Oldies but goodies for
your bookshelf

Sure, you can find a lot of the information you need to do your job online these days. But sometimes nothing beats a good old-fashioned reference book. We recently received word that two classic reference works for warehouse and logistics managers are now available in revised and updated versions.

Supervising on the Line, by the late labor management expert Gene Gagnon, has been the bible for warehouse managers and supervisors since its publication in 1988. The reason for its continuing popularity? The text tells readers “how to actually lead, manage, communicate, direct, and measure their associates,” writes Jim Barnes, president and CEO of the supply chain and enterprise consulting firm enVista, in the foreword to the second edition.

Barnes was invited by Gagnon’s son Al (who works for enVista as an industrial engineer) to revise the book. Barnes has carefully updated the compact guidebook to reflect technological advances and other industry developments. The new version is as practical and plain-spoken as the original, and Barnes has taken great care to retain Gagnon’s voice. The book can be ordered for $12.95 at www.envistacorp.com.

The fifth edition of Glossary of Supply Chain Terminology—For Business, Purchasing, Manufacturing, Warehousing, and Technology Pros, by Philip Obal of the technology consulting firm IDII, is considerably heftier than its predecessor. No matter which of those areas you work in, you’ll find a comprehensive list of definitions for words and acronyms that are used daily in written and spoken communication.

The 700-page book is available from Amazon.com or from the publisher at www.idii.com/orderdigital.htm. ;

Baby, you can drive my … pallet?

Labor-saving robotics is all the rage in large, high-velocity DCs these days. Typically, these sophisticated machines ferry pallets and containers to locations where humans take over the tasks of putaway, shipping, and the like.

But that, apparently, is not quite enough for the U.S. Air Force (USAF). According to a report on Discover magazine’s website, the USAF has hired two companies to develop robotic pallets.

In his entertaining “Discoblog” entry “Lend a Hand, C3PO? Self-Loading Luggage Is on the Air Force’s Wishlist,” Patrick Morgan writes that HSTAR Technologies is working on a platform that can “talk” to a dispatcher and take directions from him or her. HSTAR’s prototype also has omnidirectional wheels for turning around in tight spaces. Another company, Stratom Inc., proposes to adapt the standard military pallet so it can drive itself wherever it needs to go and communicate with a dispatcher and other cargo robots. According to Morgan, Stratom’s proposal says the technology could be commercialized.

To read the full article, go to http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/ discoblog/2011/06/02/ and scroll down to the second article. ;

inbound

Counterfeiting has become a very real problem for food and consumer products supply chains—one that’s costing these industries billions of dollars a year worldwide. A recent story in our sister publication, CSCMP’s Supply Chain Quarterly, outlined several strategies for cracking down on counterfeiting (see http://www.supplychainquarterly.com). Now comes word of a surprising new tool for preventing counterfeit packaging from entering the supply chain: DNA.

Deoxyribonucleic acid, it turns out, could eventually become as common in the manufacturing plant or the warehouse as it is in crime investigations. Packaging specialist DISC Graphics will offer DNA “taggants” for use in its folding cartons and pressure-sensitive labels. According to Applied DNA Sciences Inc., the developer of the taggant, its SigNature DNA is a plant-derived mark that cannot be copied and can provide a “forensic chain of evidence” to authenticate products, including packaging and labels.

Maybe someday we’ll see a new addition to the networks’ crime-show lineup: “CSI Supply Chain.” ;

CSI: Supply Chain?
SCOPE it out in Las Vegas

Las Vegas in August? Sure, it can be pretty darned hot, but don’t let that deter you from attending SCOPE West, the Supply Chain Operations Private Exhibition organized by Quartz Events. The event, scheduled for Aug. 21–23, includes panels and presentations featuring industry thought leaders, case studies, and individual meetings with exhibitors.

The event features six conference tracks: consumer goods, retail, industrial, third-party logistics/distribution, information technology, and procurement. Speakers will include supply chain executives from such companies as OfficeMax, Cisco Systems, and Pepsi Beverages (2010 Rainmaker and DC VELOCITY Editorial Advisory Board member Shekar Natarajan).