Trucking Technology Report - Aug. 3
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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:
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B2B Players Finding Need For Logistics Savvy
Traditional ordering, warehousing, and logistics management systems are not capable of meeting the demand for online services and products in the new business-to-business (B2B) world. Avoiding other businesses' past mistakes during the decision process is essential and businesses should make sure logistics professionals are included in the planning process for the front-end supply chain.
The overall management system will need to complement customer service, inventory, and warehouse management platforms as well as manufacturing planning and business analysis platforms, says UPS' Arnaud J. Wilson. All this information will then need to be available in real time on pagers, cell phones, PDAs, and other wireless devices, says Oracle's Burton Davis. Software implementations can help to integrate all the disparate systems and functions.
If logistics are not considered a core competency for a company, the firm can tap a third-party logistics (3PL) provider to manage the process. Electronic Buyers' News Online (07/31/00); Shaw, Jennifer Baljko
Maersk Logistics Signing Top Retailers
Maersk Logistics, a sister company of the leading worldwide shipping firm, has signed up Ikea, Wal-Mart, Federated Department Stores, and other top retailers looking to move into new areas of the globe. The logistics company has attracted these clients in part because it already has a global reach, which cuts down on the difficulties of moving into developing areas and ensures a consistent experience anywhere in the world.Because many logistics customers avoid logistics providers that are seen as having substantial links to one carrier, Maersk Logistics emphasizes that it is independent from its sister company. Maersk Logistics also uses technology a great deal in its business, not only for the typical logistics uses but also to measure its performance important now that shippers are looking for pricing based on performance.
In addition, Maersk Logistics' Chris Jephson says technology companies have had difficulty trying to put together the kind of worldwide platform his company wants; a decade ago, Maersk had to turn to Maersk Data to create its platform because no technology company was offering it. Now, Maersk is looking for motivated employees with the skills in logistics and information technology that will be needed to make the supply-chain even speedier, as e-commerce requires. Traffic World (07/31/00) Vol. 263, No. 5, P. 17; Parker, John
BroadPoint Offers Free Long-Distance Trial in DC Area
Landover, Md.-based BroadPoint Communications has begun a local advertising campaign intended to give it 100,000 new customers in the Washington area. The company, which offers free long-distance phone service, is providing 30,000 trial cards that enable area consumers to try out its FreeWay phone service without providing the personal data the service typically requires.FreeWay provides two minutes of free long-distance for every 15-second advertisement a subscriber hears. Users may listen to as many ads necessary to accumulate the desired amount of free long-distance calling.
Consumers who want to become BroadPoint customers must sign up via the company's Web site and must provide such information as household income and ethnic background. BroadPoint's advertising campaign is being focused on local radio and newspapers. Washington Post (08/03/00) P. E3; Garretson, Rob
Bluetooth Technology Bites Into Mobile Communications
Bluetooth technology was designed to serve as a comprehensive digital wireless protocol for connecting wireless and wired computer devices, such as PCs. The technology can provide interoperability between various computer devices for the transmission of data.Currently there are 2000 companies developing Bluetooth products and applications. By the conclusion of 2001, many telecom analysts project that there will be hundreds of millions of Bluetooth enabled products. The technology was originally created by a consortium formed in 1998, by Ericsson, Puma Technology, Intel, IBM, Microsoft, Nokia, and Toshiba with the goal of designing a single digital wireless protocol. The first commercially available Bluetooth devices are planned to be introduced on the market by the middle of this year.
The system enables transparent RF communication between digital devices and can function in environments laden with noise from radio transmissions. It also provides security protection through encryption and authentication routines. The technology requires that a chip be installed in the computer to provide interconnectivity. The RF output portion of the chip consumes 3% of the power required by a mobile phone when in use. And the chip's transmitter can detect the presence of another receiver in close proximity and adjust its signal strength accordingly.
But the director of Wireless Personal Engineering at 3Com, Ken Morley, is concerned that there may be another delay in putting the technology on the market, considering that Bluetooth already missed its scheduled product release date for the beginning of this year. Morley adds that he does not anticipate large production of Bluetooth-enabled devices until the start of 2001.
Mobile phone makers are still leery about adopting Bluetooth. Some manufacturers believe it may be better to consider a Bluetooth-enabled cell phone as a separate product from its regular line of Web phones. The technology has some traits that may not appeal to cell phone buyers. The technology is bound to the device's coverage area and has a limited transmission range of 10 meters. Manufactures wanting to attract users concerned with the technology's power consumption, cost, and chip size, may opt for a smaller processor, but that would also reduce chip power. Microware Journal (07/00) Vol. 43, No. 7, P. 110; Rejman, Ernest
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