Size does matter. Deutsche Post World Net, the parent company of DHL, has entered into an agree ment with Mettler Toledo to supply its facilities with weighing and dimensioning systems. The 10-year arrangement will allow Deutsche Post to standardize equipment within its operations hubs.
Rock, paper, scissors. Rock-Tenn Co., a manufacturer of packaging products, merchandising displays, and paperboard, has selected Transplace to provide it with a complete transportation management system. Transplace will help Rock-Tenn improve its transportation planning, administration, execution, and management for rail, truckload, less-than-truckload, and import/export transit.
On track, mate. The Australian military has sent its first trackable RFID-tagged shipment to the Middle East. Savi Technology supplied the tracking system, which consists of active RFID-tagged pallets and containers as well as wireless networks that allow the tags to be tracked by coalition forces from the United States, the United Kingdom, and other nations.
Mooo. Westfalia Technologies has completed upgrades at United Dairy Farmers' warehouse in Erlanger, Ky. The upgrades include the installation of the Savanna.NET Warehouse Management System and a retrofit of a Woodson storage system. Future plans call for the addition of a full order pick module.
Listen up. RedPrairie has integrated Voxware's voice solution into its warehouse management system. Under the deal, RedPrairie will resell Voxware's open voice software product for the supply chain, which RedPrairie says will allow its customers to deploy voice on a wide range of hardware devices.
Well outfitted. Three Vargo companies have completed work on a new distribution facility for American Eagle Outfitters in Kansas. Vargo Integrated Systems designed, implemented, and installed components for high-speed sortation and picking optimization. Vargo Adaptive Software provided warehouse control software to manage and control systems and balance labor. Vargo Material Handling designed and installed pick modules, selective storage systems, and other equipment.
China road. The Royal China and Porcelain Companies has chosen DHL as its primary U.S. transportation service provider. Royal China is the exclusive distributor of the Spode, Royal Worcester, and Vista Alegre brands of fine china and giftware. Royal China will use DHL for delivery to retailers and consumers in the United States as well as for international express services.
A jump ahead. Walker and Associates, a distributor of telecommunications products, has chosen the HighJump Data Collection Advantage solution to manage inventory in its Winston-Salem, N.C., distribution center. The software will integrate with Walker's enterprise resource planning (ERP) system and will help the distribution operation speed up fulfillment by capturing a range of transactions, including purchase order receipts and picking confirmations.
Getting real. A number of new clients have signed up with Real Time Freight Services, a transportation services network that allows shippers to quickly connect to their carriers and brokers. Many of the new clients are from the produce, dairy, meat, food-service, lumber, and trucking industries. They include Del Monte Fresh Produce, Potandon Produce (Green Giant), Hillandale Farms, Tri- State Forest Products, Farm Fresh Direct, and Schneider National.
Dutch treat. Witron has been awarded a contract to provide comprehensive logistics technology for a distribution center operated by HEMA, B.V., the Netherlands' leading department store chain. The facility, which is located in Utrecht, will be equipped with Witron's Dynamic Picking System to push seasonal and promotional items to nearly 340 HEMA stores in Benelux and Germany.
But can they eliminate the seeds? The National Watermelon Association (NWA), an organization of watermelon growers, is partnering with CHEP to find pallet pooling solutions for transporting watermelons from the growers to retailers. With CHEP's assistance, NWA will fund research, lobbying, and consumer promotional activities. In turn, CHEP will provide pallet pooling with a durable shipping platform that improves productivity and reduces product damage.
Anchors aweigh. Hanjin Shipping, headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, is the latest carrier to join the INTTRA carrier network, an e-commerce platform for the ocean industry. Currently, INTTRA has 24 carrier members that initiate over $12 billion worth of ocean freight through the system.
Donald Trump has been clear that he plans to hit the ground running after his inauguration on January 20, launching ambitious plans that could have significant repercussions for global supply chains.
As Mark Baxa, CSCMP president and CEO, says in the executive forward to the white paper, the incoming Trump Administration and a majority Republican congress are “poised to reshape trade policies, regulatory frameworks, and the very fabric of how we approach global commerce.”
The paper is written by import/export expert Thomas Cook, managing director for Blue Tiger International, a U.S.-based supply chain management consulting company that focuses on international trade. Cook is the former CEO of American River International in New York and Apex Global Logistics Supply Chain Operation in Los Angeles and has written 19 books on global trade.
In the paper, Cook, of course, takes a close look at tariff implications and new trade deals, emphasizing that Trump will seek revisions that will favor U.S. businesses and encourage manufacturing to return to the U.S. The paper, however, also looks beyond global trade to addresses topics such as Trump’s tougher stance on immigration and the possibility of mass deportations, greater support of Israel in the Middle East, proposals for increased energy production and mining, and intent to end the war in the Ukraine.
In general, Cook believes that many of the administration’s new policies will be beneficial to the overall economy. He does warn, however, that some policies will be disruptive and add risk and cost to global supply chains.
In light of those risks and possible disruptions, Cook’s paper offers 14 recommendations. Some of which include:
Create a team responsible for studying the changes Trump will introduce when he takes office;
Attend trade shows and make connections with vendors, suppliers, and service providers who can help you navigate those changes;
Consider becoming C-TPAT (Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism) certified to help mitigate potential import/export issues;
Adopt a risk management mindset and shift from focusing on lowest cost to best value for your spend;
Increase collaboration with internal and external partners;
Expect warehousing costs to rise in the short term as companies look to bring in foreign-made goods ahead of tariffs;
Expect greater scrutiny from U.S. Customs and Border Patrol of origin statements for imports in recognition of attempts by some Chinese manufacturers to evade U.S. import policies;
Reduce dependency on China for sourcing; and
Consider manufacturing and/or sourcing in the United States.
Cook advises readers to expect a loosening up of regulations and a reduction in government under Trump. He warns that while some world leaders will look to work with Trump, others will take more of a defiant stance. As a result, companies should expect to see retaliatory tariffs and duties on exports.
Cook concludes by offering advice to the incoming administration, including being sensitive to the effect retaliatory tariffs can have on American exports, working on federal debt reduction, and considering promoting free trade zones. He also proposes an ambitious water works program through the Army Corps of Engineers.
ReposiTrak, a global food traceability network operator, will partner with Upshop, a provider of store operations technology for food retailers, to create an end-to-end grocery traceability solution that reaches from the supply chain to the retail store, the firms said today.
The partnership creates a data connection between suppliers and the retail store. It works by integrating Salt Lake City-based ReposiTrak’s network of thousands of suppliers and their traceability shipment data with Austin, Texas-based Upshop’s network of more than 450 retailers and their retail stores.
That accomplishment is important because it will allow food sector trading partners to meet the U.S. FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act Section 204d (FSMA 204) requirements that they must create and store complete traceability records for certain foods.
And according to ReposiTrak and Upshop, the traceability solution may also unlock potential business benefits. It could do that by creating margin and growth opportunities in stores by connecting supply chain data with store data, thus allowing users to optimize inventory, labor, and customer experience management automation.
"Traceability requires data from the supply chain and – importantly – confirmation at the retail store that the proper and accurate lot code data from each shipment has been captured when the product is received. The missing piece for us has been the supply chain data. ReposiTrak is the leader in capturing and managing supply chain data, starting at the suppliers. Together, we can deliver a single, comprehensive traceability solution," Mark Hawthorne, chief innovation and strategy officer at Upshop, said in a release.
"Once the data is flowing the benefits are compounding. Traceability data can be used to improve food safety, reduce invoice discrepancies, and identify ways to reduce waste and improve efficiencies throughout the store,” Hawthorne said.
Under FSMA 204, retailers are required by law to track Key Data Elements (KDEs) to the store-level for every shipment containing high-risk food items from the Food Traceability List (FTL). ReposiTrak and Upshop say that major industry retailers have made public commitments to traceability, announcing programs that require more traceability data for all food product on a faster timeline. The efforts of those retailers have activated the industry, motivating others to institute traceability programs now, ahead of the FDA’s enforcement deadline of January 20, 2026.
Online grocery technology provider Instacart is rolling out its “Caper Cart” AI-powered smart shopping trollies to a wide range of grocer networks across North America through partnerships with two point-of-sale (POS) providers, the San Francisco company said Monday.
Instacart announced the deals with DUMAC Business Systems, a POS solutions provider for independent grocery and convenience stores, and TRUNO Retail Technology Solutions, a provider that powers over 13,000 retail locations.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
According to Instacart, its Caper Carts transform the in-store shopping experience by letting customers automatically scan items as they shop, track spending for budget management, and access discounts directly on the cart. DUMAC and TRUNO will now provide a turnkey service, including Caper Cart referrals, implementation, maintenance, and ongoing technical support – creating a streamlined path for grocers to bring smart carts to their stores.
That rollout follows other recent expansions of Caper Cart rollouts, including a pilot now underway by Coles Supermarkets, a food and beverage retailer with more than 1,800 grocery and liquor stores throughout Australia.
Instacart’s core business is its e-commerce grocery platform, which is linked with more than 85,000 stores across North America on the Instacart Marketplace. To enable that service, the company employs approximately 600,000 Instacart shoppers who earn money by picking, packing, and delivering orders on their own flexible schedules.
The new partnerships now make it easier for grocers of all sizes to partner with Instacart, unlocking a modern shopping experience for their customers, according to a statement from Nick Nickitas, General Manager of Local Independent Grocery at Instacart.
In addition, the move also opens up opportunities to bring additional Instacart Connected Stores technologies to independent retailers – including FoodStorm and Carrot Tags – continuing to power innovation and growth opportunities for retailers across the grocery ecosystem, he said.
The autonomous forklift vendor Cyngn has raised $33 million in funding to accelerate its growth and proliferate sales of its industrial autonomous vehicles, the Menlo Park, California-based firm said today.
As a publicly traded company, Cyngn raised the money by selling company shares through the financial firm Aegis Capital in three rounds occurring in December. According to forms filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the move also required moves to reduce corporate spending for three months, including layoffs that reduced staff from approximately 80 people to approximately 60 people, temporarily suspended certain non-essential operations, and reduced or eliminated all discretionary expenses.
In the company’s view, autonomous vehicles are playing a critical role in transforming industrial operations by enhancing productivity and safety.
“This capital infusion strengthens our ability to fund operations, drive commercialization, and continue investing in groundbreaking autonomous vehicle technologies,” Lior Tal, chairman and CEO of Cyngn, said in a release. “With increasing demand for automation solutions, especially in the automotive, heavy machinery and logistics industries, this funding allows us to build on recent momentum, including our upcoming autonomous forklift launch and other strategic advancements.”
Editor's note:This article was revised on January 14 to include information from Cyngn on its finances.
Inclusive procurement practices can fuel economic growth and create jobs worldwide through increased partnerships with small and diverse suppliers, according to a study from the Illinois firm Supplier.io.
The firm’s “2024 Supplier Diversity Economic Impact Report” found that $168 billion spent directly with those suppliers generated a total economic impact of $303 billion. That analysis can help supplier diversity managers and chief procurement officers implement programs that grow diversity spend, improve supply chain competitiveness, and increase brand value, the firm said.
The companies featured in Supplier.io’s report collectively supported more than 710,000 direct jobs and contributed $60 billion in direct wages through their investments in small and diverse suppliers. According to the analysis, those purchases created a ripple effect, supporting over 1.4 million jobs and driving $105 billion in total income when factoring in direct, indirect, and induced economic impacts.
“At Supplier.io, we believe that empowering businesses with advanced supplier intelligence not only enhances their operational resilience but also significantly mitigates risks,” Aylin Basom, CEO of Supplier.io, said in a release. “Our platform provides critical insights that drive efficiency and innovation, enabling companies to find and invest in small and diverse suppliers. This approach helps build stronger, more reliable supply chains.”