Letters to the Editor

history lesson
Re: "giving credit where it's due," Outbound, February 2009

When growing up in Vacaville, Calif., I worked at the Nut Tree restaurant (no longer there, I am sad to say). I remember that on the property was a sign designating the path of the Lincoln Highway. I didn't know exactly what that meant, but now I do. Thanks for the history lesson.

Bruce H. Anderson, McLane Co. Inc., Temple, Texas

making something good from the bad
Re: "a glass half full," BigPicture, February 2009

I came across your informative, upbeat article online. Thanks for posting it. I particularly like [Fortna Executive Vice President] John White's perspective: "Companies should do more than cope, but shift thinking in ways that made something good out of the bad times."

This is what it will take for our nation, our systems, and our communities to get through the tough times ahead. Thanks for putting out the word.

Carey Rowland, Boone, N.C., author of Glass half- Full

some integration required
Re: "on-demand WMS could rock distribution," TechWatch, April 2009

While most of your article on the advantages of on-demand or SaaS-based warehouse management systems (WMS) was correct, there was one item that was simply not correct. You state there is no need for integration. However, without integrating to an enterprise resource planning (ERP) or other order management system, how is the WMS supposed to get information on the orders it is to fulfill? And if any type of automation equipment is in use—RF, sortation, conveyors, pick-to-light, AS/RS, etc.—how are these systems to interact with the WMS without integration? Perhaps very small warehouses can get away without integration, but most cannot.

We now have a number of customers using our hosted WMS, and each required some integration at the outset. We agree with you that use of hosted warehousing systems will increase in the future, especially in the lower end of the market, but let's not paint too rosy a picture—there are still things like integration that have to be addressed.

James LeTart, Director of Marketing, RedPrairie