World Trade - December 2008 - (Page 31)

More and more companies are ﬁnding ways to leverage their technology in new ways so that a device traditionally used in a cross-dock warehouse environment can be retroﬁtted to operate on the road. A hand-held device may be embedded not just with a WiFi modem, but a wide area modem, so the driver can handle piecelevel tracking from the back of his cab, explains Norm Ellis, Qualcomm Vice President of Sales and Services for Transportation and Logistics in San Diego, California For example, Penske Logistics uses a variety of wireless technologies like cell phones, smart phones, and Blackberries to monitor the Penske ﬂeet, says Vasudha Ghosai, manager of DCC Technology. “Data is fed, along with GPS positioning in real-time to the data center, increasing visibility of our ﬂeet,” which allows decision-makers to take “proactive corrective and preventive measures based on predictions from the current ﬂeet status,” she said. The result of the synthesis of so much wireless technology is near real-time tracking of shipments and assets, more efﬁcient picking and loading of goods, more efﬁcient inventory management, improved customer service and increased visibility into the supply chain process, according to Harold Allen, Industry Solutions Marketing Manager for AT&T’s Transportation Logistics division in Redmond, Washington. “Wireless technology has eliminated, for all intents and purposes, the paperwork involved. It’s automated the process, eliminated labor and greatly reduced the number of errors associated with manual processing,” said Allen. And John Higgins, Sprint Director of Transportation, points out that the ability to leverage GPS to create status alarms “enables distributors and service providers to build entirely different client relationship models.” Mobility becomes a “strategic enabler.” One of the key trends in wireless transmission for the transportation/logistics sectors is the “blending and conglomeration of networks into multi-network platforms,” said Brian McLaughlin, chief operating ofﬁcer for PeopleNet in Minneapolis, a producer of onboard computing and mobile communications for transport companies. “We’re bringing together 3G (third generation wireless), satellite and WiFi into one framework that allows for a multi-network call process,” said McLaughlin. So, for example, a delivery driver in downtown Minneapolis will be routed to a cellular carrier while making his rounds and then onto WiFi if in a warehouse. A delivery driver in the middle of an oilﬁeld will be routed to satellite service. Major carriers like Verizon are not only pushing pervasive coverage, but continuous, 24/7 wireless coverage. Brett Conner, Verizon’s manager of Enterprise Data Solutions in Basking Ridge, N.J., says Verizon “wants to be everywhere their (transport and logistics customers) assets are,” whether they are using cell phones, ruggedized PDAs or laptops. By offering the ability to switch from cellular to Wiﬁ they are providing ongoing connectivity from the road to the warehouse. As the network options and variety of transmission pipes are growing, users are gaining the ability to automate data transmission for increased visibility across the supply chain, explains McLaughlin. One of the most common applications involves establishing automatic Wireless Temperature Monitoring from Farm to Fork Imagine the ﬁnancial loss, not to mention potential liability, if temperatures in refrigerated trucks and warehouses storing food products aren’t maintained to correct levels. Until recently, Procuro, Inc., a San Diego, California-based software company specializing in shipment monitoring, was able to provide ongoing wireless temperature monitoring in warehouses and customer storage rooms. But it was missing the transit piece, said Mark Hogan, Procuro’s Director of Sales, Marketing and National Accounts. They turned to Cadec Global in Manchester, N.H., a developer of ﬂeet management systems, to provide that missing link. According to Hogan, Cadec “provides us with data on the tractor and trailer, which is bundled into a bigger cold chain management system. We monitor (the food shipment) from the distribution center to the restaurant or retailer.” Vincent P. Gordon, Chairman and CEO of Procuro, notes that more than half of all grocery store shrinkage comes from the perishables department. “If transporters don’t maintain consistently cool temperatures during the entire chain—from the warehouse through transport to the store—that food is going to have a shorter shelf life once it reaches its destination,” said Gordon. “This joint Cadec/Procuro solution can have a large impact on the ﬁnancial success of distributors, transporters and retailers.” Frank Moreno, vice president or marketing and product management at Cadec, says real-time temperature data is gathered from trailers using wireless sensor technology connected to the onboard computer and a modem that works with any number of wireless networks. That way, they can provide “constant communication between the truck and warehouse to identify any changes in stock, damages, overages or shorts.” alerts to either dispatch or the warehouse when a driver either strays from a pre-established geographic zone or enters another, such as a warehouse dock. Furthermore, with the maturing of 3G wireless networks and devices, the range of content that can be transmitted wirelessly for use in the ﬁeld has taken off, according to Igor Glubochansky, director of Industry Solutions at AT&T in Atlanta, Georgia. This newer generation of wireless allows for far faster data transmission at greater bandwidth, creating the ability to relay richer applications such as detailed data, graphics and video. Brenda Raney, a Verizon spokesperson, says creating WWW.WORLDTRADEMAG.COM 31 http://WWW.WORLDTRADEMAG.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of World Trade - December 2008

World Trade - December 2008 Contents The Promise of Peril The Current Reality with IP in China Supply Chain Watch Tradewinds Performance Partners: Awards of Excellence Managing With Mobility What 2009 Bodes for the Supply Chain Small Business Takes to Export Green is Here for Good Fast Fashion

World Trade - December 2008

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