Packaging materials distributor Uline needed help designing a new lighting solution for its Washington warehouse. Cree Lighting was able to illuminate the path forward.
Diane Rand is Associate Editor and has several years of magazine editing and production experience. She previously worked as a production editor for Logistics Management and Supply Chain Management Review. She joined the editorial staff in 2015. She is responsible for managing digital, editorial, and production projects for DC Velocity and its sister magazine, Supply Chain Quarterly.
If you’ve ever worked in a shipping room, you’re probably familiar with Uline and its famous 800+ page catalog. Based in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, the company describes itself as North America’s leading distributor of shipping, industrial, and packaging materials. It currently carries more than 37,500 products, ranging from strapping tape and mailing tubes to hand soap and crowd-control barriers.
Last year, the well-known distributor found itself on the other end of the buyer/supplier equation. The company needed a new lighting solution for its 800,000-square-foot warehouse in Lacey, Washington. Specifically, it was looking to replace its metal halide lighting with something brighter, with the end goal of making pickers’ and packers’ jobs easier and ensuring accuracy. Basically, what it wanted was a system that would provide the maximum lighting output allowed by the Washington State Energy Code.
For help with the project, Uline turned to its long-time partner Cree Lighting, a specialist in commercial, industrial, and residential LED lighting. But the two companies quickly realized there would be more to the project than simply choosing replacement lights. They also needed to figure out the advanced controls capabilities. For that, Cree Lighting enlisted Synapse, one of its lighting controls partners, to design wireless controls for its client’s facility.
THE RIGHT LIGHTS
By moving from metal halide luminaires to Cree Lighting's KBL Series units, Uline has saved 50% on its energy output.
The solution they came up with features Cree Lighting’s KBL Series high-bay luminaires integrated with Synapse’s SimplySnap controls. Over the course of the project, a total of 3,014 of the luminaires were installed throughout the facility.
As for their choice of luminaires, the KBL Series units offered advantages on a number of fronts, according to the manufacturer. For one thing, they’re energy-efficient, producing more light while consuming less energy than traditional metal halide fixtures. “The amount of light coming from the KBL Series luminaire sets it apart from other high-bay fixtures on the market,” said Ryan Loggins, project manager for Cree Lighting, in a release. But the light is neither harsh nor blinding, he noted. “Even though [the KBL luminaires are] producing an abundance of light, people working underneath [them] still experience visual comfort in a properly illuminated space that doesn’t cause headaches and is glare-free.”
For another, they’re convenient. The luminaires feature an instant start, so they turn on when needed without delay and have dimming capabilities straight out of the box. They’re also easily customizable: More levels of control—such as occupancy detection, daylight harvesting (which dials back the electric lights when daylight is available), scheduling, and alerts—are available with a wireless control platform to manage the luminaires’ operation.
As for the controls system, Uline had sought a solution that could tie the lighting system into the main building systems and would provide simple easy-to-use controls. The SimplySnap system—a scalable platform that can control up to 10,000 lights, manage multiple gateways from a single user interface, and integrate with a building management system—is designed to do just that.
MULTIPLE BENEFITS
Since installing the new luminaires, Uline has realized several tangible and intangible benefits. For starters, the new lighting system has delivered on Uline’s original goals, improving visibility, accuracy, and quality control, the company says.
Then there are the energy savings. By moving from metal halide luminaires to the KBL Series units, the company has saved 50% on its energy output. It has realized an additional 30% energy savings due to the occupancy-detection feature and another 5% from daylight harvesting. As a result, it is now able to run the facility at approximately 20% of its former operating cost, all while meeting the stringent Washington State Energy Code.
Uline reports that the project went off without a hitch. “The collaboration between the Cree Lighting and Synapse teams has been outstanding,” Mike McConnell, Uline’s director of engineering, said in the release. “They worked together to fine-tune the way in which the Synapse controls are integrated into the lighting product. We’re here today with a partnership that positions us well for the future.”
That future may have already arrived. Based on the Washington project’s success, Uline has since installed Cree Lighting luminaires integrated with Synapse SimplySnap in several other locations, including the warehouse at its Wisconsin headquarters facility.
Online merchants should consider seven key factors about American consumers in order to optimize their sales and operations this holiday season, according to a report from DHL eCommerce.
First, many of the most powerful sales platforms are marketplaces. With nearly universal appeal, 99% of U.S. shoppers buy from marketplaces, ranked in popularity from Amazon (92%) to Walmart (68%), eBay (47%), Temu (32%), Etsy (28%), and Shein (21%).
Second, they use them often, with 61% of American shoppers buying online at least once a week. Among the most popular items are online clothing and footwear (63%), followed by consumer electronics (33%) and health supplements (30%).
Third, delivery is a crucial aspect of making the sale. Fully 94% of U.S. shoppers say delivery options influence where they shop online, and 45% of consumers abandon their baskets if their preferred delivery option is not offered.
That finding meshes with another report released this week, as a white paper from FedEx Corp. and Morning Consult said that 75% of consumers prioritize free shipping over fast shipping. Over half of those surveyed (57%) prioritize free shipping when making an online purchase, even more than finding the best prices (54%). In fact, 81% of shoppers are willing to increase their spending to meet a retailer’s free shipping threshold, FedEx said.
In additional findings from DHL, the Weston, Florida-based company found:
43% of Americans have an online shopping subscription, with pet food subscriptions being particularly popular (44% compared to 25% globally). Social Media Influence:
61% of shoppers use social media for shopping inspiration, and 26% have made a purchase directly on a social platform.
37% of Americans buy from online retailers in other countries, with 70% doing so at least once a month. Of the 49% of Americans who buy from abroad, most shop from China (64%), followed by the U.K. (29%), France (23%), Canada (15%), and Germany (13%).
While 58% of shoppers say sustainability is important, they are not necessarily willing to pay more for sustainable delivery options.
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.
“Collaborating with owner-operators is an important component in the success of our business and the reliable service we can provide customers, which is why the network has grown tremendously in the last 25 years,” Schneider Senior Vice President and General Manager of Truckload and Mexico John Bozec said in a release. "We want to invest in tools that support owner-operators in running and growing their businesses. With Schneider FreightPower, they gain access to better load management, increasing their productivity and revenue potential.”
Economic activity in the logistics industry continued its expansion streak in October, growing for the 11th straight month and reaching its highest level in two years, according to the most recent Logistics Managers’ Index report (LMI), released this week.
The LMI registered 58.9, up from 58.6 in September, and continued a run of moderate growth that began late in 2023. The LMI is a monthly measure of business activity across warehousing and transportation markets. A reading above 50 indicates expansion, and a reading below 50 indicates contraction.
October’s reading showed the fastest rate of expansion in the overall index since September of 2022, when the index hit 61.4. The results show that the industry is continuing its steady recovery from the volatility and sluggish freight market conditions that plagued the sector just after the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the LMI researchers.
“The big takeaway is that we’re continuing the slow, steady recovery,” said LMI researcher Zac Rogers, associate professor of supply chain management at Colorado State University. “I think, ultimately, it’s better to have the slow and steady recovery because it is more sustainable.”
All eight of the LMI’s indices grew during the month, with the Transportation Prices index showing the most growth, at nearly 6 points higher than September, reflecting increased activity across transportation markets. Transportation capacity expanded slightly during the month, remaining just above the 50-point threshold. Rogers said more capacity will enter the market if prices continue to rise, citing idle capacity across the market due to overbuilding during the pandemic years.
“Normally we don’t have this much slack in the market,” he said. “We overbuilt in 2021, so there’s more slack available to soak up this additional demand.”
The LMI is a monthly survey of logistics managers from across the country. It tracks industry growth overall and across eight areas: inventory levels and costs; warehousing capacity, utilization, and prices; and transportation capacity, utilization, and prices. The report is released monthly by researchers from Arizona State University, Colorado State University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rutgers University, and the University of Nevada, Reno, in conjunction with the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP).
The port worker strike that began yesterday on Canada’s west coast could cost that country $765 million a day in lost trade, according to the ALPS Marine analysis by Russell Group, a British data and analytics company.
Specifically, the labor strike at the ports of Vancouver, Prince Rupert, and Fraser-Surrey will hurt the commodities of furniture, metal products, meat products, aluminum, and clothing. But since the strike action is focused on stopping containers and general cargo, it will not slow operations in grain vessels or cruise ships, the firm said.
“The Canadian port strike is a microcosm of many of the issues that are impacting Western economies today; protection against automation, better work-life balance, and a cost-of-living crisis,” Russell Group Managing Director Suki Basi said in a release. “Taken together, these pressures are creating a cocktail of connected risk for countries, business, individuals and entire sectors such as marine insurance, which help to mitigate cargo exposures.”
The strike is also sending ripples through neighboring U.S. ports, which are hustling to absorb the diverted cargo, according to David Kamran, assistant vice president for Moody’s Ratings.
“The recurrence of strikes at Canadian seaports is positive for U.S. ports that may gain cargo throughput, depending on the strike duration,” Kamran said in a statement. “The current dispute at Vancouver is another example of the resistance of port unions to automation and the social risk involved with implementing these technologies. Persistent disruption in Canadian port access would strengthen the competitive position of US West Coast ports over the medium-term, as shippers seek to diversify cargo away from unreliable gateways.”
The strike is also affected rail movements, according to ocean cargo carrier Maersk. CN has stopped all international intermodal shipments bound for the west coast ports of Prince Rupert, Robbank, Centerm, Vanterm, and Fraser Surrey Docks. And CPKC has stopped acceptance of all export loads and pre-billed empties destined for Vancouver ports.
Connected with the turmoil, Maersk has suspended its import and export carrier demurrage and detention clock for most affected operations. The ultimate duration of the strike is unknown, but the situation is “rapidly evolving” as talks continue between the Longshore Workers Union (ILWU 514) and the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA), Maersk said.
Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed, but Mode Global said it will now assume Jillamy's comprehensive logistics and freight management solutions, while Jillamy's warehousing, packaging and fulfillment services remain unchanged. Under the agreement, Mode Global will gain more than 200 employees and add facilities in Pennsylvania, Arizona, Florida, Texas, Illinois, South Carolina, Maryland, and Ontario to its existing national footprint.
Chalfont, Pennsylvania-based Jillamy calls itself a 3PL provider with expertise in international freight, intermodal, less than truckload (LTL), consolidation, over the road truckload, partials, expedited, and air freight.
"We are excited to welcome the Jillamy freight team into the Mode Global family," Lance Malesh, Mode’s president and CEO, said in a release. "This acquisition represents a significant step forward in our growth strategy and aligns perfectly with Mode's strategic vision to expand our footprint, ensuring we remain at the forefront of the logistics industry. Joining forces with Jillamy enhances our service portfolio and provides our clients with more comprehensive and efficient logistics solutions."