Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

newsworthy

HighJump adds warehouse automation control to WMS

Automation Aware product leverages technology from new owner Korber to help users meet demands of same-day delivery, easy returns, HighJump says.

Supply chain technology vendor HighJump Software Inc. has rolled out a software module for its suite of warehouse management system (WMS) products that extends their ability to handle automation control in the DC, marking one of the first product collaborations it has made with its new owner, Körber AG.

Minneapolis-based HighJump designed the Automation Aware WMS module by meshing the abilities of its WMS product family with aspects of the warehouse control system (WCS) platform from Inconso, another software vendor owned by Körber, a German logistics technology provider.


Körber acquired HighJump in 2017 for an undisclosed amount to broaden its logistics software portfolio in North America. The German firm added HighJump to its Logistics Systems division alongside its Aberle Software, Inconso, and DMLogic LLC brands.

Combining some abilities of a WMS and WCS allows customers to couple their high-efficiency warehouse automation operations with the logic or "brain" of the WMS platform, HighJump Chief Technology Officer Sean Elliott said in an interview during the company's annual Elevate user conference, held this year in Dallas.

Users have been asking for that ability in an attempt to relieve the stress on traditional logistics systems that is generated by rising consumer expectations for services like same-day delivery, simple reverse logistics, mobile ordering, and social engagement, the company said.

HighJump expects to implement the first installations of the Automation Aware product in its enterprise WMS platforms, known as Warehouse Advantage and Enterprise 3PL, and then apply it to midsize customers using the firm's Warehouse Edge platform, Elliott said.

That strategy reflects market trends that have pushed large DCs to implement sophisticated automation to handle rising volumes of e-commerce orders and increasing customer demands for fast fulfillment, Elliott said. Those same trends are now beginning to affect mid-sized warehouses as well, generating a broader demand for automation tools, he said.

Also at the show, HighJump launched its Image inMotion product, enabling digital document handling capabilities for mobile devices. Additional releases included HighJump's Visual Insights product, which overlays raw data onto visual displays such as maps and floorplans instead of pie charts and spreadsheets; and the Social Connector product, which provides an online chat bot that automates customer service operations by allowing consumers to check the status of their orders by typing questions into their favorite social media platforms such as Facebook.

The Latest

More Stories

ITS Logistics truck carrying Sherwin Williams products
ITS Logistics

Transportation challenges, solved

Sometimes, all you need is the right partner to solve your logistics problems.

In 2021, global paint supplier Sherwin Williams faced driver and hazardous material (hazmat) capacity constraints: There simply weren’t enough hazmat drivers available in its fleet to maintain the company’s 90% fleet utilization rate expectations for key partner store deliveries while also meeting growing demand for service. Those challenges threatened to become even more acute in the future, as a competing paint supply company began to scale back its operations in the Pacific Northwest, leaving Sherwin Williams with an opportunity to fill the gap.

Keep ReadingShow less

Featured

drone flying through warehouse

Robotic revolution

Robots are revolutionizing factories, warehouses, and distribution centers (DCs) around the world, thanks largely to heavy investments in the technology between 2019 and 2021. And although investment has slowed since then, the long-term outlook calls for steady growth over the next four years. According to data from research and consulting firm Interact Analysis, revenues from shipments of industrial robots are forecast to grow nearly 4% per year, on average, between 2024 and 2028 (see Exhibit 1).

market forecast for industrial robots - revenues graphEXHIBIT 1: Market forecast for industrial robots - revenuesInteract Analysis

Keep ReadingShow less
Freight Science dashboard screen
Freight Science

High-tech solution helps truckload carrier drive change

The trucking industry faces a range of challenges these days, particularly when it comes to load planning—a resource-intensive task that often results in suboptimal decisions, unnecessary empty miles, late deliveries, and inefficient asset utilization. What’s more, delays in decision-making due to a lack of real-time insights can hinder operational efficiency, making cost management a constant struggle.

Truckload carrier Paper Transport Inc. (PTI) experienced this firsthand when the company sought to expand its over the-road (OTR), intermodal, and brokerage offerings to include dedicated fleet services for high-volume shippers—adding a layer of complexity to the business. The additional personnel required for such a move would be extremely costly, leading PTI to investigate technology solutions that could help close the gap.

Keep ReadingShow less
indigo software screenshot WMS

Aptean adds British WMS vendor in latest acquisition

The Georgia-based enterprise software vendor Aptean today said it had acquired Indigo Software Ltd., a British provider of purpose-built warehouse management and logistics software solutions.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Aptean said the move will add new capabilities to its warehouse management and supply chain management offerings for manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, retailers, and 3PLs. Aptean currently provides enterprise resource planning (ERP), transportation management systems (TMS), and product lifecycle management (PLM) platforms.

Keep ReadingShow less
schneider app screenshot for owner operators

Schneider seeks more business with owner-operators

Transportation and logistics service provider Schneider National Inc. is reaching out to owner-operators, encouraging them to do more business with the Wisconsin company using an updated digital platform.

Schneider says its FreightPower platform now offers owner-operators significantly more access to Schneider’s range of freight options. That can help drivers to generate revenue and strengthen their business through: increased access to freight, high drop and hook rates of over 95% of loads, and a trip planning feature that calculates road miles.

Keep ReadingShow less