We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
  • ::COVID-19 COVERAGE::
  • INDUSTRY PRESS ROOM
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • MEDIA FILE
  • Create Account
  • Sign In
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Free Newsletters
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC.
    • Podcast
    • Blogs
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Best Practices
      • Change Me
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Logistics Problem Solving
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Public Sector Logistics
      • Two Sides of the Logistics Coin
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • MODEX 2020
    • Upload Your Video
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC.
    • Podcast
    • Blogs
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Best Practices
      • Change Me
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Logistics Problem Solving
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Public Sector Logistics
      • Two Sides of the Logistics Coin
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • MODEX 2020
    • Upload Your Video
Home » Not just another song and dance routine...
inbound

Not just another song and dance routine...

May 23, 2011
DC Velocity Staff
No Comments

What does a dysfunctional supply chain look like? How about one that's perfectly coordinated and runs like clockwork? Ask any of the 700-plus attendees at software company RedPrairie's 14th annual RedShift user conference, and they'll probably tell you that there are a lot of rubber balls involved.

The opening session of the conference, held in mid-May in Scottsdale, Ariz., began with a kinetic demonstration of different stages of supply chain management. "Remember when supply chains were simple and linear?" asked a narrator, while a line of dancers placidly passed red rubber balls across the stage. But as time passed, the narrator continued, there suddenly seemed to be "a lot more balls in the air," such as international sourcing, demands for data, and increased speed to market. More dancers appeared, and balls began to fly everywhere; the panicked performers attempted to catch, throw, and juggle them all—a situation, the narrator said, that made it "easy to drop the ball" in your supply chain.

But then technology entered the picture, in the form of red-suited acrobats outfitted with springs on their feet. These high flyers fostered "agility, velocity (our favorite), responsiveness, and collaboration." Under their direction, the dancers on stage moved into a new formation, handing off the balls in a complex but perfectly synchronized web pattern. The scenario ended with everyone on stage lifting their balls to the sound of a triumphal, Wagnerian climax.

So the next time your boss asks you why you need to buy supply chain software, go out and buy a bunch of rubber balls ...

Technology
KEYWORDS RedPrairie
  • Related Articles

    Trimble says 10-4 acquisition lets it track freight, not just trucks

    Propane: Not just for lift trucks anymore

    it's not just about transportation anymore

  • Related Events

    Project:Future / Grocery - Taking the Fear out of Central Distribution

Recent Articles by DC Velocity Staff

Truckers enjoy “close to the best ever” freight market, FTR says

Report: Global TMS revenues to nearly double by 2025

E-commerce fulfillment squeezes retailers’ profit margins, Manhattan Associates says

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Most Popular Articles

  • IBM survey says digitalization trends will sweep trucking industry by 2030

  • Truck driver hiring pool tightens to lowest point in three years, ACT says

  • Gartner survey signals increased investment in resilience over the next two years

  • What Level of Automation is Right for Your Warehouse?

  • Conveyor company fought time and weather to open new factory

Now Playing on DCV-TV

0bd3daf0 915f 4221 8224 84b893966f96

Challenges in the Trucking and Ocean Markets = Revise Your Freight Budget or Revise Your Resume!

DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
In the past month, several C-Level executives have called and asked: “What the heck is going on in the freight markets?” Hear my response in this week’s video. Check out last week's 2MW: https://blog.tranzact.com/2-minute-warning/heads-up-your-ceo-could-be-calling Freight Market Update:...

FEATURED WHITE PAPERS

  • Using innovation to manage peak seasonal demand

  • Time to rethink your lift truck power

  • Warehouse Management System Project Toolkit

  • Solving Talent Management Challenges Now and In the Future

View More

Subscribe to DC Velocity Magazine

GET YOUR FREE SUBSCRIPTION
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • NEWSLETTERS
  • ADVERTISING
  • CUSTOMER CARE
  • CONTACT
  • ABOUT
  • STAFF
  • PRIVACY POLICY

Copyright ©2021. All Rights ReservedDesign, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing