IDII Software Newsletter
September 26th 2002 - Volume 3 Number 18
For professionals dealing with software in Warehousing, Distribution, Logistics, and Supply Chain.
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Phil Obal, consults & researches software solutions. Click for more details. Philip Obal
President of IDII


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Techniques, Vision, & Educational Thoughts

The Green Mile - Yard Management Systems

Yard Management is a dynamic part of the supply chain resulting in broad positive impacts on the balance sheet and customer service.

Yard Management is the ability to track trailers and containers pertinent data including who brought it in, who owns it, where it is, what’s on it, how long it’s been there and where it’s supposed to be when, might be the most expensive mile in transportation.

Yard Management Software (“YMS”) is gaining attention as companies see benefits from their investments in transportation and warehouse management software systems and now see yard management as the next bottleneck to remove. Manual and less than ideal yard management increase cost, hinder productivity and cripple supply chain visibility. Selecting the right solution starts with what problems need to be solved, where improvements can be made, and what software can accommodate the answers to these questions. Let’s look at some of the problems, solutions, features & benefits of yard management and Yard Management Software.

Problems and Challenges of Yard Management

You may be surprised that large sophisticated companies use legal pads, grease boards, card racks and Lotus or Excel spreadsheets to manage hundreds of inbound and outbound trailers. Once a day physical inventories that become obsolete moments after completion make it difficult to manage a busy and dynamic environment. Problems created by poor yard management include stories of “lost” loads of Christmas trees “found” two days before Christmas where retail values are cut in half. Or lost time and money searching paper records for historical loads information, and detention charges on empty containers that get forgotten are other consequences of manual yard management. Efficient yard management becomes an even greater challenge with the growing use of outside logistics providers (3PL’s). The people moving the equipment around the yard (yard hostlers aka jockeys, switchers, shuttlers) often work for the owner of the goods in the warehouse, but get their work orders from two outside vendors, a 3PL warehouse operator, and 3PL transportation provider.

Yard Management Software Can Improve Supply Chain Communication and Visibility

It’s often a challenge knock down functional silo’s and gain visibility, cooperation and better communication between purchasing, warehousing, sales, operations and accounting in any company. The hostler often has to satisfy the owner while working through and reacting to two outside vendors who are trying their best to stay on top of everything. Yard Management Software helps the supply chain make better decisions. Pre-planned movements communicated to all parties and browser viewed confirmation of received loads are two examples where operations become more efficient.

Who pays?

Another challenge in removing yard management bottlenecks is deciding who takes responsibility and who pays for it. One attitude is the hostler should be responsible because they should just be efficient. But, many hostler contracts are written either by the hour per driver or truck, or by movement. If efficiency problems are caused by lack of visibility and planning coming from the 3PL’s and the owner, why would the hostler spend his money to solve the other guy’s problems and end up with less revenue? This challenge is worth solving because better yard management results in improved warehouse and transportation efficiency, lower costs and better customer service.

Yard Management Software Solutions

Yard management software systems today have a great deal of potential to help remove bottlenecks, provide upstream and downstream visibility and planning tools, aid in measuring warehouse, transportation and hostler productivity while reducing cost. YMS can even help negotiate favorable transportation rates.

Features and Benefits of Yard Management Software

Let’s look at an example using yard management software that continually updates online available reports with current status for all of a carrier’s equipment on the yard. Entering a user name and password gives access to the online report generated from the YMS. The carrier sees 45 trailers, 23 ready to go with bills of lading and 2 have flat tires. Available 24 hours a day, phone calls and faxes are significantly reduced. Another example is a purchasing department which buys various grades of raw materials. Due to a functional silo or two, information on what has been consumed by manufacturing does’t always get to purchasing in a timely manner. With yard management software, purchasing logs on to see pre-configured views or custom sorts of trailers by raw material type, grade, vendor or any combination of fields, and immediately is aware of ordering needs and inventory overstocks.

Customer service improves when information is quickly available to communicate on time departures or allow proactive delay notifications. Warehouses can measure dwell time by individual or groups of dock doors and review dock-in/dock-out averages to see where productivity can be improved. Transportation can show carriers reductions in the average number of “tied-up” trailers and maybe suggest the carrier forgo the rate increase until next year.

Yard Management Software can even provide automatic pager notification of high temperature or low fuel conditions on refrigerated equipment, and warn you of accruing detention charges on late container returns. Automatic tracking of Key Performance Indicators through automated daily reports and automatic notification to carriers who are short on empty commitments are other examples of time saving benefits.

Summary

The number of features and functions that can be incorporated in YMS is as large as your imagination. Wireless networks for in truck database updates, radio frequency identification tags (“RFID”), gate readers and expanding .Net technology provide a wonderful foundation to incorporate your specific needs and requirements.

There are a wide variety of yard management software products available from large warehouse management system vendors or companies who specialize in yard management. Prices range from a couple thousand dollars for spreadsheet alternatives, to a couple of hundred thousand dollars and more for applications using RFID devices, and customized to interface with warehouse, transportation and other programs and systems.

Yard Management is a busy and dynamic part of the supply chain where logistics improvements can have a broad positive impact on the balance sheet and in customer service.

By Jim Harris of Cypress Inland Corporation. Cypress has a YMS solution named "Yardview". IDII thanks Cypress for sharing this informative article with us.

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Software Company News

  • Ann Arbor Computer (WMS) Looks to Enhance RF-Based WMS Systems with Voice Technology. Ann Arbor Computer announced today that it is partnering with TAYLOR Systems Engineering to integrate the Talkman® voice system by Vocollect into Ann Arbor’s flagship WMS solution, pcAIM™. PcAIM is a Windows-based warehouse management system designed specifically for managing mid-tier warehouse and distribution center operations.

  • Cypress Inland Corporation (YMS, 1998) announces new receiving module for its YardView Light yard management software. YardView Light has many powerful features including various views and standard reports. Providing real time yard status including equipment location, condition, load information and powerful search functions, the addition of a receiving module automates an additional task using the same interface. YardView Light improves productivity reduces detention costs and improve planning. YardView Light has an easy to use Microsoft Internet Explorer web browser interface and uses a Microsoft Access database. Designed for 1-3 network users, YardView Light can be further customized and modified.
  • Irista, Inc.(OMS, TMS, WMS) highlights the latest features of their iristaWare™ 8.3 release at Frontline.

    Enhanced Expiration and Incubation Processing: iristaWarehouse has added new inventory allocation strategies for companies requiring 'Allocation Windows' to meet customer requirements for expiration controlled products. In conjunction with these new allocation strategies, the control of incubated product may now be automated including the ability to ship product while still in an incubation state.

    Warehouse personnel may now further automate cycle counting programs and replenishment strategies for their warehouse. Using the new filtering and scheduling functions, cycle counts and replenishments are created automatically based on user determined parameters.

    iristaTransport's shipment execution module embeds FedEx's 6.11 Powership™ server functionality into the iristaTransport shipping application, eliminating the need for a separate Powership server. This release includes updates to compliance labels and manifests to support FedEx US Origin to US. New capabilities include global messaging to support FedEx Express and Ground Services including Home Delivery.

    UPS Host Access version 7.0 capabilities are included with the release. This allows high volume shippers or shippers with multiple locations to centralize their UPS rating, routing guides, and electronic manifesting while distributing the printing of shipping documentation and compliance labels. This approach simplifies contract maintenance, improves performance, and integrates UPS tracking capabilities at an enterprise level. In addition, customers can take advantage of Centralized PLD (Package Level Detail) upload to UPS along with Simplified Format Manifesting (SPF).

    Enhanced LTL and Truckload Planning Functions: iristaTransport's planning module includes new features to improve the planning of LTL and Truckload shipments including: the ability to maintain NMF classes by carton, as well as freight cost allocation routines that factor in both weight and freight cost, have been added. Additional flexibility has also been added to support upcharge functionality by customer.

    Expanded Technology Certification: iristaWare's technology stack has been upgraded and certified to support Windows2000™, Oracle 9i™ and JAVA 1.3™. In addition, Irista's XML-based integration layer has been enhanced to include support for a JAVA Message Service (JMS) Adapter providing a "plug and play" environment with leading Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) products such as IBM's Websphere® MQ, SeeBeyond's e*Gate™ Integrator and TIBCO Enterprise™ for JMS. This release also supports Open Application Group Inc.'s (OAGI®) version 7 Business Object Documents (BODs) including full Data Type Dictionary (DTD) compliance.

  • Optiant(SCM) Launches PowerChain 4.0. PowerChain™ 4.0, is a enterprise-wide supply chain design and optimization software suite that helps companies design and implement high-performance supply chains to support even the most complex manufacturing environments and real-world challenges. The major upgrade allows manufacturers to improve key financial metrics by dynamically leveraging inventory and supply chain strategies in the race-to-market, including: customer service level optimization, cycle time reduction, and true time-phased inventory planning throughout product lifecycles.

  • Radcliffe Systems (WMS) and Datahorse Limited (SC Consulting, SAP Expertise) Become One. Radcliffe Systems Inc. and Datahorse Limited announced today that their corporate identity officially changed to Radcliffe Datahorse Inc. on September 16, 2002. In conjunction with the name change, a new logo and consolidated web site, www.radcliffedatahorse.com, have been launched.

  • SSA Global Technologies, Inc (ERP) announced PRMS Version 9.2. The new version includes more than 40 enhancements that provide users with a more efficient enterprise information system, enabling flexible order fulfillment and systems control. The improved functionality in PRMS Version 9.2 lays the foundation for customers to take advantage of e-business capabilities provided by best-of-breed extensions to the core application. These include business intelligence (BI), customer relationship management (CRM) and supply chain collaboration. PRMS's seamless integration with Warehouse BOSS provides best-of-breed warehouse management.

  • Softeon, Inc. (WMS, OMS, Web Based) Rolls Out Browser-Based Version of ELITE-SCM and introduces ELITE-SCM Lite product. Both the ELITE-SCM and ELITE-SCM Lite systems include modules for warehouse management (WMS), distribution management (DMS), order management (OMS), and Forecasting.

  • TradePoint Systems LLC (TMS, ITL) has announced the acquisition of several additional product divisions from ClearCross, Inc. Earlier in 2002, TradePoint acquired an exclusive licensing arrangement to take over support, sales and continuing development for certain Questa and SPEX ClearCross customers in the USA and the UK. This latest agreement transfers over 100 additional customers in the USA and Europe, as well as assets and ownership for these product lines, along with several other product lines:

    · Questa – An integrated products suite that runs under Windows NT and utilizes either SQL or Oracle databases. Products include Customs House Brokerage, Freight Forwarding, Breakbulk, AMS and Accounting. This product set has been renamed CargoPoint.

    · SPEX – Export Documentation system – This is the leading Export Documentation product in the world with hundreds of users, originally developed by the British Government and then sold into the private sector.

    · DPS – Export Management System – This is a client server version of the SPEX product with capabilities to integrate into many of the large-scale ERP systems such as SAP and Oracle.

    · GLS – Global Logistics Systems – This is a large-scale logistics system designed to integrate with ERP systems for the cross border movement of products.

    · ECS – Export Compliance System – This is an ASP or Web-based compliance system that integrates with ERP and document systems to ensure compliance for real time mission critical order and shipment processes.

    · Importer – Importer Management System – Provides product parts bank, rating and landed cost calculations to Importers

  • Unibar (BarCode) releases BARCODE 2000 Version 5.1. Unibar releases new improved version for printing bar codes in Linux, Unix and Microsoft; improved design and development tools. Label format printing is still available on 15 platforms.

  • Yantra Corporation (SCE, OMS, WMS, www.yantra.com) announced the Yantra 5x. Yantra 5x features two new applications, Yantra Reverse Logistics and Yantra Logistics Management, and enhanced functionality, such as support for n-tier orders and line-item dependency, to power customer and service parts order fulfillment processes. In addition, the applications that comprise the Yantra 5x product suite can now be purchased on a standalone basis or as an integrated suite. Yantra 5x Highlights Include:

    Yantra Distributed Order Management delivers n-tier order capabilities and line-item dependency that readily enables complex and multi-step fulfillment processes, such as procure-to-order, build-to-order and value-added service execution in an extended supply chain environment. Yantra automatically creates and tracks any order that results from, or depends on, the original customer order, facilitating the coordination of associated services, such as testing, delivery and installation.

    Yantra Reverse Logistics (new) improves customer responsiveness, reduces inventory levels and minimizes operational costs through real-time control of the return and repair cycle. It delivers conditioned-based returns processing, including the execution/management of associated activities, such as exchange orders, refurbishment and repair requests, and return disposition.

    Yantra Logistics Management (new) provides the critical capabilities for monitoring and managing the flow of inbound and outbound shipments. It coordinates activities across all parties in a multi-mode, multi-stage transportation plan, and with the addition of proactive monitoring in the Yantra Platform, identifies events and notifies participants when shipment problems could occur.

    Yantra Supply Collaboration manages the complete purchase order lifecycle. It provides both internal and external users with immediate access to purchase/planned orders and releases, allowing them to negotiate changes over the Internet, redirect orders and inventory, and resolve unexpected problems or delays.

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

  • ""The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself."
    - Ben Franklin
Scripture to Ponder - List of Quotes to Ponder from prior issues.
  • "He who tills his land will have plenty of food, but he who follows empty pursuits will have poverty in plenty."
    - Proverbs 28:19
Websites to Check Out

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.

New Software Directory - September 2002 -

"Warehouse & Logistics Software Directory"


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Amazon
or IDII

Manufacturing
"Value Stream Management"


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Manufacturing - Supply Chain - ERP
"Lean Performance ERP Project Management" - Implementing the Virtual Supply Chain"


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SAP & Supply Chain
"Supply Chain Management
Based on SAP Systems"


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Amazon

SEARCHING FOR A NEW WMS - SAVE TIME !!!

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

Valuable Future Events in 2002 - List Your Event or Convention

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.

Council of Logistics Management Annual Conference - Sept 29 - Oct 2, 2002 - San Francisco, CA. This year's conference offers 36 tracks (educational) on supply chain, logistics, CPFR, technology, and Sunday is a software showcase day. See http://www.clm1.org

ProMat 2003 - February 10 - 13, 2003. ProMat 2003 will provide business, IT and operations professionals with a comprehensive solutions showcase of 700 exhibitors and nearly 80 educational sessions. Focus is Material Handling and Software. See http://www.promat2003.com

National Conference on Operations & Fulfillment (NCOF) - April 13 - 16, 2003 - Orlando, FL. The Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel, Exhibits: April 14 and 15 The Conference Exclusively for Direct-to-Customer Operations and Fulfillment Management.

Valuable Future Events in 2003 - List Your Event or Convention

Distribution/Computer EXPO 2003 - May 20 - 22, 2003 - Navy Pier - Chicago, IL. The largest Exposition for logistics and supply chain technology including; distribution, transportation, and warehousing. Held in conjunction is the D/C EXPO seminars focusing on the latest trends and advances in logistics and supply chain technologies. Visit our website at www.logistar.com or call our toll free number - 800-338-4112.

 


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About This Newsletter - ISSN 1533-435X

We educate and share news on software for warehousing, transportation, shipping, packing, slotting, loading, optimization, and enterprise wide software solutions. This free newsletter is published twice a month. One may quickly subscribe, view past issues, view FAQ, & our rate card by accessing www.idii.com/esn/index.htm.


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