, public comments on the move are due by January 21, 2025. However, transportation groups are not waiting on the sidelines to voice their opinions.
According to the Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA), an industry group representing the third-party logistics (3PL) industry, the potential rule is “misguided overreach” that fails to address the more pressing issue of freight fraud. In TIA’s view, broker transparency regulation is “obsolete and un-American,” and has no place in today’s “highly transparent” marketplace. “This proposal represents a misguided focus on outdated and unnecessary regulations rather than tackling issues that genuinely threaten the safety and efficiency of our nation’s supply chains,” TIA said.
But trucker trade group the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) welcomed the proposed rule, which it said would ensure that brokers finally play by the rules. “We appreciate that FMCSA incorporated input from our petition, including a requirement to make records available electronically and emphasizing that brokers have a duty to comply with regulations. As FMCSA noted, broker transparency is necessary for a fair, efficient transportation system, and is especially important to help carriers defend themselves against alleged claims on a shipment,” OOIDA President Todd Spencer said in a statement.
Additional pushback came from the Small Business in Transportation Coalition (SBTC), a network of transportation professionals in small business, which said the potential rule didn’t go far enough. “This is too little too late and is disappointing. It preserves the status quo, which caters to Big Broker & TIA. There is no question now that FMCSA has been captured by Big Broker. Truckers and carriers must now come out in droves and file comments in full force against this starting tomorrow,” SBTC executive director James Lamb said in a LinkedIn post.
Bloomington, Indiana-based FTR said its Trucking Conditions Index declined in September to -2.47 from -1.39 in August as weakness in the principal freight dynamics – freight rates, utilization, and volume – offset lower fuel costs and slightly less unfavorable financing costs.
Those negative numbers are nothing new—the TCI has been positive only twice – in May and June of this year – since April 2022, but the group’s current forecast still envisions consistently positive readings through at least a two-year forecast horizon.
“Aside from a near-term boost mostly related to falling diesel prices, we have not changed our Trucking Conditions Index forecast significantly in the wake of the election,” Avery Vise, FTR’s vice president of trucking, said in a release. “The outlook continues to be more favorable for carriers than what they have experienced for well over two years. Our analysis indicates gradual but steadily rising capacity utilization leading to stronger freight rates in 2025.”
But FTR said its forecast remains unchanged. “Just like everyone else, we’ll be watching closely to see exactly what trade and other economic policies are implemented and over what time frame. Some freight disruptions are likely due to tariffs and other factors, but it is not yet clear that those actions will do more than shift the timing of activity,” Vise said.
The TCI tracks the changes representing five major conditions in the U.S. truck market: freight volumes, freight rates, fleet capacity, fuel prices, and financing costs. Combined into a single index indicating the industry’s overall health, a positive score represents good, optimistic conditions while a negative score shows the inverse.
Specifically, the new global average robot density has reached a record 162 units per 10,000 employees in 2023, which is more than double the mark of 74 units measured seven years ago.
Broken into geographical regions, the European Union has a robot density of 219 units per 10,000 employees, an increase of 5.2%, with Germany, Sweden, Denmark and Slovenia in the global top ten. Next, North America’s robot density is 197 units per 10,000 employees – up 4.2%. And Asia has a robot density of 182 units per 10,000 persons employed in manufacturing - an increase of 7.6%. The economies of Korea, Singapore, mainland China and Japan are among the top ten most automated countries.
Broken into individual countries, the U.S. ranked in 10th place in 2023, with a robot density of 295 units. Higher up on the list, the top five are:
The Republic of Korea, with 1,012 robot units, showing a 5% increase on average each year since 2018 thanks to its strong electronics and automotive industries.
Singapore had 770 robot units, in part because it is a small country with a very low number of employees in the manufacturing industry, so it can reach a high robot density with a relatively small operational stock.
China took third place in 2023, surpassing Germany and Japan with a mark of 470 robot units as the nation has managed to double its robot density within four years.
Germany ranks fourth with 429 robot units for a 5% CAGR since 2018.
Japan is in fifth place with 419 robot units, showing growth of 7% on average each year from 2018 to 2023.
Progress in generative AI (GenAI) is poised to impact business procurement processes through advancements in three areas—agentic reasoning, multimodality, and AI agents—according to Gartner Inc.
Those functions will redefine how procurement operates and significantly impact the agendas of chief procurement officers (CPOs). And 72% of procurement leaders are already prioritizing the integration of GenAI into their strategies, thus highlighting the recognition of its potential to drive significant improvements in efficiency and effectiveness, Gartner found in a survey conducted in July, 2024, with 258 global respondents.
Gartner defined the new functions as follows:
Agentic reasoning in GenAI allows for advanced decision-making processes that mimic human-like cognition. This capability will enable procurement functions to leverage GenAI to analyze complex scenarios and make informed decisions with greater accuracy and speed.
Multimodality refers to the ability of GenAI to process and integrate multiple forms of data, such as text, images, and audio. This will make GenAI more intuitively consumable to users and enhance procurement's ability to gather and analyze diverse information sources, leading to more comprehensive insights and better-informed strategies.
AI agents are autonomous systems that can perform tasks and make decisions on behalf of human operators. In procurement, these agents will automate procurement tasks and activities, freeing up human resources to focus on strategic initiatives, complex problem-solving and edge cases.
As CPOs look to maximize the value of GenAI in procurement, the study recommended three starting points: double down on data governance, develop and incorporate privacy standards into contracts, and increase procurement thresholds.
“These advancements will usher procurement into an era where the distance between ideas, insights, and actions will shorten rapidly,” Ryan Polk, senior director analyst in Gartner’s Supply Chain practice, said in a release. "Procurement leaders who build their foundation now through a focus on data quality, privacy and risk management have the potential to reap new levels of productivity and strategic value from the technology."