DC Velocity - December 2018

inbound

Readers of a certain age will remember when stone-washed jeans and acid-washed denim were the height of fashion—at least in high school hallways and college bars. However, the harsh bleaching and abrasion that’s required to produce the once-trendy effect has made it tough for manufacturers to mark individual items with track-and-trace technologies, an essential tool in the digital supply chain.

Biological researchers may now have found a solution, applying the building block of all life—deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA—to enable field-to-fin-ished-garment authentication based on DNA molecular tagging.

In a recent study, researchers put DNA molecular tags to the, um, acid test. Denim swatches were treated with unique DNA tags produced by Applied DNA Sciences Inc., then subjected to stone and bleach washings in labs at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York. The samples were then analyzed at Applied DNA’s laboratories, where it was proven that the DNA tags remained intact and suitable for high-quality forensic analysis, allowing scientists to verify the authenticity of the finished denim garment. The method may soon be tested at a full manufacturing facility, according to an article published in the September/October 2018 issue of AATCC Review, a publication of the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colors.

“This technology will enable brands and manufacturers to track their fibers from the farm through to the finished product, allowing for a more transparent supply chain,” Sean Cormier, FIT assistant professor for textile development and manufacturing, said in a release. “Traceability can also help verify certain sustainability claims about commodities and products.”

DNA solves denim-
tracking dilemma
Do you know a Rainmaker?

Know someone who is making a difference in the world of logistics? Then consider nominating him or her as one of DC VELOCITY’s “Rainmakers”— professionals from all facets of the business whose achievements set them apart from the crowd. In the past, our Rainmakers have included practitioners, consultants, academics, vendors, and even military commanders.

To identify these Rainmakers, DC VELOCITY’s editorial directors work with members of the magazine’s Editorial Advisory Board. The nomination process begins in January and concludes in April with a vote to determine which nominees will be invited to become Rainmakers.

The 2019 Rainmakers will be unveiled in our July issue. You can check out last year’s winners at https://www.dcvelocity.com/archives/2018/07/.

If you’d like to nominate someone, please fill out our online nomination form by the March 15 deadline. You can find it at at https://agilebusi-nessmedia.formstack.com/forms/dcv_rainmakers_nomination_form.

Experts around the warehousing industry have spent entire careers in an effort to create the optimal paths for workers to retrieve inventory items from racks. Finding the most efficient route can save time and money for any operation.

Now, two technology companies have created a fun way to test your skills at this eternal challenge. Scottsdale, Ariz.-based JDA Software Group Inc. and Tokyo-based Sato Holdings Corp. have teamed up to develop an online arcade-style videogame that lets players try their hand at creating the most efficient path through a DC. The venture builds on the firms’ 2017 partnership to provide support to customers seeking to integrate JDA’s warehouse software platforms with Sato’s “Visual Warehouse” wearable warehouse navigation system.

Dubbed Pick-Man in homage to the classic arcade game Pac-Man, the game challenges players to beat the automated system. Players impersonate a warehouse picker who’s scrambling to pick all the boxes in the building faster than the competition—in this case, other players and a “boss picker” using Sato’s technology. JDA’s labor management dashboard highlights each player’s performance against the best pickers worldwide.

Gamer fans may recall that this is not the first time a logistics technology company has used a videogame to show off its software’s capabilities. In 2017, the fleet management solutions company Omnitracs LLC launched an online game that challenged players to race against time and fuel limits to find the most efficient route to deliver packages across a digital city.