Trucking Technology Report - May 25
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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:
- WebLink Wireless Files for Chapter 11
- Analysis Reduces Returns
- Carriers Post Special Rates on Internet
- B2B Strategies Require Planning
WebLink Wireless Files for Chapter 11
Dallas, Texas-based WebLink Wireless announced yesterday that it filed a petition for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company hopes the Chapter 11 filing will enable it to convert its high yield notes worth $470 million into equity. If granted permission, the firm also plans to continue operations as it restructures debts. The move comes as somewhat of a surprise.Just 10 days ago, WebLink reported that revenues from its Wireless Data Division grew by 50% since the previous quarter, though revenues from its Traditional Paging Division continued to drop. The company had once planned to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy with competitor MetroCall. But MetroCall announced on May 11 that merger talks ended without an agreement. WebLink said it gained 123,332 new Wireless Data customers during the first quarter of this year. InternetNews.com (05/24/01); Boulton, Clint
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Analysis Reduces Returns
Jupiter Media Metrix predicts that the increase of returned goods will roughly equal that of e-commerce sales increases; at such a rate, the number of returns will swell from 23 million (at a total worth of $2 billion) to more than 90 million ($5.8 billion) between 2001 and 2005. Jupiter analyst Darren Bien contends that "Most companies do not understand on any appreciable level what's being returned, nor do they understand why they're being returned." Collecting and analyzing this information early in the returns process will lead to more accurate prediction and prevention, Jupiter argues.In order to minimize returns, Bien advises retailers to deploy a number of methods: One suggestion is to provide detailed return inquiry forms in multimedia formats; another is to codify reasons that items are being returned so that analysis is more uniform; Bien also recommends that returned items be categorized by such reasons in order to establish connections between specific returned products and specific buyers. This last capability will give merchants an early warning about returns originating from the supply chain as well as imminent resales. The online and offline retail channels come with their own unique sets of problems, so Jupiter recommends that brick-and-mortar retailers examine the distinctions between returned goods that are purchased on and off the Web. "The value you get [in analyzing returns data] is marrying that...data back to your demand planning and management," explains Ed Stashluk of Newgistics, a provider of Web-based returns management applications. InternetWeek (05/21/01) No. 862, P. 11; Kemp, Ted
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Carriers Post Special Rates on Internet
Less-than-truckload (LTL) carriers are moving to offer special volume rates through their Web sites. For example, Roadway Express, a leader among LTL carriers, offers special volume-shipment rates for loads carried between direct points in several states. The site provides customers with state-to-state and even city-to-city price quotes.Roadway Express offers two different categories of price quotes: one is based on a per-mile basis, while the other quotes rates for every 100 pounds of cargo within a range of 7,500 to 18,000 pounds. By providing the rates upfront, the service saves time for companies interested in shipping products to destination points covered by Roadway.Logistics (05/01) Vol. 40, No. 5, P. 41; Bohman, Ray
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B2B Strategies Require Planning
Online business-to-business (B2B) strategies must be well thought out and designed to support supply chain effectiveness in order to be successful, according to Welfleet Group Principal Bill Dowding. While speed is important, sound judgment is far more important, and he urges companies to consider both the opportunities and pitfalls they are likely to encounter in the e-business world before they take the plunge. Dowding notes that customers are central to e-business--or any business for that matter--so Web initiatives should logically be customer-centric.A company's Web strategy is a direct reflection of its corporate strategy, he observes, noting that most failures follow one of two courses--they either go online with insufficient back-end support to handle demand, or they avoid Web migration out of fear of market disruption or simple procrastination. Dowding writes that a company that wishes to implement an e-business initiative must establish: How e-business integrates with its corporate/divisional program; whether a return-on-investment and sustainable market advantage will be yielded; the sell-side and buy-side implications of e-business on a B2B business model; and the impact such a venture will have throughout the entire company and its extended supply chain.
Once a solid model for supply chain effectiveness is formulated, the next step is for a company to realign its business processes to support it, and then implement the appropriate information-enabling technology, Dowding explains.Midrange Enterprise (05/01) Vol. 5, No. 5, P. 19; Dowding, Bill
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