As an ongoing effect of the global COVID pandemic, manufacturing lead times continue to drag. This, in turn, has pushed back project installations and commissioning timeframes for nearly every organization seeking to build a new or expand an existing parcel sortation, fulfillment, or distribution center (DC). As my colleague Nathan Swift recently wrote about, it’s […]
Read MoreDeploying automated micro-fulfillment centers (MFCs) as a strategy to help retailers more efficiently and cost-effectively meet their customers’ demands continues to grow. Indeed, my colleague Curt Kincaid anticipated the growth of micro-fulfillment investment in May 2020. At the time of Curt’s post, the majority of the U.S. was still in some level of lockdown, and […]
Read MoreIf every automated material handling, distribution, and parcel handling system were “set it and forget it,” then downtime wouldn’t exist (and I wouldn’t be writing this article). Yet, as much as operations managers and equipment owners might wish this were the case, the reality is completely different. In fact, as systems become more intricate and […]
Read MoreBack in October 2021, Bloomberg reported the latest findings from the Institute for Supply Chain Management on equipment manufacturing lead times, and it wasn’t pretty. In fact, it was the highest it’s been since 1989, at 154 days. With the ongoing supply chain challenges of container vessels waiting for weeks to be unloaded at their […]
Read MoreAnnually, Modern Materials Handling and Logistics Management magazines team up with Peerless Research Group to produce an Industry Outlook study and report. The publications’ goal is to gain a better understanding of current market conditions, trends, and best practices in manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution operations. The last report was released January 2021. Now that we’re […]
Read MoreAs retail has expanded beyond traditional brick-and-mortar storefronts into direct-to-consumer deliveries, so too has the challenge for retailers who relied on the traditional three-part supply chain model. As defined by DC Velocity, this includes: First Mile: Transportation of the product from the manufacturer to the middle mile, where it is then further distributed downstream. Middle […]
Read MoreIn the past few years there’s been a growing trend toward cloud-based hosting of warehouse management system (WMS) software. Faster internet speeds, more reliable connectivity, and lower prices for more data storage than ever before have contributed to the expansion of this platform for inventory management and control. According to a recent report from Grand […]
Read MoreWith consumers worldwide turning to e-commerce and online shopping in 2020 out of necessity due to COVID-19 lockdowns and continuing to embrace that convenience as the pandemic surges and ebbs, retailers were thrown into a tailspin trying to keep up. Brick-and-mortar stores shuttered (and continue to do so, although currently at a slower pace according […]
Read MoreIt’s safe to say that since retailer J.C. Penney created and deployed the first warehouse management system (WMS) software back in 1975 much has changed. With a foundation in managing and coordinating inventory — as well as the processes and locations said inventory passes through within a facility (or throughout multiple facilities) — WMS solutions […]
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