Supply chain management IT platform: Yusen Logistics Co.Ltd. has launched a unified supply chain management IT platform, called “Yusen Vantage,” that provides real-time trackingand allows for advanced supply chain management.
Yusen Vantage has two core functions: Yusen VantageFocus, which offers shipment tracking, and Yusen VantagePerformance, which provides advanced and customized supplychain management features.
Yusen Vantage Focus (formerly known as YuTrack) deliversshipment tracking and real-time visibility of events and milestonesacross international freight forwarding shipments and is availableto all Yusen Logistics customers. Yusen is offering the solutionthrough two different modes: anonymous mode, which is opento all users, and registered mode, which provides more sophisticated tracking functions. For all users, Yusen Vantage Focusincludes search by house or direct air waybill number, house bill-of-lading number, or container number.
The registered mode allows users to search by identifier data,including shipment number, departure or arrival date range, andlocation; obtain key milestones, such as booking status, flight/vessel departure and arrival time, and delivery order release status; and access and download key documents such as a housebill of lading, house or direct air waybill, and commercial invoice.
Yusen Vantage Performance enables customers to pick froman integrated suite of modular IT solutions from the provisionof end-to-end supply chain visibility to optimization, prediction,and compliance functionality. Major functions of Yusen VantagePerformance include a holistic view of shipments, including thelocation, events, and exceptions at each point of the process andthe modes of transport; a focused view of dynamic supply chaininformation, such as historical volume trends and key performance indicators in functional dashboards; and inventory snapshots, including inventory level and value across a global network.
In addition to these functionalities, other custom features canbe added to support customer needs across different industriesincluding, but not limited to, the retail, automotive, aerospace,and pharmaceutical sectors.
Yusen Logistics plans to expand the capabilities of YusenVantage in the future and develop additional features andfunctions that meet customers’ logistics needs. (Yusen Logistics,www.yusen-logistics.com)
Order-management technology: Kibo, a developer of cloudcommerce solutions, has released an order-management technology designed to improve the usability, scale, and extensibilityof the company’s Unified Commerce Cloud platform. The releasealso includes features such as an updated user interface, a unifiedproduct catalog, and a flexible fulfillment platform that is basedon a business process management (BPM) engine. Kibo has alsoupdated its Mobile Point of Sale product to leverage the sameUnified Commerce platform capabilities.
The updated order-management solution enables B2C andB2B merchants to manage the entire customer journey by easilydeploying omnichannel programs like in-store pickup, ship-from-store, and vendor drop ship. (Kibo, kibocommerce.com)
Robot safety system: The Safe Robotics Area Protection (SRAP)safety system from SICK provides process-based protection forcollaborative robot applications.
The safety system providesmachine operators with unrestricted, yet safe, access to arobot’s working area at any time,by adapting the operating conditions to the position of the person. These adaptive perceptioncapabilities help prevent accidents from occurring and simultaneously improve productivity.
The system reduces downtimeand optimizes the ergonomicand process aspects of the operator’s workflow.
The SRAP system consists of a Flexi Soft safety controller and asafety laser scanner—either the space-saving S300 Mini Remotefor shorter scanning ranges or the microScan3 Core for largermonitoring fields.
Depending on how close the person is to the robot, the sensorscause the robot’s movement to either slow down or stop via theFlexi Soft safety controller—so that work pieces can be insertedor removed, for example. If the person then leaves the monitoredarea, the safety system automatically starts performing sequencemonitoring. Provided that this monitoring satisfies the requirements for operating the robot safely, the robot is first startedup at a reduced speed and then returns to its original workingspeed once all the warning and protective fields are free again.This means that the worker remains constantly protected againsthazardous movements whenever they enter the robot’s workingarea. At the same time, the automated restart reduces downtimeonce a worker leaves the hazardous area.
SRAP is a turnkey solution that uses prefabricated and testedsoftware function blocks. This modularity makes it easier tointegrate and fit the solution into the controllers of standardindustrial robots.
SICK has designed the Safe Robotics Area Protection systemso that it can be easily adapted and reconfigured to work withfuture production conditions, safety requirements, and protectivefield conditions. If other safety devices are added or additionalsafety functions become necessary during operation, these canbe integrated later on. (SICK, www.sick.com)
Recycled protective packaging: Storopack, a protective packaging specialist, has introduced rEPS, a new recycled raw materialfor the production of protective packaging. The raw materialrEPS consists of 100% recycled EPS (expanded polystyrene) or PSfrom post-consumer goods—and the protective packaging canalso be made with up to 100% of this raw material. The ratio toconventional EPS (the share of recycled material) can be tailoredto reflect customer requirements in terms of cost and properties.As such, rEPS is ideal for operations that wish to ship their goodssafely while taking sustainability seriously, the company says.
(Storopack, www.storopack.uk)
