Tom Zosel Associates, Ltd. (TZA) has combined its deep distribution operations and workforce management experience to launch a Training Division.

Available on-site at the client’s facilities or at TZA University in Long Grove, IL, the programs focus on the integration of logistics best-practices with human resource management and development and are targeted for associates, supervisors and managers. The curriculum has been designed, developed and facilitated by training specialists with extensive consulting and operational experience to provide participants with the tools they need to achieve the optimal performance levels. Through live presentations, case studies, thought-provoking exercises, and guided discussions, participants will be exposed to new tools, strategies and concepts that they can implement immediately on return to their businesses.
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Data Sharing Partnership: Unilever Partners With RedPrairie In EPCIS Data Sharing Trial
11/20/2006
RedPrairie Corporation announced a partnernership with Unilever in the company’s trial of EPCIS (Electronic Product Code Information Service) to collect and access information from within the company’s logistics environment and from trading partners in the supply chain. Highlighting more effective data exchange and simplified interoperability, Unilever anticipates enhanced value in the areas of promotion management, supply chain visibility and metrics and RFID readability through RFID enablement and its integration with EPCIS.
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Lockheed Martin has established the Savi Group to aligns Lockheed Martin’s decision support system expertise for large government In-Transit Visibility (ITV), cargo security and asset management efforts with Savi Technology’s real-time, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)-based data collection and management capabilities for supply chains.
“This unique combination of capabilities under our Savi Group will accelerate the development of turn-key solutions for our government and commercial customers to make their supply chains more efficient, dynamically responsive and secure,” said Stan Sloane, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin’s Integrated Systems & Solutions (IS&S) business area.

The new organization will provide integrated real-time information solutions and services for securing and managing global supply chains. Vic Verma, previous chief executive officer of Savi Technology, acquired by Lockheed Martin in June, will lead the new group and serve as chief executive officer of Savi Networks. Verma highlighted that the newly formed Savi Group will leverage its expertise to address the development and delivery of integrated ITV, Cargo Security and Mobile Asset Management solutions for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Department of Defense (including the U.S. Transportation Command and the Defense Logistics Agency), as well as other government agencies, port and terminal operators, and commercial customers.

“We will offer customers complete, integrated solutions, including powerful analysis tools that will enhance their situational awareness, security, and decision making in tracking and managing shipments every step along the way as they move through global supply chains from point of origin to destination,” Verma said. “To meet these significant challenges for our customers, Savi Group is being ‘turbocharged’ with Lockheed Martin resources, technical expertise and seasoned leadership in managing large complex systems integration projects.”

An important charter of the Savi Group will be to leverage the Savi Networks joint venture between Savi Technology and Hutchison Port Holdings, the world’s largest port operator. Savi Networks provides information services based on wireless data transmissions on the location, security and condition of cargo shipments as they are transported end-to-end throughout the global supply chain.

The Group will also support corporate initiatives for Secure Freight and Logistics. “We are actively participating in Lockheed Martin-wide efforts to offer the best integrated solutions to address our customers’ significant and complex asset management and security challenges,” Verma said.

Online Shopper Priorities Market research firm, Harris Interactive (www.harrisinteractive.com) conducted a recent survey on behalf of Newgistics, Inc. (www.newgistics.com), a provider of product return management services. Results of the study offer insights into consumer priorities when ordering products online.
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By Sarah Murray and Andrew K. Reese

Years of surveying and conversations with readers have shown that busy executives turn to an industry magazine like Supply & Demand Chain Executive for essentially two reasons: to learn how to solve problems that they know they have, and to learn about solutions for problems they didn’t even know they had. The mission of this magazine, then, is to provide targeted information to help corporate executives and other supply and demand chain management professionals as they enable their supply chains for competitive advantage.

As part of this mission, each year the magazine uses its Supply & Demand Chain Executive 100 feature to make its readers aware of those enablers that are leading the way in providing cutting-edge solutions and services to help enterprises address pain points in their supply chains through the application of new technologies and new processes.
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By Dai Yan (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2006-11-16 08:47
The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games are expected to promote China’s road transportation, especially special vehicle transport.

After the successful bid for the Olympic Games, Beijing decided to launch an investment of 180 billion yuan (US$23 billion) in 142 projects on city infrastructure, including subway, light rail, expressway, airport and stadium. These projects have created a great demand in Beijing for special transport vehicles such as self-dumping vehicles, concrete mixers, bulk cement trucks, emergency vehicles, sweepers and fire-fighting vehicles.
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Does your supply chain strategy include Mexico? It should!
By Al Brown, president of SupplyMex
Purchasing November 16, 2006

Mexico’s position as a world-class manufacturer of moderate to high value-added goods continues to strengthen. Mexico offers a strategic competitive advantage over other Low Cost Countries in the world. It shares a 2,000 mile border with the U.S., offers a highly developed logistics infrastructure that facilitates global trade, has 12 free trade agreements with 42 countries, a stable currency and economy, a healthy climate for investment and a strong competitive labor force. These factors make Mexico a logical choice for sourcing and OEM outsourcing supply chain strategies.
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By (Chris) Jacob Abraham, Nov 15, 2006, @ SupplyChainManagement

Logistics Management has a new article titled – How does your warehouse stack up? by Maida Napolitano. The survey was conducted jointly by Logistics Management and Gross & Associates, a consulting firm specializing in materials handling and logistics – First Annual Warehousing Trends Survey.

The survey was designed to help today’s warehouse managers get a clearer picture of the challenges they face today and give them an opportunity to see how their warehouse operations compare with the industry average.
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John D. Schulz, Contributing Editor
Logistics Management November 14, 2006

WASHINGTON—Longer and heavier trucks may be out. Environmental issues may be in, and more physical inspection of air cargo could be in as well. Labor may get a friendly ear in Washington again. And, some might be working for more freight security measures.

The first session of the 110th Congress that convenes on January 3 will be the first since 1994 in which Democrats control both the House of Representatives and Senate. Business, transportation, logistics, and lobbying interests are spending their hours until then dusting off the “D” section of their Rolodexes—renewing old ties with Democrats, who are back in power in Washington.
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Deb Navas, Editor at Large,
Supply Chain Manufacturing & Logistics

The increasingly global nature of consumer packaged goods manufacturing has had an impact on every supply chain link, especially the one that gets goods to market.

WAREHOUSE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE that integrates with material handling equipment speeds fulfillment in complex, high-volume, retail distribution environments.

Roles are blurring in the retail, wholesaler, and distributor supply chain arena, and the definition of what the “distributor” now does is not so easily defined. Big retail operations—Wal-Mart naturally springs to mind—primarily use their own distribution networks, though they also use wholesale distributors.
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LONDON, November 15 /PRNewswire/ — The increasing need to prevent sales of counterfeit medicines and avoid stock outs of drugs has created a compelling need for effective IT solutions to rationalise pharmaceutical distribution channels across Europe. With comprehensive support from information technology (IT) across distribution channels, the European pharmaceutical industry will experience robust growth.
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By Fawn Fitter

They frequently happen without warning: canceled orders, delayed shipments, sudden changes in demand. The greatest difficulty in managing the supply chain is that so much is out of your control. And most enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are not designed to fully address such issues as demand forecasting, capacity planning or storage optimization.

In Summary:
• Supply chain niche applications can help your company make smarter decisions about inventory, capacity and demand.

• These applications are meant to add functionality to your existing ERP system in critical areas, especially warehouse management and transportation management.
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