alliances
Rogers Corp. has expanded its use of Descartes
Systems Group’s MK Dynamic Screening
denied-party screening solution to its newly
acquired companies. … Truckload carrier and supply chain solutions provider Werner Enterprises Inc.
will implement MacroPoint’s freight visibility platform for its North American logistics operations.
… YRC Freight has deployed 3Gtms Inc.’s 3G-TM
transportation management system. … Zurvita has
selected Saddle Creek Logistics Services to manage fulfillment of its health and wellness products. … Systems integrator
Alpi Sistemi S.r.l. has utilized
Interroll’s modular conveyor
platform in its design and
implementation of a new
automated warehouse for
DAMA SpA, which owns the Italian clothing brand
Paul & Shark. … Retail chain Next has selected
Paragon Software Systems’ HDX home delivery
system as part of a major upgrade to its omnichannel order fulfillment solution. The modular
software system will be used to enhance Next’s
two-man home-delivery operations in the U.K. …
Pallet pooling specialist CHEP has signed a new
three-year agreement with beverage company
Cott Corp. to become its pallet provider in the U.S.
… Scout Logistics Corp. has chosen Trucker Tools’
automated Load Track platform to gain real-time
visibility of its domestic, transborder, and international shipments. … Underwear manufacturer
MeUndies has selected the Snapfulfil Cloud WMS
warehouse management system to support its
continued growth. … New York City has renewed
XPO Logistics’ contract for emergency response
programs. The new contract expands XPO’s services beyond the primary sheltering operation to
include mass feeding and other logistics-related
needs. … Retail chain Woolworths has selected
HighJump Retail Advantage to improve picking
accuracy and efficiency in its grocery stores, which
serve as online fulfillment centers. … Port Manatee
in Palmetto, Fla., and the country of Chile are pursuing opportunities to boost two-way trade. … I.D.
Systems Inc. has received $2.4 million in follow-up
orders from a global auto maker to expand its
PowerFleet Vehicle Management System at four
of the company’s manufacturing plants in the
U.S. and Mexico. … WineDirect has chosen Vargo
to design and build a waveless material handling
system for its new fulfillment center in California.
SAP adds track and trace
analysis to IoT platform
German software giant SAP SE has added a global track
and trace offering to its “Leonardo” Internet of Things
(IoT) platform that will support shipment monitoring
and reporting across supply chain networks. SAP, which
unveiled its Leonardo platform in May, has said the
cloud-based Io T product would handle the flood of data
generated by sensors distributed throughout factories,
warehouses, and transportation modes by applying powerful tools like machine learning, big data, analytics, and
blockchain.
Besides the track and trace tool, SAP is adding a visibility command center called the IoT Bridge, a process
optimization tool called Digital Manufacturing Insights, a
mobile maintenance app called Asset Manager, and real-time sensor processing software called Io T Edge.
IoT Bridge acts as a central command center for the
collection of products, Markus Rosemann, SAP’s vice
president line of business solution management and head
of supply chain execution, said in an interview. The Io T
Bridge is intended to collect data across various systems,
processes, and partners. This enables operations workers
to see where shipments are in transit, the contents of each
shipment, and the condition and performance of the vehicles carrying the shipments, according to SAP.
“The most frequently asked question we get in logistics
today is ‘Where’s my stuff and what’s the status of it?’
yet traditional logistics networks don’t allow [people] to
get answers to that,” Rosemann said. “But combine that
traditional network with the Internet of Things, and you
can get lots of sensor data—like temperature, vibration,
telemetry, and geo-location—that can be linked to busi-
ness processes. That combination is dramatically chang-
ing track and trace.”
Leonardo can generate suggested responses to sup-
ply chain challenges or even trigger automated actions,
Rosemann said. The platform does this by applying data
analytics and machine learning tools to information about
such milestones as shipping and arrival times, he said.
The Leonardo platform is open to partners of any size
throughout the shipping, distribution, and warehousing
environments, Rosemann said. For example, a big pharmaceutical firm could use the full data analytics package
to send a replacement shipment if rising temperatures
affected the shelf life of drugs in transit. At the same time,
a single farmer could use a Web-based portal to monitor
just the deadlines and health regulations in a “farm to
fork” food-tracing scenario.
—Ben Ames
INTERROLL
