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Amazon Air Launches Daily Cargo Service at Pittsburgh International Airport

Pittsburgh International Airport
Archives, Global Trade Daily, News

Amazon Air Launches Daily Cargo Service at Pittsburgh International Airport

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On May 12, Amazon Air touched down at Pittsburgh International Airport for the first time, adding Pittsburgh to Amazon’s expanding U.S. cargo network. Amazon’s collaboration has been the biggest cargo win for the growing airport. Amazon Air packages will arrive Wednesday at Pittsburgh via a Boeing 737-800F freighter and depart Thursday morning.

Amazon Air has quickly grown to increase speed and selection for Amazon customers around the country, now flying to more than 40 United States airports. The new operation in Pittsburgh will allow Amazon to supply a growing logistics network in Western Pennsylvania. The partner lease agreement allows Amazon Air to use 50,000 square feet that include an onsite area to sort packages to their next destination managed by an Amazon logistics partner, Trego-Duncan Aviation. The new site is expected to create more than fifty new jobs.

Pittsburgh International Airport CEO, Christina Cassotis shared her excitement about the Amazon Air operations, she said, “We are excited that Amazon is continuing its investment in the region with the addition of Amazon Air operations at our airport, we welcome Amazon Air and look forward to building our partnership. This announcement is a major milestone in positioning PIT as an international logistics center.”

“Growing the network of sites where Amazon Air flies is essential to supporting fast, free shipping for our customers,” said Chris Preston, Director, Amazon Gateway Operations. “Today, with Pittsburgh International Airport as part of our Amazon Air network, we are closer to our customers and can support fast shipping for the items they rely on. We are proud of the investments Amazon has made in the Pittsburgh region and look forward to continued growth.”

In Regions like Western Pennsylvania cargo services great economic benefits due to the downstream economic impacts, including handling companies and trucking. Pittsburgh’s abundant space is the ideal geographic location that makes the perfect business plan to turn the airport into an international logistics center. Other than Amazon Air, Pittsburgh International Airport has also supported Finnair and Qatar Airways causing huge success.

“We are delighted to welcome Amazon Air to Pittsburgh. To have a major logistics company like Amazon locate here reflects confidence in our region and the opportunities at the airport,” said Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald. “This development, along with Finnair’s announcement, really underscores the fact that Pittsburgh is becoming a significant cargo and distribution hub.”

Pittsburgh is excited about their new collaboration with Amazon Air, they look forward to the possibilities Amazon Air will bring to the growing economy.

Truckers Against Trafficking
Archives, Uncategorized

Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA) donates $10,000 to Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT) in Efforts to Eradicate Human Trafficking

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Transportation Intermediaries Association, TIA, announced on May 12, 2021, that they partnered and donated $10,000 to the Truckers Against Trafficking, TAT, in efforts to combat human trafficking in the transportation Industry. The donation will go towards the TAT’s Shipper Partner Program that specializes in educating suppliers on the impact of human trafficking, how to become proactive against it, and eradicating human trafficking.

As the voice of the third-party logistics industry, TIA announced during day two the Opening Session of the TIA 2021 Capital Idea Conference in front of a virtual audience of 300 participants across the 3PL and freight brokerage industry. Anne Reinke, President, and CEO of TIA, Michael Riccio, TIA Board Chair, Kendis Paris, TAT Executive Director, and Cofounder, to discuss how members of the transportation industry can collaborate to endeavor prevention towards human trafficking on America’s roadways.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Truckers Against Trafficking as part of TIA’s recent efforts to engage its members, the transportation industry, and the general public in raising awareness in identifying instances of human trafficking and preventing it from taking place in communities across America,” noted TIA President & CEO Anne Reinke. “TAT is an organization that has shown a passion about and commitment to this issue for more than a decade, and we’re honored to be the latest industry partner to join in supporting the amazing programs and services TAT provides.”

TAT has three main goals to saturate trucking, bus, and energy industries with information and materials; to partner with law enforcement and government agencies to facilitate the investigation of human trafficking; and to marshal the resources of our partners to combat this crime. TAT has a superior track record on delivering the goals with more than 87% of every dollar donates goes directly to their human trafficking programs and services.

“The transportation industry and, more specifically, truck drivers, play a critical role in combating human trafficking,” said Michael Riccio, CTB, Chief Marketing Officer of Leonard’s Express and TIA’s Incoming Board Chairman. “It is critical that we continue to educate, train, and engage with law enforcement and others in our industry to stop this horrible crime, and partnering with Kendis and Truckers Against Trafficking will help position TIA to do just that.”

TIA’s partnership with TAT follows the Association formally signing the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Transportation Leaders Against Human Trafficking initiative during Day 1 of the conference.

“Using their points of intersection, 3PLs play a critical role in helping to educate and activate their logistics partners to address the realities of human trafficking through TAT partnerships,” noted Kendis Paris, TAT Executive Director & Co-Founder. “TIA’s support will specifically help bolster our Shipping Partners program, which last year alone, led to over 300 new carrier relationships for our organization. We applaud the Association’s efforts in marshaling their resources in the fight to end human trafficking.”

To learn more about Truckers Against Trafficking, the TAT Shipper Partner Program, or how you can get involved in supporting the organization and its programs and services, please visit www.truckersagainsttrafficking.org.

geodis
3pls, Archives, Global Logistics, Global Trade Daily

UNIMAGINABLE CHALLENGES MET: A Q&A WITH MIKE HONIOUS, PRESIDENT & CEO, GEODIS IN AMERICAS

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Global Trade: Please quantify the successes Geodis racked up despite the pandemic.

Mike Honious: 2020 was no doubt marked by unimaginable tragedies, challenges, and lasting impact across the globe. From an industry perspective, the pandemic drastically disrupted traditional ways of conducting business as brands overwhelmingly migrated sales from in-person to e-commerce on an accelerated timeline to align with consumer purchasing trends.

We, therefore, saw incredible demand by our customers in 2020 to adapt their logistical operations, shifting the balance from brick and mortar to e-commerce sales. We met the demand by offering a unique suite of e-commerce services to increase visibility across channels, establish agile and flexible distribution networks, optimize IT and software capabilities, and overall help create a seamless customer service experience. This led to a substantial growth period for Geodis during the pandemic. In 2020, Geodis e-commerce orders in the U.S. increased significantly year-over-year. We’re also honored Gartner ranked Geodis in 2020 as one of the top companies with the agility and ability to adapt to customer needs. We believe this flexibility helped our clients succeed during this challenging time.

Global Trade: How did Geodis manage to pull this off when some of your competitors did not?

Mike Honious: Geodis was able to successfully support our customers’ e-commerce efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic because our expertise in this area was well established pre-pandemic. There was no need to scramble and develop services in real time. We had the e-commerce solutions and processes in place. During the pandemic, we simply accelerated and scaled aspects of our e-commerce capabilities so we could best respond to the changing landscape and demand.

Specifically, Geodis e-Commerce Logistics services drastically shorten the click-to-deliver timeline and reach more than 95 percent of U.S. customers within one to two days. This can reduce cost-to-serve by up to 15 percent compared to marketplace models. With the Geodis suite of services, customers can receive a real-time overview of inventory, manage orders across sales channels and determine the most appropriate supply source, delivery method and returns option.

We also offer Geodis MyParcel, which is a cross-border small parcel shipping service from the U.S. to 27 European countries, with guaranteed delivery in four to six days. With our e-commerce services in place pre-pandemic, our agile and scalable approach allowed us to provide reliable, transparent and cost-effective solutions during COVID-19 when brands needed to adapt rapidly.

Global Trade: What did you learn about your company and industry as a whole from the pandemic?

Mike Honious: 2020 was full of challenges, however, it ultimately made our company and industry as a whole more agile, flexible and resilient. E-commerce sales blew past previous projections and did in months what was projected to happen across several years. Because of this, the pandemic forced our industry to challenge previously held beliefs and practices on how to best operate business today.

For Geodis, we accelerated, expanded and adapted services in real time—particularly to support the explosive e-commerce demand. This will radically change how we conduct and approach business into the future as brands increasingly adopt an omnichannel mindset. Above all, I think the underlying learning for Geodis is that we are agile and ready to adjust our operations as needed to help our customers succeed no matter the current environment.

Global Trade: What challenges lie ahead, and how does Geodis plan to overcome them?

Mike Honious: For brands, one of the biggest challenges that lie ahead is predicting how and when customers will return to purchasing in stores and the impact this will have on today’s e-commerce patterns. While many shippers have historically divided their buying decisions, supply chain and fulfillment strategies based on sales channels (which generally provides a lower cost basis when done well), others have embraced omnichannel fulfillment strategies that have proven advantageous during the pandemic. We can’t predict the future, of course, but we can expect the trend toward the omnichannel approach to continue as consumers are likely to adopt a hybrid purchasing pattern of both in-store and online post-pandemic. We will continue to make strategic moves, for example, with advancements to innovative warehouse management systems, providing our customers with the visibility they need to make intelligent decisions and enabling them to deliver products to consumers wherever they are, in store or online.

Additionally, we expect to see pre-pandemic industry challenges persist, such as the labor shortage. Labor availability and rising wage pressure due to the current economic, political and public health challenges need to be addressed appropriately. Geodis in the U.S. is continuing to make investments in automation to manage safety, efficiency and cost-competitiveness in tight labor markets. As the pandemic also showed us, robotics and automation can help provide a defensive strategy to supply chain disruptions caused by the lack of labor availability.

________________________________________________________________________

Mike Honious is president and CEO of Geodis in Americas, the U.S. arm of the global 3PL based in France. Geodis in Americas, which is based in Brentwood, Tennessee, and has offices throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Central America and South America, provides end-to-end supply chain solutions through three key business lines: Contract Logistics, Supply Chain Optimization and Freight Forwarding.

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Archives, Global Trade Daily, Special Reports

Reinventing Retail: 6 Ways Retailers Can Drive Customers Back In-Store

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We’re about to experience one of the biggest booms in the history of retail. As the world continues to recover and stabilize, we are entering unimaginable levels of consumer spending. By all predictions, the second half of 2021 will result in a highly competitive race between marketing investment and retail spending that will fuel unprecedented retail expansion.

The last 16 months have led to dramatic changes to the retail landscape and consumer expectations overall. The global pandemic has shuttered many retail operations and crippled the in-store experience. It’s no surprise that customers not stepping foot in-store is a massive and multi-faceted problem for retailers.

No retailer could have predicted the current situation and the preceding events that brought us here, but that’s all about to change. With the global economy on the verge of breakthrough growth, now is the time to reflect and reinvent retail to attract consumers, bring them back in-store, and capitalize on the massive opportunity that lies ahead.

Here are six ways retailers can drive customers back in-store to reinvigorate growth.

 

Start With A Fresh Perspective

Before a wave of customers floods your store, it’s essential to start with a fresh perspective.

What drives your customers? Why would they want to come in and shop? What have they been missing over these last 16 months?

No amount of tactics will help attract customers in-store unless you can provide what they’re looking for—and delight them in the process.

Being fully stocked with the latest SKUs, along with having updated displays and a revitalized interior, are the bare minimum to motivating customers to set foot in-store. In addition, having enough staff available to provide prompt and friendly service is essential.

Give Them A Reason To Visit

Many customers will need an incentive to justify coming back in-store, so give them one. Whether it’s exclusive discounts, priority access to limited-quantity items, a loss leader, or a free bonus for stopping by, make sure that you give customers a reason to visit.

Remember that not all customers want the same thing, so you’ll need to use various incentives to cater to the different types of customers you have. In addition, you can use triggers like new products, inventory restocks, customer birthdays, or other events to solicit customers to stop in. Starbucks does this exceptionally well with their rewards program where they offer double points (called stars) based on the customer’s purchase history and behavior.

Amazon Prime delivers unparalleled (and frankly unbelievable) delivery times on many products, but often even overnight shipping is too long for customers to wait. Retailers can play to their advantage by promoting in-store availability on products that customers are eager to have the same day.

Do everything you can to find creative and personalized ways to motivate customers to come back in-store. There is no silver bullet; you must regularly test new ideas and offers to see how customers respond.

Create A Memorable Customer Experience

When customers return in-store, you must deliver a memorable and favorable experience. This experience could include creative point-of-purchase displays, free samples, or self-checkout. Think about the experience you want customers to have and find ways to surprise and delight them at every touchpoint.

Trader Joes is famous for its exceptional customer experience. There are many stories of employees giving free flowers to customers who are going through challenging times. Similarly, Chick-fil-a is world-renown for its impeccable operational process and unheard-of attitude and kindness.

It’s not enough to deliver the same experience as you did before. Level up your customer experience by defining new procedures that will make your customers leave the store happier than when they entered.

Drive Traffic From Digital To In-Store

To get customers back in-store, you have to reach them where they are, and that means digital. Use your social channels to get the word out and stay current with customers. Similarly, your email marketing and website should both generate awareness and in-store visits.

Paid digital advertising is incredibly effective for reaching the right customers at the right time. Two of the most powerful digital advertising capabilities are targeting specific customer segments and testing offers and incentives to see which work best.

Use your digital marketing wisely and ensure it plays a cohesive role in helping drive awareness and foot traffic to your locations.

Retrain Your Customers

The harsh reality is that consumers are lazy—and they’ve been trained to become even lazier. Delivery and curbside pickup have become mainstream, and many consumers prefer this convenience over setting foot in a store.

You have to retrain customers how to shop with your business, which means cutting back on the convenience factor. To drive in-store visits, you must create an experience where the past of least resistance—and highest value—is through the door.

All of the tactics mentioned above can help create such an experience, but the key takeaway here is to make sure you’re not cannibalizing your efforts. Any curbside and delivery options should include flyers or catalogs that help customers understand what’s available in-store and why it’s worth their time and effort.

Keep Them Coming Back

Getting customers back in-store will require effort—and you want to make sure you maximize your chances of customers coming back and telling others to do the same.

One of the best ways to get customers to return is by giving them a tangible, monetary reward. Kohl’s is famous for “Kohl’s Cash” which is essentially a voucher for a fixed amount of money that you can apply to your next purchase within the specified redemption period. The key detail being the redemption period, which is always a week or two in the future—meaning you have to come back again to use it.

In addition to generating return visits, consider why a customer would spread the word and tell others to stop in. Small gestures go a long way, and anything you can do to help customers become advocates will add up incrementally to drive a sustainable increase in in-store visits.

It’s Time To Reinvent Your Approach To Retail

Now is the time to reinvent your approach to retail. The world has changed, and there is no returning to normalcy. There was no advanced warning of how drastically retail would be affected and the long-lasting impacts the pandemic would bring. Treat this as your forewarning of the opportunity that lies ahead.

Customers are tired of the predictable retail experience, and you must invest in creating an innovative experience that can satisfy customer demands while exceeding their expectations.

The retailers who prepare and invest in the reinvention of retail will thrive and experience unprecedented levels of customer acquisition, satisfaction, and retention. Retail will never look the same again—and that’s a good thing for those who are willing to evolve.

_____________________________________________________________________

Tim Parkin, President of Parkin Consulting, is a consultant, advisor, and coach to marketing executives globally. He specializes in helping marketing teams optimize performance, accelerate growth, and maximize their results.

By applying more than 20 years of experience merging behavioral psychology and technology seamlessly, Tim has unlocked rapid and dramatic growth for global brands and award-winning agencies alike.

He is a speaker, author, and thought leader who is featured frequently in industry publications. Please visit www.timparkin.com for more information on Tim’s services and his private community of marketing executives.

fulfillment
Archives, Global Logistics, Global Trade Daily, Uncategorized, Warehousing

THE ADVANCEMENT OF DC FULFILLMENT TECHNOLOGIES

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The transition to advanced automation is well underway in distribution and fulfillment (D&F) operations. Within the four walls of distribution centers (DCs), traditional labor-intensive process and material handling strategies are being replaced by more automated alternatives. Retail leaders are beginning to automate and upgrade specific aspects of their DC operations that are bowing under the weight of e-commerce pressures.

Retailers at the forefront of this transition are driven by a desire to mitigate risks to profitability and business continuity by:

-Reducing the dependency on labor

-Increasing throughput rates to meet service level agreements (SLAs)

-Enabling the flexibility to adapt to peak seasonal fulfillment demands

-Keeping pace with year-over-year growth forecasts

New automation investments are focused on achieving strategic supply chain advantages in critical picking, inventory storage and retrieval processes — where peak labor efficiencies are no match for escalating e-commerce fulfillment complexities and SKU proliferation. As throughput levels rise, delivery windows shrink and labor becomes more unpredictable, retailers will find it more difficult to sustain productivity and grow profit margins.

At the same time, emerging advanced automation solutions with integrated software offerings continue to improve, presenting operators with attractive and attainable returns on investment (ROI).

PROGRESS CONTINUES ALONG KEY FUNCTIONAL AREAS

High-speed sortation equipment still plays an essential role in large DCs with high throughput levels, high-level order volumes, and associated shipping and receiving requirements. But while the prospect of unbolting traditional sortation and conveyor equipment is still largely unfeasible, integrated automation systems offer opportunities to upgrade the core of many DC operations: picking, inventory storage and order fulfillment orchestration.

Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems (AS/RS)

AS/RS can be deployed within existing DCs to maximize throughput and improve receiving, order consolidation, and shipping efficiencies. These flexible solutions offer higher storage densities within reduced operational footprints and the flexibility to adapt to a variety of configurations.

High-speed AS/RS shuttle systems are ideally suited for replacing manual picking in high-volume operations. The modular design of racking and storage frameworks enables the addition of new levels and aisles to accommodate future growth in storage demand. Shuttle systems are typically designed with goods-to-person (GTP) and goods-to-robot (GTR) configurations to eliminate picking travel times and allow fewer labor resources to be more productive.

When full pallets are required for wholesale distribution, AS/RS unit load systems rely on one crane per aisle to pull pallets from storage racks and stage them for truck loading.

Robotics Integration

The increased integration of robotics is also helping DC managers alleviate growing e-commerce fulfillment pressures. Robotics strategies are focused on replacing undesirable, unsafe and repetitive manual tasks to free up available labor resources for more thoughtful, high-value roles. And in many cases, retailers are turning to robotics to drive productivity levels beyond human capabilities.

While the vision of a fully autonomous robotic fulfillment operation is far from being realized, recent advancements in robotics are helping to transform a multitude of critical workflows, processes and applications:

–Truck loading and unloading

-Sorter induction

-Each, case and pallet picking

-Palletizing and depalletizing

-Case packing and unpacking

-Transportation of materials (pallets, goods, cartons)

These flexible robotic options can be adapted to benefit DC operations in a variety of ways:

-They can be activated or deactivated as needed to supplement manual resources and flex for peak seasons.

-They can be quickly reprogrammed for new routes and tasks.

-They can be orchestrated into a variety of automated workflows with a modern warehouse execution system, such as Honeywell Intelligrated’s Momentum™ WES.

In addition, modern robotics solutions operate using universal control platforms — such as the Honeywell Universal Robotics Controller (HURC) — allowing them to continually adapt to changing DC conditions via robot-to-robot, machine-learning technologies.

SMART SOFTWARE AND SIMULATION

As D&F operations become more automated and complex in order to keep pace with demand, the integration of advanced warehouse automation software is playing an increasingly important role. Historically speaking, warehouse software was designed to serve very specific functions, which ultimately has added to DC operational complexities. These problems can typically be traced to the presence of multiple software vendors for various automation systems and robotics platforms, which can result in disconnected islands of automation and a continual cycle of obsolescence and upgrade challenges.

Often, this traditional, multi-vendor approach to software makes full DC fulfillment system orchestration next to impossible. Today, retailers and DC operators need to rethink their software strategies and deploy smart warehouse automation software platforms designed to reduce complexities by:

-Unifying disparate automation systems

-Orchestrating all automation systems for full warehouse execution

-Simplifying software support and upgrade management

Modern warehouse automation software like Momentum is designed to provide a single, unified platform for enabling advanced automation in complex DC environments. Momentum gives DC managers the tools to:

-Leverage operational data for workflow optimization and business insights

-Apply machine learning for intelligent decision-making

-Align order release and processing with customer SLAs and priorities

-Maximize AS/RS storage and inventory availability

-Ensure labor productivity and utilization

-Orchestrate advanced AS/RS and robotics into DC workflows

WES systems are even beginning to assume upstream, inbound warehouse management system (WMS) processes and may potentially eliminate the need for separate WMS and WES systems.

BEGIN YOUR TRANSITION

Honeywell Intelligrated is providing advanced technologies and integrated software to help retailers transition from traditional fulfillment workflows to fully integrated automation strategies. We’re leveraging multiple AS/RS solutions, state-of-the-art robotics and our Momentum warehouse automation software to create robust, scalable and supportable technological infrastructures that lay a strong foundation for continuous growth.

Powered by a unified approach to software and advanced data science techniques, these tools can provide complete automation system orchestration while minimizing integration complexities. With decades of material handling industry expertise, we take a consultative approach to develop automation solutions that help forward-thinking companies solve their biggest fulfillment challenges and achieve rapid returns on their investments.

Wherever you are on the continuum of automation, we can help you achieve robust fulfillment capabilities today and accelerate your progress toward an ever-more automated future.

SIMULATE WHAT’S NEXT

Among the cutting-edge features of modern WES software platforms include the capabilities to deliver extremely accurate projections of advanced automation and system performances — before, during and after implementation

— with simulation, emulation and digital twin models.

Simulation benefits include the abilities to:

-Evaluate full system and individual robotic cell prototypes

-Test automation system interdependencies

-Validate and refine operations to improve layout and product flow

-Identify where AS/RS and robots will provide the greatest ROI

-Create a fully functional digital twin of a live fulfillment operation:

» Enable scenario-based testing and response planning

» Save time and money during the physical commissioning stage

industries
Archives, Global Trade Daily, Special Reports

5 Industries Worth Investing In

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Starting a new business or investing in a start-up is a hot topic. Everyone gives thought to starting their own firm at some point in time. However, not everyone can give a meaningful reality to this idea.

Finding the right industry to invest in isn’t a walk in the park. Many variables are included in this equation, including your interests and the amount you’re willing to invest. But the biggest deciding factor is, of course, the profitability of the industry you’re planning to select.

Selecting the right industry can make or break your success, and could even change the financial conditions for a long period of your life. A well-put investment in an ideal industry can lead to high profits and a stable financial future.

To get you started, here are 5 profitable industries worth investing in in 2021.

Food industry

No COVID-19 outbreak can disrupt the food industry as food is essential for life. The outbreak indeed negatively affected the on-table service of restaurants, but many of them are still operational for takeaway. Moreover, food manufacturing firms like cereals, grains, and beverages are also operational. Furthermore, services associated with food, like food packing, are also still going strong despite the circumstances.

Needless to say, the food industry is one of the safest industries to invest in in the 21st century. As people have gone more health-conscious since the virus outbreak, it’d be a great idea to invest in food products revolving around providing a healthy lifestyle.

Textile industry

Just like food, clothing is a basic essential for human life that can’t be neglected in any circumstance. Fashion trends come and go, but everyone needs some type of clothing to cover themselves up.

The textile industry is huge. Some might say it’s over-saturated, but unlike many other industries which follow the if-it-ain’t-broke-don’t-fix-it rule, the textile industry sees alterations every once in a while due to various trends.

FMCG industry

FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) industry includes all the daily-use products people need to keep their lives going. A few examples of such products are detergents, soaps, cosmetics, dental care, paper, and batteries. Just like the case with food and textile, human life can’t go on normally without the FMCG industry.

Investing in this industry is a safe bet today. It must be noted that the businesses in this industry fight through very tough competition, that’s why the profit margin is low. However, as these products are consumed in massive amounts regularly, it kind of makes up for the small profit margins.

Technology industry

For more than two decades, computers and IT have shaped the future of the world’s economy and given new meaning to business operations. Today, almost everyone is dependent on some piece of technology for their life activities.

Consumers, as well as businesses, are looking for new and improved technological advancements to be more productive. IT services and computer support are in high demand. If you have a techy background and are aware of the know-how of this sector, the technology industry could be the best industry for you to invest in.

This industry is massive and has tons of options for you to explore. No matter how advanced today’s technology is, there’s always room to improve and expand. Explore the options and look for bright ideas that could be the next innovative solution to a daily problem.

Marijuana industry

Gone are the days when marijuana was only a means of illegal recreational activities. Today, marijuana is creeping out of the shadows to become a major legal pharmaceutical giant. It’s developed into a billion-dollar industry that keeps getting more and more legal authorizations from governments around the globe and is constantly growing.

If you’re eager to learn more about this industry,  getting in touch with a marijuana consulting firm would be your best bet. Moreover, marijuana financing companies provide loans and financial support to new businesses stepping into this industry,

Final word

Researching and choosing the right industry is crucial to make your investment worthwhile. While many smaller industries keep ascending and descending in the priority list for new investors, the above-mentioned industries are arguably the safest options today.

box
3pls, Archives, Global Logistics, Global Trade Daily

Here’s How Quadient Helps Your Company Box Smarter

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Following the first-ever all-digital ProMat experience, Global Trade Magazine had the opportunity to learn about the companies changing the way the supply chain is optimized. We talked with Sean Webb, Director of Automated Packaging Solutions in North America for Quadient to discuss how the company’s CVP models are supporting businesses of all sizes. Quadient’s machines showcased at ProMat include the CVP Impack and CVP Everest Automated Packaging Systems – each offering solutions dependent on specific applications each customer has.

What operations challenges do the automated packaging solutions solve for the supply chain?

“Operationally, the ability to keep up with fulfillment has been a challenge for companies. Associated with that comes the productivity factor and labor. Some are throwing more labor at the issue to manage this environment, which creates more of a challenge. Having the right-size box is critical and has become a big issue. Many companies are getting hit with DIM weight charges, while transportation costs increase and are becoming quite significant. Additionally, there is the customer unboxing experience to consider as well. Having the right-size box without a lot of the dunnage to fill empty space becomes important.

This, along with material costs, are challenges in the market. We are seeing raw materials increase, so any way we can minimize that spend is critical – including the dunnage I spoke about previously. There are also negative environmental issues tied into the dunnage people are putting into those boxes as well.”

Discuss the eco-friendly benefits of automated packaging solutions.

“There are a few different ways the solutions affect the sustainability issue for customers. First, the materials themselves are biodegradable with corrugate that breaks down over a shorter period of time in a landfill versus indefinitely as seen with plastics. Once the dunnage is eliminated, it is no longer ending up in a landfill. Lastly, when you create a smaller box, you can put more in a truck, for example. This allows for fewer trucks on the road to carry products which translates into a smaller carbon footprint overall.”

Discuss the cost savings aspect businesses can benefit from with this solution.

“When we look at the three main areas from a savings standpoint, we break it down into labor first and foremost – you’re looking at automation that allows you to have a higher productivity level versus the manual approach. There is about an 88 percent savings on average per our data analysis from that alone.

In terms of transportation savings, when rightsizing the box, customers can see an average of 32 percent savings. We certainly see that vary with some customers depending on their applications, with savings that can be significantly larger.

Then you have material savings. If the customer is putting in void fill, there are significant savings that add up. On average, there is a 38 percent materials savings for our customers that make the transition to an automated packaging solution. In addition, by switching to fanfold corrugate rather than the standard RSC boxes, there is an average 29 percent less corrugate used.

The CVP Impack is designed for up to 500 parcels per hour, while the CVP Everest auto-boxes up to 1,100 parcels per hour and would meet the needs of high volume fulfillment or e-commerce companies. For either single- or multi-item orders of soft or hard goods, these automated packaging solutions do not require additional equipment, boxes or operators to eliminate or reduce the need for void fill materials.”

How do the solutions support employees?

“Certainly, these solutions support being able to fulfill the orders and meet the timeframes customers are expecting. By adding this automation, it allows companies to repurpose their workers and reapply them to different areas within their warehouse, making them even more efficient. Part of the challenge from a labor perspective is finding the workforce with the flexibility that businesses need and are looking for. For example, 10 people could typically support a normal order volume situation but 40+ people are needed for peak periods. Finding that labor force and space becomes a big challenge, and the automation allows for the flexibility required when it’s needed, without added costs.”

What size business is this solution for? Can smaller businesses benefit from this?

“There’s really no standard application. What we have seen are companies with a lower throughput number that we thought would be challenged to justify this kind of automation actually finding that they are able to use it and remove a bottleneck in their operations. Lower productivity numbers are essentially doubled or tripled because they are now able to get more orders out. These companies can increase efforts in driving product demand.

For larger operations, there is a need to put out many orders each day and this type of solution is great for them. It allows companies to meet high demands seamlessly. Both large and small companies can benefit from this solution and there is no “ideal customer” as it is extremely broad even on the industry level. We serve manufacturing, 3PLs, technical wholesalers, and really any company that is shipping products out to customers.”

_______________________________________________________________________

Sean Webb is the North American Director of Automated Packaging Solutions by Quadient. With over three years of industry experience, Sean is passionate about helping shippers relieve their daily challenges with automation to optimize their efficiencies, productivity and bottom line. Sean previously held partner and senior level positions in the financial sector.

5G
Archives, Global Logistics, Global Trade Daily

5G Solutions Facilitate Faster, More Efficient Supply Chains

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For supply chains to keep up with increasing demand and the need for cost and resource savings, organizations are turning to 5G and private network solutions. 5G wireless technology will improve all aspects of the supply chain from manufacturing to inventory, fulfillment and delivery.

Manufacturing: Machine-to-machine communications are a staple in the manufacturing industry. Private 5G wireless technology will improve these machines’ flexibility and agility through its ability to carry more information at faster speeds. Devices will be able to stay completely in sync without any delay or lag. With the machine’s ability to increase precision, it will, in turn, increase productivity, reliability and safety.

Inventory: Traditional inventory management has always been time-consuming and labor-intensive, while fulfillment was at a halt. With real-time inventory trackers, fulfillment centers are better equipped to manage large quantities more accurately. By using software that can accurately count and relay information back to a centralized system, warehouses are able to get real-time data into exact inventory counts, product locations and run reporting tools.

Fulfillment: The entire world experienced a major shift in fulfillment technology when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and stay-at-home orders became routine. The increase in demand and limited capacity of fulfillment centers caused many suppliers to adopt warehouse robotics as a solution for the future. Warehouse robotics are actually not new to the industry but first started being developed and used in the early 1960’s in GM factories.

Delivery: Although we may be a few years away from seeing delivery automation used on a large scale, companies have been working to reduce delivery costs and improve logistics through remotely powered drone delivery, robotics, and autonomous vehicles. For a delivery driver or pilot to control and drive a drone from the fulfillment center, the community’s connection needs to be robust, fast and reliable.

Additional Benefits Private and Public 5G Networks will Bring to the Supply Chain

Reducing Power Resources: 5G speeds use less power than traditional 4G and LTE connections. A good analogy to describe how 5G uses less energy is when a person is on their phone loading a website, it may take up to a minute for the website to load. During that loading time their phone is working much harder and using more battery power. If that loading time were to be cut down to a second, it would reduce the additional strain on the phone’s battery, increasing the battery’s life before its next charge. Now take that analogy and apply it to multiple large-scale devices making these same types of connections all day. That speed translates to significant power-saving efforts.

Reliability: When looking at private enterprise networks versus Wi-Fi and what system is right for an organization’s unique manufacturing needs, it’s important to know the difference. Private wireless networks are proven to be more reliable through better signal penetration, fewer blind spots and ability to handle increased bandwidth. 5G networks also can handle more devices than traditional Wi-Fi or 4G networks, ensuring that communications never get jammed up or slow down. When it can be costly to second guess how much a network can handle or how quickly it can transmit data, there is no better solution than private enterprise networks.

Safety: By removing humans from specific functions on the factory floor, warehouses have significantly reduced the number of accidents. In addition to these machines performing some of the more difficult or dangerous tasks, operations are accompanied by sensors that can detect problems or interruptions and immediately shut down and alert the team on the floor when something malfunctions. This split-second reaction time is enough to stop accidents and potentially save lives. Manufacturing has historically been a dangerous job, and these solutions can significantly improve safety and working conditions.

What is Needed to Make These Networks Possible

In order for these IoT’s to flourish at their total capacity, a strong and secure private 5G network is essential. It is critical to work with communications experts who are experienced in developing private network solutions at scale. As technology continues to grow, so will the increase in data, devices and bandwidth needed to ensure seamless communication between devices. It is imperative that the networks being developed are done in a way that can be expanded upon in the future without interruption to the networks in place.

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About Dan Leaf, CEO and president at Leaf Communications: 

Dan Leaf is an Air Force veteran with over 22 years of experience in the communications industry. Over his career, Leaf has become an expert in wireless infrastructure, successfully building and managing companies that provide unparalleled service to their clients. Leaf has worked with Fortune 500 companies, fire marshals and all major carriers to provide small cell deployment, 5G integration, first-responder systems (ERRCS), site acquisition real-estate services, architecture and engineering, and complete project management and construction services. The broad range of functions that Leaf and his team provide are what give them a holistic approach and expert experience in wireless infrastructure and communication technology.

values
Archives, Global Logistics, Global Trade Daily

How to Effectively Communicate Your Value as a Logistics Company

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A company’s values are its ultimate selling point. Your services may be very much like every other logistics company’s, yet what will always set you apart are the values and belief system you nurture. 

The question that now naturally arises is how can we communicate this value with our customers? What are some of the marketing and PR tactics that can be employed to best showcase that deeper and more meaningful level of our business? 

After all, it’s very easy to promise you’ll store and ship item A from point B to point C in record time – and it makes you no different from your competitors.

Here’s what you can do to rise above the competition and show your customers what you’re really about. 

Know Your Target Customer(s) Deeply 

First of all, you need to truly understand what your customers are looking for. It helps if you target a very specific audience, as opposed to casting a wide net. The more specialized you are, the better you will be able to understand the unique needs of a customer. 

For instance, you may work with brands that sell a specific kind of merchandise. Let’s say this is the merch of famous social media influencers. What these kinds of clients will want is speedy shipping and a unique packaging experience, one that can be personalized to each individual influencer. 

By researching the online habits of your target audience and their requirements (via email, call, in person), you will be better able to tailor your services. You’ll have crucial knowledge to help you find that link that connects your values with their needs. 

Write Focused Web Copy 

One of the best ways to communicate with your audience is via your website copy. Ideally, you want it to focus on your customers’ needs, pain points, and desires, and how your solutions are able to solve them. Don’t go on and on about how great you are: explain how what you do solves their problems. 

Always speak in the language of your customers (which is where the research from the above point comes in). You can’t expect the same voice to appeal to international corporations and small local businesses.

Use superlative and comparative language where it makes sense. Phrases like “the most affordable,” “the most reliable,” “the longest-running,” etc. will help highlight what makes you stand out and how this can be beneficial to your audience.

Use Statistics and Social Proof 

You should also look to condense your key stats down into easily digestible bits of information. Numbers often speak louder than words. To add another layer of trust to your website, point out the number of satisfied clients you’ve worked with, the miles you’ve driven, the number of items you’ve shipped, and so on. 

Here’s an example from ShowMojo, which uses five simple statistics to underline the benefits of using their services. 

Of course, the challenge here is to top your competition. What if someone has been in business longer than you have? When this is the case, and it most often is, try to pinpoint those unique values that make you different. 

Choose to focus on one type of item or one type of service. Highlight something about your facilities that makes you stand out. Shine a light on your employees or even your customers. 

The copy you use can also be what puts you on the map. For instance, a phrase like “234 headaches averted” is more emotive than the customary “234 customers served”. 

Use Imagery to Communicate Better 

The other great way to communicate better with your audience is to use imagery and icons that strengthen your message. 

Consider every single visual element of your website: starting from the color story, to the images and the way the pages are structured. What can you improve that will make your customers both have a better experience browsing and better understand what you’re all about?

Visuals have an inherent ability to spark emotions and connections on a level that is much deeper than words. Just the use of different, better quality images that trigger a certain emotional response can improve your conversion rates. 

Your choice of imagery and visuals ties right back to knowing what your audience wants. What is the major challenge they are facing? And what are you doing that will make it better?

For instance, Haystack has a great animation that’s designed to make you feel a bit on edge at first. But then, they provide a solution in the same visual, illustrating how their services simplify operations and streamline processes.

Create Memorable Offers 

Sometimes it’s all about sticking in someone’s mind. You may not convert a visitor on the first go, but if you create a memorable offer that solves a particular need, they are likely to remember you and come back when they need that specific service. 

The future (and present) of marketing is in personalization and customization. Offers tailored to the needs of every individual customer are much more valuable and sell better than pre-made packages that only assume what they will need. 

If you’ve been in business for a while, you’ll be able to make the best of both worlds and create package-like offers that still allow for plenty of customization where it matters the most. Whether it’s storage solutions, pickup and delivery times, the duration of your services, or any other variable that can be tweaked per customer, offering a choice (but not too much of it) is what makes customers convert. 

Make sure you don’t fall into the trap of choice paralysis, and only allow your customers to tailor some elements of the offer. Too much choice and having to come up with the entire service from scratch will only cause more headache. 

Communicate Your Unique Value Proposition Wherever Possible 

Finally, you want to make sure there are numerous touchpoints between your customers and your values. Here are just four of them:

-Your web copy – Everything you write online, from your website copy to your social media captions should communicate your UVP. 

-Speaking to customers and prospects – In-person marketing is just as important as your web presence. After all, if you communicate one message online and then come off as a completely different company in person, you won’t be doing yourself much good. Ensure all company representatives are coached on the best ways of communicating your values and USPs. 

-Speaking with others in your industry – Word-of-mouth marketing is also an important aspect of customer communication. So, you want your values to shine through in your chats and emails with everyone in your industry, as well as your current customers. You never know who might send your next client your way. 

-When someone asks your employees about their job – Your staff (even the employees who don’t have customer-facing jobs) should know the values your company is built on. They can represent them when speaking to friends and acquaintances who ask them what it is they do for a living. 

Final Thoughts 

Communicating value comes down to reinforcing your core message and understanding what your audience is truly after. With enough research, a decent creative effort, and a lot of testing, you can come up with a formula that not only converts your leads but also makes them proud to be working with you. 

food and beverage
Archives, Global Logistics, Global Trade Daily, Warehousing

What’s Keeping Food and Beverage Companies Up at Night in 2021?

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Here are the top issues that most food and beverage companies are trying to solve right now and some tips on how to work through these pressing problems. 

 

Climbing mountains is nothing new for food and beverage companies that, like most organizations, face a steady stream of new challenges in the course of business. Whether they’re complying with new regulations, adapting to changing consumer demands, or strengthening their supply chains against disruption, food and beverage companies have to stay on their toes or risk falling behind the curve.

 

Right now, some of the key issues that these organizations are facing include:

 

-Changes in consumer demand, both in terms of the volume and variety of manufactured goods consumed.

 

-A higher volume of direct-to-consumer (DTC) transactions. With more consumers shopping from home, setting up and fulfilling these distribution networks have become full-time jobs for food and foodservice organizations.

 

-Disruption of transportation networks needed to be able to deliver these DTC orders (e.g., truck driver shortages, ocean container shortages, transportation capacity constraints, etc.).

 

-Workforce presence, composition, and location. Despite the current economic situation, available labor is still difficult to find in certain areas.

 

-The uncertainties of virus transmission have led many countries to adopt food protectionist policies, DHL points out in a recent report, which has disrupted end-to-end supply chain continuity.

 

-This, in turn, has increased the global price of food and beverage products and has made the global food supply more inaccessible.

 

-Reductions in passenger air travel have impacted air freight considerably, the method by which most perishable products are transported. (According to DHL, air freight capacity declined over 80% on routes between Europe and Latin America in 2020.)

 

-Workforce health and safety—an issue that was exacerbated by the global pandemic. For example, companies have had to rethink their plant floor design in order to accommodate social distancing guidelines. Doug Mefford, our product manager has recently explained why using a WMS can result in an enhanced work environment for the warehouse employees all while reducing risks and potential errors in an interview with Food Logistics.

 

-Raw material and component inventory shortages affecting production. As supply chain shortages persist, everything from steel to resin to electrical components remain difficult to source in the current market.

 

-Inventory shortages that impact manufacturing and distribution companies’ sales.

 

The list of challenges doesn’t end there, but these points paint a picture of an industry that’s still shaking off the impacts of the global pandemic while also looking for ways to work smarter, better, and faster in 2021 (and beyond).

 

Long-Term Resiliency Wanted

 

As the coronavirus outbreak spread, unprecedented challenges have surfaced for food and beverage companies all over the world. Extraordinary measures have been taken to keep the food supply chain safe, efficient, and moving. Industry leaders with agile solutions in place have been able to mitigate some of the fallout from the pandemic, while others are still learning how to cope with the new realities of the crisis.

 

Regardless of where they land on the technology adoption curve, companies need to be able to quickly identify, configure/develop and adopt new capabilities that ensure long-term organizational resiliency.

 

“COVID-19 has impacted the entire food and beverage (F&B) supply chain, from farm field to consumer,” DHL writes in Food Logistics. “It has upended the sector’s operational capacity in its entirety, including production, processing, packaging, and distribution.” COVID also caused a shift toward a greater need for efficiency in production amid the long-term realities of staff capacity shortages and an unpredictable regulatory environment, the freight provider points out.

 

Three Steps to Take Now

 

The good news is that the global food supply chain nearly always shows resilience in the face of unanticipated challenges. Here are three steps that all food sector companies can take now to make their supply chains more resilient and responsible:

 

Focus on go-to-market versatility. Existing go-to-market channels like bars and restaurants could take months to fully recover from COVID-19. “Companies, therefore, need to invest in omnichannel capabilities, especially focusing on online/digital solutions,” Deloitte explains. “This should also include product [interchangeability] across channels.”

 

Step up end-to-end supply chain management. Work with a wider pool of suppliers, including regional ones, and keep larger strategic stocks. A broad product range is more expensive to maintain, but spreads risks, Deloitte acknowledges. “An alternative is to simplify recipes and/or remove problem products from the portfolio, resulting in a leaner, more manageable product range, less risk, and lower costs.”

 

Leverage technology ecosystems. Good supply chain visibility starts with a robust technology hub that includes a warehouse management system (WMS), transportation management system (TMS), yard management system (YMS), and order management system (OMS). It also includes Industry 4.0 technologies that provide advanced capabilities. “Digital supply networks are going to make businesses less vulnerable in the longer term,” Deloitte says. “Robots, for instance, reduce dependence on migrant labor, while track-and-trace solutions help businesses zoom in on supply chain bottlenecks.”

 

With the global pandemic still in full effect, companies across the food supply chain must plan for the continuing effects of the outbreak on different areas of supply, demand, and the overall economy. Using the strategies outlined above, companies can work to improve their supply chain resilience and visibility in a way that addresses the rigors of the current operating environment while also helping organizations prepare for the future. Generix Group North America has recently hosted a webinar Post Pandemic Impacts on the Food & Beverage Business featuring a guest speaker from Chapman’s Ice Cream, John Fleming. You can listen to the recording here and plan how to address supply chain resilience within your own organization.

 

Generix Group North America provides a series of solutions within our Supply Chain Hub product suite to create efficiencies across an entire supply chain. From Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) and Transportation Management Systems (TMS) to Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) and more, software platforms can deliver a wide range of benefits that ultimately flow to the warehouse operator’s bottom line. We invite you to contact us to learn more.

 

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This article originally appeared on GenerixGroup.com. Republished with permission.