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.
We've all heard about the pressure Wal-Mart and other retailers are putting on distribution centers when it comes to RFID capabilities. However, that's not the only request savvy retailers are dumping on DC managers.
DC executives have come to dread retailers' requests to perform a myriad of value-added services, many of which take hours of extra labor to complete. Tasks like ticketing items, packaging, assembling displays, providing special labeling, and putting apparel onto hangers for customers commonly occur at the DC level nowadays. It's clearly a no-win situation for DC managers who have made great strides in minimizing labor expenses for picking operations, but must now increase labor to deal with requests for often complicated and laborious hands-on value-added services.
"We're definitely seeing a trend toward more value-added services occurring in the DC," says Patti Satterfield, business development manager for Q4 Logistics, a systems integrator based in Santa Ana, Calif. "Many retailers don't have as much backroom space these days, so as items come off the truck they are literally flowed onto the floor as quickly as possible.
"For retailers, it's a resources issue as well as a space issue. They don't want people in the backroom putting items on hangers, so they are pushing that back to the DC. Value-added services are becoming part of day-to-day pick/pack operations, and many DCs have had to create extra steps to accommodate that, like adding a value-add services function to their WMS software."
The folks at Columbia Sportswear are an exception. Columbia's distribution center in Portland, Ore., performs value-added services on almost 20 percent of the products that move through its DC, but that percentage is much lower than it was three years ago.
"When you look at it on a productivity basis for units per hour, value-added services is the least productive area in our building by far," says Dave Carlson, who heads up Columbia Sportswear's distribution activities. "There's not too much we can do about it.We can automate getting the goods there [to the value-added services area] and taking the goods away, but what happens during the value-added process is very manual … it's customized and it changes with each pick and each order."
It's not unheard of, for example, for some of Columbia Sportswear's European customers to request that product be steamed and delivered on hangers. Columbia outsources that request, which delays the shipment to the customer and increases Columbia's lead time for getting product to the customer.
Just say no
Carlson reports that Columbia is making some progress in having value-added services take place at the manufacturer's factory. That's crucial in a distribution center where nearly 70 percent of products are less-than-case quantities, meaning those SKUs must be picked and packed manually before they leave the DC.
"It's taken a number of years," says Carlson, "but factories are getting more and more used to having these value-added requests pushed back to them. We've been able to move some of it upstream. That's the whole idea of the supply chain—trying to get everything done on the first touch."
Columbia Sportswear often refuses to perform certain value-added tasks that will consume too much labor and result in far too low payback. The firm also takes a consultative approach with its customers, letting them know when a value-added service request just doesn't make economic sense—for either Columbia Sportswear or the customer.
In one case, a retail customer requested a customized shipping label containing special shipping information.
Columbia's policy is to print a standard shipping form and content label from its warehouse management system for outbound freight. Carlson pointed out to the customer that the information it asked for in its special request was already included on the two labels Columbia produces. Suffice it to say, the customer backed off from the request.
The simple truth is when you are shipping 2,500 cartons an hour and filling five to seven trailer loads per hour during peak season, there isn't a lot of time for value-added services that don't provide a real benefit.
"We have a process to approve a customer for valueadded services," says Carlson. "In the end it's a commercial decision. We tell the customer we can do anything but it's not free. The customer needs to gauge how important it is to its business. Sometimes retailers are surprised that their requests don't add any value."
So before you spend all kinds of time and energy (and money) reconfiguring pick/pack operations to accommodate value-added requests, first make sure it's worthwhile for both sides.
picking options
Logistics professionals struggle every day to make picking operations more efficient. Why the attention to picking? Because up to 60 percent of all DC labor costs are related to picking and packing, and both of those activities are directly linked to customer satisfaction. At a User Conference held by Manhattan Associates last month, a panel on picking operations summarized the pros and cons of the various picking options as shown below:
Paper Picking
Benefits
Simple and common in distribution centers
Low support structure and hardware requirements
Pick list can be used as packing list
Ideal for smaller facilities with low orders per day
Generally used for picking one order at a time
Challenges
Distribution of paper to picker (lack of controls)
No real-time updating of transactions (pick verification)
Manual update to pick list for shortages (data entry)
Hard to reprioritize orders
Printing optimal pick path is difficult if used as packing slip
Voice Picking
Benefits
Frees hands for picking by use of a headset
Real-time updating of transactions
Provides pick verification (correct location and quantity)
Provides easy method for productivity tracking
Can provide extra information (special handling) to picker
Proper application can lead to higher productivity vs. RF
Challenges
Processes requiring large amount of license plate scanning can become tedious (scanning vs. verbal)
Additional step of creating packing slip
Radio Frequency (RF) Picking
Benefits
Real-time updating of transactions
Provides pick verification (correct location and quantity)
Allows for greater material handling complexity to assign tasks, license plates, split orders, cartonization, etc.
Provides easy method for productivity tracking
Can provide extra information (special handling) to picker
Challenges
All pickers require an RF terminal (initial cost/maintenance)
Another piece of hardware a picker must carry
Can lead to a decrease in productivity – requires training
Additional step of creating packing slip
Pick to Light
Benefits
High pick productivity with good accuracy
Real-time updating of transactions
Provides pick verification (correct location and quantity)
Provides easy method for productivity tracking
Challenges
Initial capital costs high, depending on number of SKUs
Typically used for high-volume broken case picking
May require additional controls & order management system
Operations requiring licenses plates will require a scanner for each picker
The number of container ships waiting outside U.S. East and Gulf Coast ports has swelled from just three vessels on Sunday to 54 on Thursday as a dockworker strike has swiftly halted bustling container traffic at some of the nation’s business facilities, according to analysis by Everstream Analytics.
As of Thursday morning, the two ports with the biggest traffic jams are Savannah (15 ships) and New York (14), followed by single-digit numbers at Mobile, Charleston, Houston, Philadelphia, Norfolk, Baltimore, and Miami, Everstream said.
The impact of that clogged flow of goods will depend on how long the strike lasts, analysts with Moody’s said. The firm’s Moody’s Analytics division estimates the strike will cause a daily hit to the U.S. economy of at least $500 million in the coming days. But that impact will jump to $2 billion per day if the strike persists for several weeks.
The immediate cost of the strike can be seen in rising surcharges and rerouting delays, which can be absorbed by most enterprise-scale companies but hit small and medium-sized businesses particularly hard, a report from Container xChange says.
“The timing of this strike is especially challenging as we are in our traditional peak season. While many pulled forward shipments earlier this year to mitigate risks, stockpiled inventories will only cushion businesses for so long. If the strike continues for an extended period, we could see significant strain on container availability and shipping schedules,” Christian Roeloffs, cofounder and CEO of Container xChange, said in a release.
“For small and medium-sized container traders, this could result in skyrocketing logistics costs and delays, making it harder to secure containers. The longer the disruption lasts, the more difficult it will be for these businesses to keep pace with market demands,” Roeloffs said.
The British logistics robot vendor Dexory this week said it has raised $80 million in venture funding to support an expansion of its artificial intelligence (AI) powered features, grow its global team, and accelerate the deployment of its autonomous robots.
A “significant focus” continues to be on expanding across the U.S. market, where Dexory is live with customers in seven states and last month opened a U.S. headquarters in Nashville. The Series B will also enhance development and production facilities at its UK headquarters, the firm said.
The “series B” funding round was led by DTCP, with participation from Latitude Ventures, Wave-X and Bootstrap Europe, along with existing investors Atomico, Lakestar, Capnamic, and several angels from the logistics industry. With the close of the round, Dexory has now raised $120 million over the past three years.
Dexory says its product, DexoryView, provides real-time visibility across warehouses of any size through its autonomous mobile robots and AI. The rolling bots use sensor and image data and continuous data collection to perform rapid warehouse scans and create digital twins of warehouse spaces, allowing for optimized performance and future scenario simulations.
Originally announced in September, the move will allow Deutsche Bahn to “fully focus on restructuring the rail infrastructure in Germany and providing climate-friendly passenger and freight transport operations in Germany and Europe,” Werner Gatzer, Chairman of the DB Supervisory Board, said in a release.
For its purchase price, DSV gains an organization with around 72,700 employees at over 1,850 locations. The new owner says it plans to investment around one billion euros in coming years to promote additional growth in German operations. Together, DSV and Schenker will have a combined workforce of approximately 147,000 employees in more than 90 countries, earning pro forma revenue of approximately $43.3 billion (based on 2023 numbers), DSV said.
After removing that unit, Deutsche Bahn retains its core business called the “Systemverbund Bahn,” which includes passenger transport activities in Germany, rail freight activities, operational service units, and railroad infrastructure companies. The DB Group, headquartered in Berlin, employs around 340,000 people.
“We have set clear goals to structurally modernize Deutsche Bahn in the areas of infrastructure, operations and profitability and focus on the core business. The proceeds from the sale will significantly reduce DB’s debt and thus make an important contribution to the financial stability of the DB Group. At the same time, DB Schenker will gain a strong strategic owner in DSV,” Deutsche Bahn CEO Richard Lutz said in a release.
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.
National nonprofit Wreaths Across America (WAA) kicked off its 2024 season this week with a call for volunteers. The group, which honors U.S. military veterans through a range of civic outreach programs, is seeking trucking companies and professional drivers to help deliver wreaths to cemeteries across the country for its annual wreath-laying ceremony, December 14.
“Wreaths Across America relies on the transportation industry to move the mission. The Honor Fleet, composed of dedicated carriers, professional drivers, and other transportation partners, guarantees the delivery of millions of sponsored veterans’ wreaths to their destination each year,” Courtney George, WAA’s director of trucking and industry relations, said in a statement Tuesday. “Transportation partners benefit from driver retention and recruitment, employee engagement, positive brand exposure, and the opportunity to give back to their community’s veterans and military families.”
WAA delivers wreaths to more than 4,500 locations nationwide, and as of this week had added more than 20 loads to be delivered this season. The wreaths are donated by sponsors from across the country, delivered by truckers, and laid at the graves of veterans by WAA volunteers.
Wreaths Across America
Transportation companies interested in joining the Honor Fleet can visit the WAA website to find an open lane or contact the WAA transportation team at trucking@wreathsacrossamerica.org for more information.