Parcel - April 2008 - (Page 14)

WANT SOME GOOD NEWS? Green Shipping Systems Carry a Fast ROI By Justin Cramer reen, in fact, may be the color of money, but the green that is making headlines concerns the environment. Whether you are a “tree hugger” or a hard-nosed operations manager, you have to acknowledge that energy-saving green is now mainstream. Green is the perfect color for IT, according to Gartner, Inc.’s Carl Claunch. “Green IT” tops his list of the 10 most important strategic technologies for 2008. Claunch warns that ignoring strategic technologies could result in disruptively expensive catch-up. to do that will turn competitors — dare I say it? — green with envy. The great news here is that an environmentally responsible shipping system is a cost-effective one. In fact, a well-integrated system is, by its very nature, green because it uses very little paper. You can go even further and become 100% paperless pick-and-pack by adopting spray-on labels. Although, you still have the boxes, of course. Spray-on “license plates” aside, a green automated shipping system should print only labels. Printing on 8 ½” by 11” is a no-no. Reports should go into databases, not on paper. A good web-reporting tool takes this a green step further. G Paperless Input An efﬁcient shipping system should even avoid paper-related input. A shipping clerk should be able to scan address and other label information rather than type it from a piece of paper. Accordingly, a quality address veriﬁcation system helps avoid misdirected packages. That is deﬁnitely good for the environment, not to mention customer relations. Client server-based shipping systems are very “green.” Think of how much physical traveling back and forth is saved when you are working on only one server instead of several. And every time you update and maintain that single server, you are saving energy. As you can see, green and efﬁcient, at least when it comes to shipping systems, run parallel. Accordingly, becoming a good world citizen comes with an excellent ROI. Justin Cramer, EVP of Best Way Technologies, maker of ProShip multi-carrier shipping software, can be reached at 866-944-2378 or jc@bestwaytech.com. ■ www.PARCELindustry.com Competitive Edge If you are one of those “hard-nosed” operations managers with parcel shipping as your responsibility, you will be glad to hear that there are a number of environmentally positive things Accordingly, a quality address veriﬁcation system helps avoid misdirected packages. That is deﬁnitely good for the environment, not to mention customer relations. 14 Spring 2008 http://www.PARCELindustry.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Parcel - April 2008

PARCEL - April 2008 Contents Editor's Note Moving Forward Recycling for Safety’s Sake Want Some Good News? Negotiations Have No Finish Line... Lowering your Parcel Shipping Costs Meeting Industry Challenges New Pricing, New Opportunities Time to Track It’s Scan-tastic! 10 Recycling Facts The New USPS Law Changes New Law, New Opportunities for Package Shippers A Diamond in the Rough Seven Shipping Trends for 2010 ...and Beyond The Move Update Changes A Simple Shipping Solution A Case Study in Efficiency New Products and Services Industry News Advertiser Index

Parcel - April 2008

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