DC Velocity - March 2010

NEW LOGISTICS PRODUCTS & SERVICES EDITED BY ERICA MAC DONALD AND SEAN MALONEY

rollouts

Direct hit: FedEx Corp. has launched FedEx International DirectDistribution, a service designed to consolidate multiple packages into a single shipment, thereby helping shippers reduce costs, bypass distribution centers, and streamline clearance through customs before distributing individual shipments directly to their final destinations.

This portfolio of solutions combines the forwarding and customs compliance expertise of FedEx Trade Networks and the reliability and efficiency of the FedEx global network. FedEx International DirectDistribution also offers customers greater flexibility and control by allowing them to choose the modes of transportation—air, surface, or ocean—that best meet their transit time needs. (FedEx, www.fedex.com)

Seeing i2 eye: i2 announces the availability of the newest release of its i2 Transportation Manager via i2 FreightMatrix, a transportation management solution. Version 6. 3. 2 of i2 Transportation Manager allows companies to minimize their overall transportation costs while maximizing customer service through real-world constraint management and multiple partner collaboration.

The latest release incorporates new features for extending transportation network partner collaboration and mitigation against future capacity constraints. Those features include partner-enabled dock scheduling; supplier-interactive “ready to ship” work flows for domestic and international processing; and package-based tracking and financial processing for less-than-truckload (LTL) and parcel-intensive shippers. (i2, www.i2.com)

Rugged features: International Coding Technologies has released a rugged RFID identification tag for concrete, steel, pallets, and other assets, with a price of less than $1.00. The device is a single tag that features a human readable format, a bar code, and RFID all on one RFID inlay. The inlay is sealed in a ruggedized, watertight, dust-proof plastic unit that can be permanently attached to products in harsh environments.

The tag comes in three variations: Cast-A-Code for concrete, Steel Code for steel structures, and Pallet Code, which comes with adhesive backing or screw holes for attachment. (International Coding Technologies Inc., www.ictrfid.com)

Real Time rewind: Intelligrated, an automated material handling solutions provider, announces the relaunch of the Real Time Solutions order fulfillment system. Intelligrated acquired Real Time Solutions, a comprehensive suite that includes pick-to-light, pick-to-voice, pick-to-cart, RF picking, and order fulfillment software, through its purchase of FKI Logistex last year.

Designed for warehousing, fulfillment, and DC environments, the order fulfillment suite features a broad range of integrated solutions to enable customers to use multiple picking methodologies and a range of picking styles, such as discrete, batch, pick and pass, and put distribution. Real Time Solutions software tools work across multiple order fulfillment technologies to plan the amount and application of labor, providing the ability to monitor productivity and make adjustments based on real-time operations.

With flexible features like dynamic zone sizes and cluster picking of multiple orders, the Real Time Solutions order fulfillment systems can be tailored to fit any operation. To drive increased accuracy and productivity, work flows can be configured to meet customer business processes, such as inventory exception handling.

Value-added processes such as cycle counting, replenishment, price ticketing, label printing, and print-and-apply requirements can also be incorporated into the work flows. (Intelligrated, www.intelligrated.com)

Optimize the workers you already h Let Southworth Show You How I could do a lot ...but I need a little As the economy improves, production an distribution capacities will need to increa This is a great opportunity to improve go f operating efficiencies beyond pre-reces levels. After all of the cutbacks, you have retained a chosen workforce. Now help them optimize their productivity with sma investments in their work environment.