INBOUND
Here’s our monthly roundup of some ofthe charitable works and donations bycompanies in the material handling andlogistics space. This month, we’re highlighting initiatives to support the Covid-19 relief efforts.
; FedEx Express, an operating unit ofFedEx Corp., moved more than 200,000surgical masks and personal protective equipment like gowns and glovesin January to its Asia Pacific hub inGuangzhou, China, to assist the nonprofit Direct Relief in its humanitarian work.
; Temperature-controlled logisticscompany Lineage Logistics Holdings hascommitted $5 million and launched its“Share A Meal” campaign to provide 100million meals to people in need duringthe Covid- 19 crisis. To kick off the campaign, Lineage is donating $1 million tothe hunger-relief organization FeedingAmerica’s Covid- 19 Response Fund.
; Flowspace, an on-demand warehousing and fulfillment technology company,has offered its service for one month at nocost to organizations responding to theCovid- 19 crisis.
; BoxLock, a specialist in secure, unat-tended-delivery technology, announcedin March that it would provide access toits solution at no cost to at-risk individuals in need of specialty medication forhome delivery for the next four months.
; Global logistics services providerDachser de México S.A. de C.V. has provided free air transportation of more than3 million surgical and respiratory masksto Germany to help combat the spread ofCovid- 19. The fully loaded B787/9 airliner represented Dachser Mexico’s first-ev-er international charter flight.
; ShipChain, a provider of block-chain-based logistics solutions,announced that it is donating up to onepetaflop of computing power—approximately one quadrillion calculations persecond—to assist scientists at the distributed computing project Folding@Homewho are attempting to find a cure forCovid- 19. ;
Logistics gives back One less bell to answer
In an age of soaring client expectations, providing
prompt customer service can be a struggle for
carriers and other logistics service providers. But
what if artificial intelligence (AI) technology could
ease the load—say, by answering routine customer
questions such as “What’s the rate from A to B?” or
“Where is my shipment?”
That’s the premise behind “Rippey,” a “response
bot” developed by San Jose, California-based tech
firm RPA Labs. Using a proprietary combination
of machine learning (ML) and natural language
processing along with conversational AI (artificial
intelligence), Rippey can answer customer and
vendor queries instantly through emails, chatbots,
text messages, and social media, the company says.
The bot, which is designed specifically for logistics
and supply chain services companies, comes with its own language
library of logistics terminology, RPA says.
Rippey’s advantages include reducing staff time spent answeringonline inquiries (the bot can cut a company’s email load by up to80%, according to the developer) and—perhaps more importantly—speeding up the interaction between a company and its customers.“Response time is one of the most important factors in customer service,” RPA Labs CEO Matt Motsick said in a release. “Many shippersneed information instantly, and they don’t want to log into severalportals. Email is still the most common communication platform tointeract with customers—we are … speeding up the response processwith Rippey.” ;It appears the logistics and supply chain world will have plenty to celebrate this summer. Just a month after National Forklift Safety Day,industry players will observe Global Lifting Awareness Day (GLAD).Organized by the U.K. industry group Lifting Equipment EngineersAssociation (LEEA), the July 9 event will focus on lifting’s vital role inend-user supply chains.
The centerpiece of the celebration will be a social media campaignaimed at raising awareness of high-quality lifting practices. Event organizers are encouraging LEEA members and representatives from thewider lifting community—including manufacturers and end-users—to share their thoughts on “the things in lifting they are GLAD about”using the #GLAD2020 hashtag.
“All too often, our industry is hidden, ignored, or unrecognized byend-users and certainly by some of the supply chains that we serve,”LEEA CEO Ross Moloney said in a release. “Global Lifting AwarenessDay is about getting the whole industry and the associated supplychains to recognize the importance of high standards in lifting, thesignificance of quality, and how to ensure lifting best practice.” ;
Lift me up
