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.
Worried that you don't have the staff needed to implement a radio-frequency identification (RFID) pilot program? Here's some good news. Contrary to popular perception, it doesn't take a village—or even a small army—to get a company RFID-ready. If the talent is at hand, all it takes is a few good men or women.
Take the case of Wal-Mart's much vaunted RFID implementation, which was officially launched in January. For all the decisions to be made and questions to be answered (where do we put the tags? what technology do we use?), Wal-Mart used only five people, all from its information systems group, to get its pilot up and running. Even now as it rolls out its RFID program to 100 more suppliers and to additional locations, Wal-Mart has only increased the RFID team's headcount to nine.
Linda Dillman, chief information officer at Wal-Mart, urges others to start small. "Our team in the first year had five associates [who] made this happen at Wal-Mart," she says. "Today we have nine. If you have a small group that understands the business, you can make it happen. Recognize it's a journey. It's not a single step."
Of course, it can't be just any five people. They need to be knowledgeable about RFID. And people with RFID expertise are getting tougher to find. In fact, eight out of 10 respondents to a recent survey conducted by the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) said a lack of people qualified to implement, service and support the technology could hinder the successful widescale adoption of RFID. Another two-thirds cited training and educating employees in RFID technology as one of the biggest challenges they faced.
"We believe the market needs hundreds of systems integration companies with RFID capabilities; and hundreds of thousands of individuals knowledgeable in this technology to meet current and future demand," David Sommer, vice president of electronic commerce at CompTIA, said during a presentation at RFID World in March.
To address the skills shortage, CompTIA is working with major players in the RFID market. Product manufacturers, distributors, systems integrators, education and training providers, and end-user customers are collaborating to develop a vendor-neutral professional certification of RFID skills for individuals working with the technology.
Slow start
Though it's hard to know how much a shortage of experts has hindered its adoption, it appears that RFID has been somewhat slow to take hold. The survey of CompTIA members (mostly computer service companies and computer manufacturers) found that customer adoption of RFID solutions remains relatively modest. More than two-thirds of the respondents—71 percent—reported that their customers had not yet implemented RFID solutions. And even among respondents whose customers had begun using RFID, it appeared that only a fraction—20 percent— of their customers had gotten involved. (Survey respondents said their customers came from government and a variety of industries, including manufacturing, retail, health care, services, communications, and financial services and real estate.)
Not that the respondents themselves were all that experienced with RFID. A full 80 percent of the responding companies said they either had yet to go past the investigation stage of RFID implementation or had done no investigation at all. Just 16 percent have implemented one or more RFID pilot projects for themselves or their customers. When asked if they saw their company offering RFID products and services in the next three years, 37 percent of the organizations said they definitely would, while 39 percent said they would consider it if there were interest from their customers.
The majority of respondents to the CompTIA survey were value-added resellers and solutions providers (33 percent); consultants and systems integrators (21 percent); and manufacturers (19 percent). Two-thirds of the companies have annual revenues of up to $25 million; while 22 percent are companies with annual revenues of $100 million or more.
what's holding them back?
RFID's early adopters get all the headlines, making it easy to forget that plenty of companies have yet to get started. So why haven't they taken the plunge?
Costs are too high
18%
Technology is still emerging
51%
Confusion in the marketplace
6%
Not enough resources in the industry
2%
Not sure
23%
Source: DC VELOCITY, Warehousing Education & Research Council
this show rocked!
Though undoubtedly footsore and weary after a day packed with seminars, speeches and demonstrations, those hardy souls still standing on the show floor at the end of RFID World's first day got their reward. They were treated to a special performance at an after-hours networking reception. Continuing a tradition begun at the first RFID World show in 2003, the "RFID Jam Band," a group of about a dozen industry professionals who share a fondness for rhythm and blues, took the stage to rock their (RFID) world.
Led by Bill Allen, singer/guitarist/keyboardist and harmonica player (as well as a conference speaker and professional whose day job is director of strategic alliances and programs at Texas Instruments), the group's alternating cast of rock wanna-bes performed a hard-hitting set for just over two hours on the show floor.
Although Gregg Temple, president of Meyers Label Group, stole the show with his rousing rendition of "Mustang Sally," Allen's raspy vocals and harmonica riffs electrified the crowd. Other band members included Rick Morgan of SCAN, the Data Capture Report (bass); Stephen Garth, Oracle (keyboards); Karl Ludwig, Hightech Knowledge Inc. (guitar, vocals); Doug Bourque, Texas Instruments (drums); Robert Stone, Texas Instruments (guitar); Dan Schell, Business Solutions magazine (bass, vocals), Chris Zimmardi, Texas Instruments (bass), and DC VELOCITY's own Emma Shin (vocals).
States across the Southeast woke up today to find that the immediate weather impacts from Hurricane Helene are done, but the impacts to people, businesses, and the supply chain continue to be a major headache, according to Everstream Analytics.
The primary problem is the collection of massive power outages caused by the storm’s punishing winds and rainfall, now affecting some 2 million customers across the Southeast region of the U.S.
One organization working to rush help to affected regions since the storm hit Florida’s western coast on Thursday night is the American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN). As it does after most serious storms, the group continues to marshal donated resources from supply chain service providers in order to store, stage, and deliver help where it’s needed.
Support for recovery efforts is coming from a massive injection of federal aid, since the White House declared states of emergency last week for Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Affected states are also supporting the rush of materials to needed zones by suspending transportation requirement such as certain licensing agreements, fuel taxes, weight restrictions, and hours of service caps, ALAN said.
E-commerce activity remains robust, but a growing number of consumers are reintegrating physical stores into their shopping journeys in 2024, emphasizing the need for retailers to focus on omnichannel business strategies. That’s according to an e-commerce study from Ryder System, Inc., released this week.
Ryder surveyed more than 1,300 consumers for its 2024 E-Commerce Consumer Study and found that 61% of consumers shop in-store “because they enjoy the experience,” a 21% increase compared to results from Ryder’s 2023 survey on the same subject. The current survey also found that 35% shop in-store because they don’t want to wait for online orders in the mail (up 4% from last year), and 15% say they shop in-store to avoid package theft (up 8% from last year).
“Retail and e-commerce continue to evolve,” Jeff Wolpov, Ryder’s senior vice president of e-commerce, said in a statement announcing the survey’s findings. “The emergence of e-commerce and growth of omnichannel fulfillment, particularly over the past four years, has altered consumer expectations and behavior dramatically and will continue to do so as time and technology allow.
“This latest study demonstrates that, while consumers maintain a robust
appetite for e-commerce, they are simultaneously embracing in-person shopping, presenting an impetus for merchants to refine their omnichannel strategies.”
Other findings include:
• Apparel and cosmetics shoppers show growing attraction to buying in-store. When purchasing apparel and cosmetics, shoppers are more inclined to make purchases in a physical location than they were last year, according to Ryder. Forty-one percent of shoppers who buy cosmetics said they prefer to do so either in a brand’s physical retail location or a department/convenience store (+9%). As for apparel shoppers, 54% said they prefer to buy clothing in those same brick-and-mortar locations (+9%).
• More customers prefer returning online purchases in physical stores. Fifty-five percent of shoppers (+15%) now say they would rather return online purchases in-store–the first time since early 2020 the preference to Buy Online Return In-Store (BORIS) has outweighed returning via mail, according to the survey. Forty percent of shoppers said they often make additional purchases when picking up or returning online purchases in-store (+2%).
• Consumers are extremely reliant on mobile devices when shopping in-store. This year’s survey reveals that 77% of consumers search for items on their mobile devices while in a store, Ryder said. Sixty-nine percent said they compare prices with items in nearby stores, 58% check availability at other stores, 31% want to learn more about a product, and 17% want to see other items frequently purchased with a product they’re considering.
Ryder said the findings also underscore the importance of investing in technology solutions that allow companies to provide customers with flexible purchasing options.
“Omnichannel strength is not a fad; it is a strategic necessity for e-commerce and retail businesses to stay competitive and achieve sustainable success in 2024 and beyond,” Wolpov also said. “The findings from this year’s study underscore what we know our customers are experiencing, which is the positive impact of integrating supply chain technology solutions across their sales channels, enabling them to provide their customers with flexible, convenient options to personalize their experience and heighten customer satisfaction.”
Transportation industry veteran Anne Reinke will become president & CEO of trade group the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) at the end of the year, stepping into the position from her previous post leading third party logistics (3PL) trade group the Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA), both organizations said today.
Meanwhile, TIA today announced that insider Christopher Burroughs would fill Reinke’s shoes as president & CEO. Burroughs has been with TIA for 13 years, most recently as its vice president of Government Affairs for the past six years, during which time he oversaw all legislative and regulatory efforts before Congress and the federal agencies.
Before her four years leading TIA, Reinke spent two years as Deputy Assistant Secretary with the U.S. Department of Transportation and 16 years with CSX Corporation.
Two European companies are among the most recent firms to put autonomous last-mile delivery to the test with a project in Bern, Switzerland, that debuted this month.
Swiss transportation and logistics company Planzer has teamed up with fellow Swiss firm Loxo, which develops autonomous driving software solutions, for a two-year pilot project in which a Loxo-equipped, Planzer parcel delivery van will handle last-mile logistics in Bern’s city center.
The project coincides with Swiss regulations on autonomous driving that are expected to take effect next spring.
Referred to as “Planzer–Dynamic Micro-Hub w LOXO,” the project aims to address both sustainability issues and traffic congestion in urban areas.
The delivery vehicle, a Volkswagen ID. Buzz battery-electric minivan, will feature Loxo’s Level 4 Digital Driver navigation software, a highly automated solution that allows driverless operation. The van was retrofitted to include space for two swap boxes for parcel storage.
During the two-year pilot phase, Loxo’s Digital Driver will navigate a commercial vehicle several times a day from Planzer’s railway center to various logistics points in Bern's city center. There, the parcels will be reloaded onto small electric vehicles and delivered to end customers by Planzer’s parcel delivery staff.
Following the completion of the pilot phase, Planzer and Loxo will build on the program for rollout in other Swiss cities, the companies said.
The partners said the project addresses the increasing requirements of urban supply chains and aims to ensure the “scalability of their disruptive solution.” With largely emission-free delivery, it contributes to greater levels of sustainability for the city as a living space, they also said.
“The uniqueness of this project lies in the fact that it will have a direct impact on society,” Planzer’s CEO and Chairman Nils Planzer said in a statement announcing the project. “We didn't just want to integrate automated technology into existing systems, we wanted to develop a completely new concept and a new business model.”
As the hours tick down toward a “seemingly imminent” strike by East Coast and Gulf Coast dockworkers, experts are warning that the impacts of that move would mushroom well-beyond the actual strike locations, causing prevalent shipping delays, container ship congestion, port congestion on West coast ports, and stranded freight.
However, a strike now seems “nearly unavoidable,” as no bargaining sessions are scheduled prior to the September 30 contract expiration between the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX) in their negotiations over wages and automation, according to the transportation law firm Scopelitis, Garvin, Light, Hanson & Feary.
The facilities affected would include some 45,000 port workers at 36 locations, including high-volume U.S. ports from Boston, New York / New Jersey, and Norfolk, to Savannah and Charleston, and down to New Orleans and Houston. With such widespread geography, a strike would likely lead to congestion from diverted traffic, as well as knock-on effects include the potential risk of increased freight rates and costly charges such as demurrage, detention, per diem, and dwell time fees on containers that may be slowed due to the congestion, according to an analysis by another transportation and logistics sector law firm, Benesch.
The weight of those combined blows means that many companies are already planning ways to minimize damage and recover quickly from the event. According to Scopelitis’ advice, mitigation measures could include: preparing for congestion on West coast ports, taking advantage of intermodal ground transportation where possible, looking for alternatives including air transport when necessary for urgent delivery, delaying shipping from East and Gulf coast ports until after the strike, and budgeting for increased freight and container fees.
Additional advice on softening the blow of a potential coastwide strike came from John Donigian, senior director of supply chain strategy at Moody’s. In a statement, he named six supply chain strategies for companies to consider: expedite certain shipments, reallocate existing inventory strategically, lock in alternative capacity with trucking and rail providers , communicate transparently with stakeholders to set realistic expectations for delivery timelines, shift sourcing to regional suppliers if possible, and utilize drop shipping to maintain sales.