IDII News - New Website Features

• NEW! New Advance Transportation Management System RFI is finished & available for those selecting a TMS. The Advance TMS RFI is designed to rapidly speed up the TMS software selection process significantly. This new Advance TMS RFI / RFP has 900 detailed questions! Features include precise questions with pop-up text that clearly explains each question, validated responses, and color highlighting that matches vendor responses. Sections include:
  
  
  • Outbound Shipment Planning - Advanced Planning
  • LTL Freight Rates & Options
  • TL Freight Rates & Options
  • Ocean Freight Rates & Options
  • Air Cargo Freight Rates & Options
  • Parcel Rates & Options
  • Airborne Express, DHL, Fedex, UPS, USPO Detailed Rates & Options
  • Freight Quote Entry - Freight Order Entry
  • Freight Order Management
  • Carrier Selection - Tender to Carrier
  • Freight Order History
  • Load Sequencing - Routing
  • Shipment Detail Capture
  • Freight Documentation
  • Freight Audit - Freight Billing
  • International Freight & Documentation
  • Many More!
  Order the TMS RFI - See TMS RFI Information with Screen Snapshots
  
  
• WMS Discussion - Ask a question! - Share your knowledge!
  
  

• New White Papers
• New - Cost Justifying a Warehouse Management System - Very Good
• New - 10 Symptoms of Poor Supply Chain Performance - Excellent
• New - How to Turn Lost Sales Into Buying Demand - Excellent
• Very Interesting!!! Usage-Based Licensing Will Cost More Than You Think
  
  
• In the last newsletter, IDII announced these white papers:
  
• Review - Warehouse Management System Technologies - Very Good
• Review - VMI - What is Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI)? - Very Good
• Review - WMS Software: The Importance of Testing - Excellent
• Review - Going Online Brought Smooth Sailing to World Of Ocean Shipping - Great
• Review - Vendor Managed Inventory - Promising Value for the Truck Parts Industry - Excellent
• Review - XML - Web Services Choreography Interface (WSCI) Spec version 1.0 (PDF) More Information at http://wwws.sun.com/software/xml/developers/wsci/index.html
  

Software Company News

• The Descartes Systems Group Inc., (TMS, Nasdaq:DSGX, TSX:DSG), introduced MobileLink: Commerce(TM), a wireless routing and scheduling application for real-time event management and financial settlement in delivery operations. Commerce is available immediately for use with either Descartes Roadshow® or Descartes Fleetwise(TM) logistics software.

  Ideal for direct delivery operations such as home office delivery services, online storefront delivery services and direct store delivery services, Through the use of Commerce, route drivers are able to capture signatures for proof-of-delivery, settle payment for goods and print invoices on demand.

• G-Log (TMS, Freight Optimization, SCEM) announced product release -- G-Log® Global Command and Control Center(TM) (GC3(TM)) software version 3.5. Using GC3 version 3.5, Global 2000 shippers and logistics service providers can optimize shipments across every leg of the supply chain regardless of business unit, mode or geography.
  
  

• J.D. Edwards & Company (ERP, MRP, CRM, Nasdaq: JDEC) announced the latest version of Demand Planning. J.D. Edwards' Demand Planning leverages technology from Demantra, a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based provider of demand-driven supply chain software. Part of the company's enhanced suite of Advanced Planning applications in J.D. Edwards® 5, Demand Planning works in tandem with Demand Consensus to create a true collaborative forecasting environment across the supply chain.
  
  J.D. Edwards Demand Planning combines statistics derived from multiple models to create a more accurate forecast for better managing seasonality, intermittent demand, unusual events, and changes in demand trends and patterns. In addition, Demand Planning can analyze and forecast the impact of events such as holidays, promotions, and price sensitivities and product dependencies.
  
  

• LIS (WMS, SCEM, 1985) released the latest version of its warehouse management system, Dispatcher-WMS.

  • New alerting and event management functionality are among the release's significant enhancements.
  • Supplier Collaboration - Advanced scheduling capabilities allow trusted suppliers to log onto the Web-enabled system to modify bookings, provide shipment details and manage their own inventory. Because the receiving staff can see when regular suppliers are due to deliver, less scheduling administration is needed.
  • Supplier Performance Measurement - An evaluation screen pops up after each delivery so users can measure and report on supplier performance. Consistent monitoring provides valuable insight for evaluating delivery accuracy and missed appointments.
    
  • Ease of Technology Integration - A new Interface Painter allows the mapping of data from host and other systems to Dispatcher-WMS, simplifying the integration of new customer host systems and reducing the time and risk involved in implementation.
    
    

• Logility (TMS, CPFR, WMS, SCEM) Announces Collaborative Event Management version 6.2. Logility Voyager Collaborate version 6.2 is available today and enables both company-wide internal and external collaboration to share jointly in developing promotions, sales forecasts and replenishment plans among sales, marketing, manufacturing and finance, as well as external trading partners such as suppliers, distributors and customers. Key Features of Logility Voyager Collaborate 6.2 include:

  • Collaborative Event Calendar coordinates a consolidated graphical view
    of each trading partners' corporate calendar, synchronizing critical
    information on product launches, new store openings, special events and
    promotions that impact demand creation and fulfillment. Additionally,
    users my select special icons to visually identify specific event
    types.
    
  • Events Control Tower optimizes the user's time with a role-based view
    of events such as promotions, new product introductions, substitutions
    and close-outs related to specific buyer and seller trading pairs. The
    user can view a list of new or updated events providing a consistent
    understanding of scheduled activities. Additionally, each trading
    partner can respond to prioritized supply chain alerts and focus on
    resolving exceptions to accelerate the value chain and ensure optimal
    product availability.
    
  • Expanded Event-based Monitoring incorporates special event related
    exceptions that identify discrepancies in promotional lifts, sell-in
    and sell-through rates, calendar schedules, item assignments or
    availability as well as missing data. Additionally, event status
    parameters allow trading partners to track proposed events during
    various stages from inter-company approval through campaign completion.
    
  • Campaign Summary provides a flexible synopsis that incorporates
    additional information such as the event name, date, owner, and items
    assignments as well as trade dollar funding, coupon information, event
    status, revenue or volume goals, and performance-to-date.
    
  • Event Audits provide complete visibility of all changes and comments
    made for an event from start to finish including date changes, status
    updates, item assignments, product availability, etc.
  
  
  

• OMI International (,WMS YMS) announced implementation of the Mobile Distribution System (MDS) for yard, dock and asset management into the largest retail-owned wholesale grocery cooperative in the Western United States. Unified solved unique challenges in dealing with its “will call” operation and yard grid-lock by implementing MDS.
  
  MDS is a stand-alone yard, asset and dock management application with real-time interfaces to a wide range of SCE applications and fully integrates warehouse and transportation management product data to schedule inbound and outbound yard/dock activity. MDS utilizes a range of technologies from bar code and key data entry to active and passive RFID tags and Real-Time Location Systems (RTLS) technology. Savings of anywhere from $300,000 - $500,000 have been seen by clients due to productivity improvements via the reduction in the number of yard tractors, trailers and idle time in addition to better dock utilization, reduction in spoilage, fuel consumption and yard moves. The addition of an innovative labor management system within MDS provides an improved utilization of labor with an average of 25-40% reduction in idle time.
  
  

• SupplySolution, Inc. (ERP, MRP) and Celarix (Visibility) announced that the two companies will co-release an advanced logistics solution. The new solution is designed to improve inventory decisions with accurate, real-time in-transit inventory information. As of June 2002, over 203 supply chains are being managed by the i-Supply Service solution. The tools comprising Logistics 2.0 in i-Supply provides users with:
  • Enhanced in-transit visibility with real-time updates to the ETA (estimated time of arrival) for each shipment.
  • Visual alerts to inter-point shipment delays/accelerations that impact the ETA.
    
  • A visual display of the entire route of the shipment, including the delivery and pickup date/time(s) at each of the key transportation points within the route.
    
  • Additional detail information regarding each shipment / items on that shipment.
    
  • Shipping metrics for supplier shipping performance (on-time, correct quantity).
    
  • Analysis reports to monitor carrier performance.
  
  
• WhereNet (YMS, RTLS) implements YMS at ES3 with wireless resource management tools for planning, scheduling, and optimizing its yard resources. Based on wireless radio frequency WhereTags and a local infrastructure of wireless WhereLAN(TM) locating access points, the WhereNet system provides real-time location and status information for every trailer at the ES3 distribution center. For inbound shipments, ES3 personnel temporarily attach a WhereTag to every trailer upon entering the distribution center. Through association of the WhereTag with the contents of the load, the trailer is automatically recognized as "full" or "empty." This status information is then communicated through WhereNet's Web-enabled yard management system (YMS).

  Because of the delivery time promised to retailers, trailers need to be tightly scheduled so that there is no time wasted moving the right trailer to the right dock door at the right time. In conjunction with WhereNet's YMS software, 802.11b technology is leveraged to communicate trailer move requests to "switchers" (drivers who move trailers around the yard) via ruggedized mobile devices mounted inside each switch tractor. Switchers are able to select and work requests, display the exact locations of requested trailers on a map, and perform trailer inspections through WhereNet software that runs through a browser on the mobile devices. When a new trailer move is required, the WhereNet system not only displays the location of the specific trailer to be moved, but also the location of the switcher who is closest to that particular trailer.

Quotes to Ponder - List of Quotes to Ponder from prior issues.

• "One of the biggest factors in success is the courage to undertake something"
  --James A. Worsham
  

• "The deeds of a man's hands will return to him."
  - Proverbs 12:14
  

• AIM - DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSED ISS: POSICODE AIM announced the publication of the International Symbology Specification for PosiCode. As a unique, position based symbology, this code is designed for creating readable bar codes in processes where controlling bar widths may be difficult. It is well suited for direct part marking processes such as laser engraving, chemical etching, dot peen or indent marking and machining..
  
  
• BarCode - 2D - Symbology. The Quadrus-EZ.com web site contains product specifications and a wide variety of Applications, Video Tutorials, Reference Materials, Interactive Demos and Presentations to help you better understand 2D symbologies.
  

Online Book Catalog - Intuitive Categories

Books on Shipping, Warehousing, Distribution, Operations, WMS, ERP, MRP, CRM, Supply Chain, Customer Service, Logistics, Facility Layout & Design, Metrics & Measurements, and books on software solution providers SAP, Peoplesoft.

"Warehouse & Logistics Software Directory" Order From Amazon or IDII

"Supply Chain Management Based on SAP Systems" Order From Amazon

"ADVANCED WMS RFI Search Bundle" Available from IDII only
Obal, Philip	Advanced Version is available only from IDII

Valuable Future Events - List Your Event or Convention

Supply Chain & Logistics 2002 Conference - September 10 - 12, 2002 - Georgia International Convention Center, College Park, GA. This event will have a sharp focus on logistics, while incorporating the critical components of warehousing, transportation, distribution and e-commerce. http://www.supplychainlogistics.com

Frontline Solutions' Supply - September 23 - 26, 2002 - McCormick Pace, Chicago, IL. 250 technology & service providers, and over 100 conference sessions help you understand and compare the latest generation of data-capture, mobile computing, warehousing, and collaborative technology. Visit http://www.frontlinexpo.com or call 1-800-331-5706.