John Johnson joined the DC Velocity team in March 2004. A veteran business journalist, John has over a dozen years of experience covering the supply chain field, including time as chief editor of Warehousing Management. In addition, he has covered the venture capital community and previously was a sports reporter covering professional and collegiate sports in the Boston area. John served as senior editor and chief editor of DC Velocity until April 2008.
You're in the middle of what's already a pretty stressful day at the distribution center when your pager goes off—the executives meeting in the boardroom want you to join them ASAP. The unscheduled request could mean any number of things: Maybe the board is fed up with the charge-backs you keep getting hit with from that big retail customer. Perhaps they finally approved the long overdue expansion plans for your DC. Or maybe—just maybe—they've signed off on that gainsharing program you've been touting.
Not even close. On this day, word comes down that the big guns want to implement RFID technology throughout the DC. To make things worse, there's a deadline looming: It turns out that your biggest customer is demanding that you be RFID-ready within the next nine months ... or else.
After postponing the planned family vacation and reaching for the Advil, you start drawing up a list of equipment you'll need—tags, readers, software ... But when you go to identify potential vendors, you realize you're in uncharted waters. This isn't going to be like buying, say, conveyors or forklifts, where you have plenty of well-established suppliers to choose from. In an emerging field like RFID, the first challenge is figuring out whom to call and where to start. Do you pick your software or middleware first and then go from there? Or should you begin by selecting your tags and/or readers? And in a turbulent market like this, what assurances do you have that the vendors you choose will be around for the long term?
It takes two (maybe three) to tango
If these concerns are keeping you up at night, you're not alone. When respondents to a recent survey conducted by AMR Research were asked what class of vendor was their primary RFID provider, the answers were all over the map. The majority response—the answer selected by almost one-third of the respondents: "Not sure at this time."
That indecision is reflected in the results of the AMR study, which confirms that despite a great deal of activity in the field, no one vendor now dominates the RFID market. As for why RFID technology providers are finding it so difficult to establish leadership, the report's authors point to the broad and diverse nature of the market. RFID, as a technology, ranges from tags and readers to middleware and applications. Because no single supplier can meet all their needs, some early adopters have picked multiple partners across all of these categories as their primary vendors. But that could change. As standards mature, "ecosystems" are likely to develop and selection will get easier for users.
When asked which vendors they would likely consider for RFID deployments, the survey respondents tended to go with companies they knew, putting Symbol and Intermec, both longtime vendors of automatic ID and data collection equipment, at the top of the list. The authors of the AMR report warn, however, that this does not make them the market leaders. The market is still very fragmented, they caution, with the list of the top 20 vendors being rounded out by a variety of suppliers (companies providing tags, readers, infrastructure and applications).
"The market is up for grabs, in our opinion, [waiting] for a leader to …emerge," says Marianne D'Aquila, a research analyst with AMR Research. "What end users are looking for is a clear path to a return on investment and hardware and integration capabilities. You want to have somebody that can integrate all of this ..."
D'Aquila says that the vendors that ultimately prevail in this market will be those that can convince prospective customers that they're more than technical experts, that they're also sensitive to their clients' practical and financial concerns. When asked what key attributes an RFID partner should possess, survey respondents cited the need for deep technical expertise with sound implementation strategies at the lowest total cost of ownership. That would appear to favor larger vendors that can support large implementations and global deployments.
"So much of figuring out RFID is getting the right partners—from the right consulting partners to the right middleware partners to the right application partners," says Eric Peters, chief executive officer of software startup True Demand. "People are really looking for solutions, like how RFID can reduce out-of-stocks or reduce inventory. At the end of the day it's usually not one company, but a collection of companies that make this happen."
The great RFID shakeout
If the situation weren't confusing enough already, it appears that the industry is poised for a shakeout. Oyster Bay, N.Y.-based ABI Research expects a rash of acquisitions and consolidation in the next nine months as consumer demand shifts beyond RFID readers and tags toward more robust and complicated back-office applications.
Recent events bear out ABI's predictions. In July, for example, RFID Ltd. announced that it had acquired Packaged RFID Inc., an integrator of RFID technology for the retail and defense sectors. The combined company will form a new group that will be able to offer RFID integration for small to medium-sized suppliers to Wal-Mart, Target and the Department of Defense.
Erik Michielsen, ABI's director of RFID and ubiquitous networks, believes that the software segment of RFID will also see fast and furious consolidation, as larger players move into areas traditionally dominated by smaller companies. That will force the smaller players to either partner with larger players or come up with new service offerings. For example, Michielsen notes, "SAP [with its Auto ID Infrastructure, which is part of NetWeaver] is pushing down from the enterprise application space and picking up functions traditionally done by OATSystems, Acsis, ConnecTerra, Sun and GlobeRanger."
But these smaller companies are beginning to fight back, Michielsen notes. As the big players begin to encroach on their turf, some have responded by broadening their focus beyond RFID middleware and into data analytics, business intelligence and automation networking, he says. "OAT is pushing up and becoming competitive with some NetWeaver functionality," he reports, "and it's joined in the business intelligence space by T3Ci."
talking 'bout my generation
With the much vaunted second generation of RFID technology about to hit the market, few companies seem much inclined to invest in the earlier versions. But waiting for the new technology to become commercially available (later this year or in early 2006) could be a big mistake. Although they encourage companies of all stages of RFID-readiness to consider Gen 2 technology in their long-range planning, the experts urge suppliers facing their first RFID mandates to get started immediately by experimenting with the technology currently available.
"I'm sure Gen 2 technology is confusing to people," says Ed Matthews, director of information systems at Pacific Cycle. "Gen 2 always seems to be just around the corner—and continues to this day to be around the corner—so it's definitely muddying the waters. I don't think we'll see any decent volume for another six months, so that's part of the problem as some companies are waiting until Gen 2 comes around." (As DC VELOCITY went to press, semiconductor company Impinj announced that it had entered volume production and would fulfill orders exceeding 50 million units for Gen 2 RFID tags by the end of the year.)
Rather than wait, Matthews strongly recommends buying some Class 1 or Class 0 equipment right now. "I don't want to suggest that anybody spend a ton of money on it," he says, "but the biggest thing is just to get some equipment. Go out and buy a reader, a roll of tags and a printer so you can begin to understand the physics around RFID. It's definitely a different world than bar-code scanning."
Most retailers as well as the Department of Defense (DOD) are aware that their suppliers have purchased large quantities of Class 1 or Class 0 tags (Gen 1), and they realize that it will take some time for those tags to work their way through the supply chain. Wal-Mart, for example, has not yet announced a deadline for its suppliers to convert to Gen 2 tags. And although the DOD has confirmed that it will eventually require its suppliers to switch over, it has gone on record stating that it will have a "long phase-out period," possibly lasting as long as two years.
Jeremy Van Puffelen grew up in a family-owned contract warehousing business and is now president of that firm, Prism Logistics. As a third-party logistics service provider (3PL), Prism operates a network of more than 2 million square feet of warehouse space in Northern California, serving clients in the consumer packaged goods (CPG), food and beverage, retail, and manufacturing sectors.
During his 21 years working at the family firm, Van Puffelen has taken on many of the jobs that are part of running a warehousing business, including custodial functions, operations, facilities management, business development, customer service, executive leadership, and team building. Since 2021, he has also served on the board of directors of the International Warehouse Logistics Association (IWLA), a trade organization for contract warehousing and logistics service providers.
Q: How would you describe the current state of the contract warehouse industry?
A: I think the current state of the industry is strong. For those that have been focused on building good client relationships over the years, I think it’s a really exciting time. Coming out of all the challenges of the past few years, I think there’s a lot of opportunity for growth and deeper partnerships. It’s fun to see the automation and AI (artificial intelligence) integration starting to evolve [in a way that’s] similar to what we saw with WMS (warehouse management systems) in the early 2000s.
Q: You are now president of your family firm. Is it an advantage having grown up in the business as opposed to working elsewhere?
A: I definitely believe it was an advantage growing up in the business. Whether it’s working with family or someone else in the industry, there’s always an advantage when you have mentors[to guide] you. I’ve been blessed to have several mentors, some in the industry, others just in life, and I’m thankful that they were willing to mentor me and that I was willing to listen to them.
Q: What are the biggest challenges currently facing 3PLs, and how are you addressing them?
A: Labor and legislation are both tough right now. The two seem to have a lot to do with each other, and it can make it tough to find and retain people. So I think we’ll see more and more automation of processes industrywide.
Q: Third-party service providers often must handle a wide variety of products for a lot of different clients. Does this variety make it difficult to invest in automation and other new technologies?
A: It can make things more difficult when looking at certain automation, but it’s in the “difficult” that a lot of opportunities lie. It would be tough to find a single solution that fits every client’s needs, but there are always opportunities to improve in certain areas. It just takes a bit of vision and commitment, and a willingness to invest in your own long-term success.
Q: As a 3PL, what do you look for when selecting the clients you work with?
A: Quality relationships that will last a long time. When both parties are happy and working together in the same direction, everyone wins.
Q: You’ve been a board member of the International Warehouse Logistics Association since 2021. Why is your involvement with this organization important to you?
A: I think it’s important to understand what’s happening in the industry. IWLA is a great resource for staying up to date and getting a solid education when it comes to the latest logistics trends. I also think it’s important to give back and pass along what we’ve learned to those just getting started in the business. As important as it is to have a mentor, it’s just as important to mentor and help others.
“While there have been some signs of tightening in consumer spending, September’s numbers show consumers are willing to spend where they see value,” NRF Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz said in a release. “September sales come amid the recent trend of payroll gains and other positive economic signs. Clearly, consumers continue to carry the economy, and conditions for the retail sector remain favorable as we move into the holiday season.”
The Census Bureau said overall retail sales in September were up 0.4% seasonally adjusted month over month and up 1.7% unadjusted year over year. That compared with increases of 0.1% month over month and 2.2% year over year in August.
Likewise, September’s core retail sales as defined by NRF — based on the Census data but excluding automobile dealers, gasoline stations and restaurants — were up 0.7% seasonally adjusted month over month and up 2.4% unadjusted year over year. NRF is now forecasting that 2024 holiday sales will increase between 2.5% and 3.5% over the same time last year.
Despite those upward trends, consumer resilience isn’t a free pass for retailers to underinvest in their stores by overlooking labor, customer experience tech, or digital transformation, several analysts warned.
"The 2024 holiday season offers more ‘normalcy’ for retailers with inflation cooling. Still, there is no doubt that consumers continue to seek value. Promotions in general will play a larger role in the 2024 holiday season. Retailers are dealing with shrinking shopper loyalties, a larger number of competitors across more channels – and, of course, a more dynamic landscape where prices are shifting more frequently to win over consumers who are looking for great deals,” Matt Pavich, senior director of strategy & innovation at pricing optimization solutions provider Revionics, said in an email.
Nikki Baird, VP of strategy & product at retail technology company Aptos, likewise said that retailers need to keep their focus on improving their value proposition and customer experience. “Retailers aren’t just competing with other retailers when it comes to consumers’ discretionary spending. If consumers feel like the shopping experience isn’t worth their time and effort, they are going to spend their money elsewhere. A trip to Italy, a dinner out, catching the latest Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds films — there is no shortage of ways that consumers can spend their discretionary dollars,” she said.
Editor's note:This article was revised on October 18 to correct the attribution for a quote to Matt Pavich instead of Nikki Baird.
The market for environmentally friendly logistics services is expected to grow by nearly 8% between now and 2033, reaching a value of $2.8 billion, according to research from Custom Market Insights (CMI), released earlier this year.
The “green logistics services market” encompasses environmentally sustainable logistics practices aimed at reducing carbon emissions, minimizing waste, and improving energy efficiency throughout the supply chain, according to CMI. The market involves the use of eco-friendly transportation methods—such as electric and hybrid vehicles—as well as renewable energy-powered warehouses, and advanced technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) for optimizing logistics operations.
“Key components include transportation, warehousing, freight management, and supply chain solutions designed to meet regulatory standards and consumer demand for sustainability,” according to the report. “The market is driven by corporate social responsibility, technological advancements, and the increasing emphasis on achieving carbon neutrality in logistics operations.”
Major industry players include DHL Supply Chain, UPS, FedEx Corp., CEVA Logistics, XPO Logistics, Inc., and others focused on developing more sustainable logistics operations, according to the report.
The research measures the current market value of green logistics services at $1.4 billion, which is projected to rise at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.8% through 2033.
The report highlights six underlying factors driving growth:
Regulatory Compliance: Governments worldwide are enforcing stricter environmental regulations, compelling companies to adopt green logistics practices to reduce carbon emissions and meet legal requirements.
Technological Advancements: Innovations in technology, such as IoT, AI, and blockchain, enhance the efficiency and sustainability of logistics operations. These technologies enable better tracking, optimization, and reduced energy consumption.
Consumer Demand for Sustainability: Increasing consumer awareness and preference for eco-friendly products drive companies to implement green logistics to align with market expectations and enhance their brand image.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): Companies are prioritizing sustainability in their CSR strategies, leading to investments in green logistics solutions to reduce environmental impact and fulfill stakeholder expectations.
Expansion into Emerging Markets: There is significant potential for growth in emerging markets where the adoption of green logistics practices is still developing. Companies can capitalize on this by introducing sustainable solutions and technologies.
Development of Renewable Energy Solutions: Investing in renewable energy sources, such as solar-powered warehouses and electric vehicle fleets, presents an opportunity for companies to reduce operational costs and enhance sustainability, driving further market growth.
A real-time business is one that uses trusted, real-time data to enable people and systems to make real-time decisions, Peter Weill, the chairman of MIT’s Center for Information Systems Research (CISR), said at the “IFS Unleashed” show in Orlando.
By adopting that strategy, they gain three major capabilities, he said in a session titled “Becoming a Real-Time Business: Unlocking the Transformative Power of Digital, Data, and AI.” They are:
business model agility without needing a change management program to implement it
seamless digital customer journeys via self-service, automated, or assisted multi-product, multichannel experiences
thoughtful employee experiences enabled by technology empowered teams
And according to Weill, MIT’s studies show that adopting that real-time data stance is not restricted just to digital or tech-native businesses. Rather, it can produce successful results for companies in any sector that are able to apply the approach better than their immediate competitors.
“ExxonMobil is uniquely placed to understand the biggest opportunities in improving energy supply chains, from more accurate sales and operations planning, increased agility in field operations, effective management of enormous transportation networks and adapting quickly to complex regulatory environments,” John Sicard, Kinaxis CEO, said in a release.
Specifically, Kinaxis and ExxonMobil said they will focus on a supply and demand planning solution for the complicated fuel commodities market which has no industry-wide standard and which relies heavily on spreadsheets and other manual methods. The solution will enable integrated refinery-to-customer planning with timely data for the most accurate supply/demand planning, balancing and signaling.
The benefits of that approach could include automated data visibility, improved inventory management and terminal replenishment, and enhanced supply scenario planning that are expected to enable arbitrage opportunities and decrease supply costs.
And in the chemicals and lubricants space, the companies are developing an advanced planning solution that provides manufacturing and logistics constraints management coupled with scenario modelling and evaluation.
“Last year, we brought together all ExxonMobil supply chain activities and expertise into one centralized organization, creating one of the largest supply chain operations in the world, and through this identified critical solution gaps to enable our businesses to capture additional value,” said Staale Gjervik, supply chain president, ExxonMobil Global Services Company. “Collaborating with Kinaxis, a leading supply chain technology provider, is instrumental in providing solutions for a large and complex business like ours.”