DC Velocity - January 2013

newsworthy

expect to up their spending, 52 percent anticipate a 3- to 5-percent increase.

About 40 percent said they planned to spend more on transportation services across all modes. Thirty-nine percent said their freight spend would stay the same, while 9 percent predicted a reduction. Among those respondents who expect to boost their spending on transportation, 52 percent said their expenditures would rise between 3 and 5 percent.

As has been true for the past three years, trucking services topped the survey takers’ list of planned transportation purchases, with 67 percent of respondents saying they would purchase less-than-truckload (LTL) service and 55 percent citing plans to buy truckload transportation. Fifty-one percent of respondents planned to buy small-package service. (See Exhibit 2.)

There were also few surprises when it came to expected purchases of material handling equipment. As was the case last year, racks and shelving topped the “to-buy” list, cited by 48 percent of survey takers. Racks and shelving were followed by lift trucks ( 44 percent), safety products ( 43 percent), batteries and battery handling equipment ( 35 percent), and dock equipment ( 31 percent).

More than half of respondents said they had budgeted funds for DC improvements in 2013, whether it involved expanding or retrofitting an existing facility, or building a new one. Of those 174 respondents, 56 percent said they planned to buy maintenance products, while 42 percent expected to invest in lighting and 28 percent planned to buy fans.

Fifty-eight percent of survey respondents plan to purchase logistics technology in the coming year. Of those, 27 percent said they expect to buy a warehouse management system ( WMS), while 22 percent plan to purchase an inven-

EXHIBIT 2

Readers keep on truckin’

When asked what types of transportation services they planned to buy in 2013, DCV readers put LTL motor freight at the top of the list.

Type of service Less-than-truckload motor freight Truckload Small package Air freight Express/Expedited/Time-critical Rail/Intermodal Maritime/Ocean Private fleet tractors and/or trailers Barge *Note: Survey respondents were allowed to select more than one response.

of respondents*

67

55

51

40

35

25

5

tory optimization package. Twenty percent of those respondents said they planned to buy a transportation management system (TMS), and another 18 percent will invest in an application for business intelligence or analytics.

The survey also indicated that respondents will continue to rely heavily on third-party logistics service providers (3PLs). Of the respondents that were currently using 3PLs, 51 percent said their use of third parties would remain the same. Another 41 percent anticipated an increase, while just 8 percent expected to cut back on outsourcing. ;

—James Cooke

accolades

Supply chain software company Manhattan Associates Inc. has received an award for Best Partner from the China Chain Store and Franchise Association. … Material handling company Crown Equipment Corp. has earned a Preferred Supplier of the Year award from Schneider Electric, a specialist in energy management. … FedEx Trade Networks, the freight forwarding arm of shipping giant FedEx Corp., was named 2012 Global Logistics Supplier of the Year by HP for its innovative freight forwarding solutions and collaborative approach to customer service. … Clark Material Handling Co. received the 2012

KEMI Destiny Award from Kentucky Employers’ Mutual Insurance (KEMI) for its commitment to maintaining a safe

CLARK MATERIAL HANDLING CO.

workplace. … Epicor Software Corp. has been named a gold winner in the “Fastest Growing Company of the Year” category at the Best in Biz Awards 2012. … QuikQ LLC, creator of the SmartQ cardless fueling system and DFConnect transaction software, has been named North American Value-Added Reseller Partner of the Year by Impinj Inc., a provider of UHF radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology. … Hy-Tek Material Handling Inc., a provider of material handling solutions, has received two Hytrol Integration Partner Service Awards. … The New York/New Jersey Foreign Freight Forwarders and Brokers Association has selected Claudio Bozzo, president and CEO of Mediterranean Shipping Co. (USA) Inc., as its 2013 Person of the Year. … Ocean shipping company Horizon Lines Inc. was recognized for outstanding achievement in environmental excellence by the Chamber of Shipping of America.