Trucking Technology Alert - Sept. 28
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Both the online report and e-mail are sponsored by @Track Communications, a supplier of wireless communications and dispatch services.
Today's Technology Headlines:
- Travelers Finding Unexpected Uses for Mobile Equipment
- Motorola to Take Phone Crank for a Spin
- Management Technology Becoming Affordable
- Automakers Look to Reconstruct Supply Chains
Travelers Finding Unexpected Uses for Mobile Equipment
Business travelers are discovering some unexpected uses for their wireless equipment. For example, Mark Le Goy, the marketing director of Microsoft TV Europe, uses his mobile telephone to send 'virtual cards.'Email addresses and telephone numbers are transmitted by infrared beam to his contacts' cell phones and other handheld devices, thereby eliminating the hassle of lost or misspelled numbers and addresses. The international hotels group Hilton has discovered that customers equipped with wireless access protocol-(WAP)enabled cell phones and personal digital assistants are more likely to provide advance warning when they have to cancel bookings, thereby enabling rooms to be resold.
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Motorola to Take Phone Crank for a Spin
Motorola and Freeplay Energy Group are introducing a wind-up accessory that allows cell phone users to recharge the battery on their phones.A spokesperson for Freeplay, Jill Shea, said the FreeCharge accessory is expected to be compatible with a number of phones from Motorola and other manufacturers. According to the two companies, 45 seconds of cranking will provide enough power for several hours of standby time or three minutes to six minutes of talk time.
Both Motorola and Freeplay believe that a lot of mobile phone users will use the FreeCharge as a backup battery. For example, Shea says people traveling and heavy users of mobile phones are expected to be major customers of the device. In addition, Shea said that people who only use their mobile phones in an emergency or people who are outdoor users, such as campers, are also expected to buy the device. Wireless Newsfactor (09/27/01); McDonough, Brian
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Management Technology Becoming Affordable
Transportation management technology is becoming more affordable and more effective for midsize manufacturers that have been getting by with manual procedures in the past.Early Internet-based exchanges often created more work and hassle for midsize companies, as the shippers found themselves having to key information into Web sites again and again, and the Web sites were oriented toward presenting transportation as a commodity where only price is important, which is not how shippers view carriers. Now, complete transportation management systems are becoming available through application service provider (ASP) models, which allow midsize manufacturers to take advantage of the system through the Internet with a simple subscription fee, with no need to install or upgrade the transportation management software themselves.
When selecting a transportation management system, the manufacturer should be certain there is a clear path to savings in an umber of channels, including routing guide compliance, optimization, centralized transportation purchasing, and lower expedite charges. Managers should start by identifying the processes that are causing the most difficulty for the logistics department and find a system that addresses those problems; they can also look for unbundled solutions in which they can buy only the services they need. Within a company, some locations will want a solution in which they outsource their logistics functions completely, while others will want a hybrid combination of technology and managed services, so a manager should seek a provider that can offer a transportation management solution and 3PL-style logistics management services. Midrange Enterprise (09/01/01) Vol. 5, No. 8, P. 25; Sanderson, Tom
Not too long ago many automakers and large suppliers invested millions of dollars in Internet supply chain planning and collaboration tools, a model that was to eliminate the need for stockpiling inventory, however that goal has remained elusive for some. Ford Motor, for example, is stockpiling critical parts in order to push production lines along, while General Motors is developing a contingency plan that also includes stockpiling parts, says a company spokesperson.
After the attacks, Ford was forced to close five North American plants after the flow of parts was first halted, then significantly slowed because of heightened security. In retaliation to such devastating events, some industry firms may turn towards Covisint, supply-chain management software offered by SupplySolution, or solutions developed by Vastera and Nexlinx, which monitors changes worldwide in real-time to locate regions where shipping is bottlenecked. Despite the many products available, Delphi Automotive Systems is reluctant, noting that the company does not intend to stockpile goods until automakers are in need. Delphi's director of global production control Andy Dean says "We'll do whatever it takes to not have to hold inventory." InformationWeek (09/24/01) No. 856, P. 22; Konicki, Steve
Automakers Look to Reconstruct Supply Chains
In the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks the auto industry is questioning how to handle their supply chains in the future and in the event of another massive disruption.
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