SensorThink unveils warehouse execution system
Supply chain software startup SensorThink has released a
specialized warehouse execution system (WES) designed
to serve automated distribution centers such as those being
launched by parent company Tompkins International.
Tompkins, a Raleigh, N.C.-based consultancy, co-found-ed Los Gatos, Calif.-based SensorThink 18 months ago.
Tompkins recently unveiled a plan to create a fourth-party
logistics provider (4PL) division called the MonarchFx
Alliance, build a network of six highly automated DCs, and
manage a team of logistics partners featuring prominent
third-party logistics service providers (3PLs), software
vendors, and a delivery company. MonarchFx plans to start
shipping orders by August, and all of its fulfillment centers
will utilize SensorThink, Tompkins Chairman and CEO
Jim Tompkins said.
SensorThink describes its software as a WES product
combined with an Internet of Things (Io T) platform and a
data analytics engine. Working together, those components
tie the various elements of warehouse production, performance, and execution into a single platform, the company
said.
“Nothing new has happened in warehousing for a long
time. The warehouse management system (WMS) has been
the core technology there for 15 years,” Sensor Think CEO
Eric Peters said in an interview. “But we saw the connect-
ed car, the connected city, the connected home, and that
led us to the conclusion that we’re soon going to have the
connected warehouse. Cameras, drones, robots, connected
thermostats … they’re all coming to the warehouse, and the
industry is not prepared.”
The Sensor Think platform enables users to manage that
broad collection of smart devices from a single computer
screen, analyzing the performance of the entire building
from a dashboard view, Peters said.
The system gathers data from nearly anywhere in the
building, including IoT-enabled devices that share infor-
mation through networked sensors, as well as non-IoT
connected machines and other software. Data sources in
a warehouse could include security devices, fleet manage-
ment software, and the programmable logic controllers
(PLCs) that control manufacturing hardware, Peters said.
Sensor Think will not compete against established software
like warehouse management systems, labor management
systems, or transportation management systems, but rather
will make it easy for warehouse managers to collect informa-
tion and analyze it in ways they couldn’t do before, he said.
“Customer demands are stressing the warehousing sec-
tor because of the pace of change in retail,” Peters said.
“Amazon and e-commerce are changing the industry by
offering next-day delivery and free shipping, and allowing
customers to search the Internet for the lowest price. If
you’re not the leader, you’re just going to fall farther behind
Walmart and Amazon.”
—B.A.
Orbis Corp.’s “Pally” combina-
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ity to convert from a mobile dolly
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technology and fulfillment services provider ModusLink
Corp. has won a Gold Stevie Award in the “Front-Line
Customer Service Team of the Year, Business Services
Industries” category. The annual awards are sponsored
by a coalition of business-to-business marketers. …
Logistics Plus Inc. has recognized two of its less-than-
truckload (LTL) carriers for superior results and perfor-
mance in 2016. FedEx Freight was named National LTL
Carrier of the Year and Dayton Freight Lines was hon-
ored as Regional LTL Carrier of the Year. … Schneider
has received Victory Media’s 2017 Military Friendly
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education outcomes for veterans and their families.
… Manhattan Associates Inc. has been recognized as
a market leader in Gartner Inc.’s “Magic Quadrant
for Warehouse Management Systems” report. … For
the fourth consecutive year, Swissport Cargo Services
has won a STAT (Shipping, Transport, Aviation, and
Tourism) Times Africa Award. The company was named
“International Ground Handler of the Year for Cargo
Services” at the Air Cargo Africa 2017 Conference. …
Open Sky Group was recognized as the Top Reseller
in North America by JDA Software for the second year
running. … East Penn Manufacturing Co. has earned the
Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association’s
Most Valuable Supplier Award for 2017.
accolades
ORBIS CORP.
