Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

QAD acquires Phenix Software to improve factory scheduling

Manufacturing and supply chain software vendors combine platforms to optimize production scheduling.

bins on conveyors

The manufacturing and supply chain software vendor QAD Inc. today said it has acquired Phenix Software Inc. in a move to help manufacturers improve productivity and accelerate factory performance.

The cloud-based solution, now called QAD Advanced Scheduling, optimizes production decisions by determining what products to make on each production line in the best possible sequence to minimize changeovers, optimize inventory, and align cost and service goals.


According to Santa Barbara, California-based QAD, manufacturers seek technology to become more efficient, agile and resilient in their pursuit of better competitiveness and profitability. The firm says its platform helps in these areas by scheduling related products together, in the best sequence, with visibility to inventories, capacity, product attributes and changeover costs. This improves the synchronization of manufacturing processes, resource utilization and on-time delivery, while also helping to reduce inventory levels and waste.

Laguna Beach, California-based Phenix Software Inc. originated from Zinata Inc. seven years ago after identifying that customers were experiencing major performance loss due to suboptimal changeovers and inventory levels, with no suitable tool to sustain the gains made with existing scheduling solutions. Committed to continuing to provide the best scheduling solutions available, Zinata has since become a QAD distributor to sell, support, and implement the product as a partner.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

More Stories

photos of us capital dome and a container ship at dock

Supply chain groups push back on Trump tariff plan

Industry groups across the spectrum of supply chain operations today are pushing back against the Trump Administration plan to apply steep tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico, and China, saying the additional fees are taxes that will undermine their profit margins, slow their economic investments, and raise prices for consumers.

Even as a last-minute deal today appeared to delay the tariff on Mexico, that deal is set to last only one month, and tariffs on the other two countries are still set to go into effect at midnight tonight.

Keep ReadingShow less
containers stacked in yard

U.S. manufacturers scramble to avoid pain of tariff war

Businesses are scrambling today to insulate their supply chains from the impacts of a trade war being launched by the Trump Administration, which is planning to erect high tariff walls on Tuesday against goods imported from Canada, Mexico, and China.

Tariffs are import taxes paid by American companies and collected by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Agency as goods produced in certain countries cross borders into the U.S.

Keep ReadingShow less
containers stacked on a ship in harbor

Average container transit time in Q4 climbed from 60 days to 68 days

Businesses dependent on ocean freight are facing shipping delays due to volatile conditions, as the global average trip for ocean shipments climbed to 68 days in the fourth quarter compared to 60 days for that same quarter a year ago, counting time elapsed from initial booking to clearing the gate at the final port, according to E2open.

Those extended transit times and booking delays are the ripple effects of ongoing turmoil at key ports that is being caused by geopolitical tensions, labor shortages, and port congestion, Dallas-based E2open said in its quarterly “Ocean Shipping Index” report.

Keep ReadingShow less
drawing of warehouse AMR bot with IOT data

North American manufacturers embrace “factory of the future”

Manufacturing enterprises in North America are breaking with tradition to harness the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) as they seek to compete amid new technologies, consumer demands, and economic shifts, according to a report from the research and advisory firm Information Services Group (ISG).

That changing landscape is forcing companies to adapt or replace their traditional approaches to product design and production. Specifically, many are changing the way they run factories by optimizing supply chains, increasing sustainability, and integrating after-sales services into their business models.

Keep ReadingShow less
chart of women's portion of transport and storage jobs

Women hold only 12% of transportation and storage jobs worldwide

Women are significantly underrepresented in the global transport sector workforce, comprising only 12% of transportation and storage workers worldwide as they face hurdles such as unfavorable workplace policies and significant gender gaps in operational, technical and leadership roles, a study from the World Bank Group shows.

This underrepresentation limits diverse perspectives in service design and decision-making, negatively affects businesses and undermines economic growth, according to the report, “Addressing Barriers to Women’s Participation in Transport.” The paper—which covers global trends and provides in-depth analysis of the women’s role in the transport sector in Europe and Central Asia (ECA) and Middle East and North Africa (MENA)—was prepared jointly by the World Bank Group, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), the European Investment Bank (EIB), and the International Transport Forum (ITF).

Keep ReadingShow less