Trucking Technology Report - Jan. 2
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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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AWS Improves Logistics Operations at Hershey Foods
Hershey Foods Corp. (HSY) has significantly improved logistics operations at its new ice cream distribution center.
These and other distribution objectives of the plant were met using a high-density automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS) from Westfalia Technologies. After implementation, the system dramatically lowered refrigeration costs and reduced construction costs. Managing Automation (12/00) Vol. 15, No. 12, P. 58; Manji, James F.
Smarter Warehousing for Dotcoms
E-tailer SmarterKids.com has received numerous awards for its superior customer service. Harris Interactive said it had the best customer service on the Internet and found that its customers were most likely to return to the site for repeat purchases.Last holiday season, SmarterKids handled as many as 4,700 orders each day and needed three shifts, 100 workers in total, at its distribution center to fulfill those orders. Overall, Smarter Kids conducted $5.4 million in sales in 1999.
This year, the company has opened a new distribution center to improve upon its performance last year. The new center, which measures 140,000 square feet, can handle 6,000 orders each day and uses only a dozen workers. The distribution center also incorporates a new merchandising plan that will prevent the center from being overwhelmed by orders for popular products.
Vice president of operations Mark DeChambeau says the company's new distribution center "will bring the same level of service from a 100-order day to a 10,000-order day." The new center has the potential to expand further, with 39,000 square feet of unused space available, and the warehouse management system can handle more employees, should they ever be needed, without negating its efficiency.
Future developments for the company include a pick-to-carton system that will place customers' orders directly into shipping containers. Warehousing Management (12/00) Vol. 7, No. 11, P. 18; Johnson, John R.
AOL Faces Pressure on Instant Messaging
Rivals of America Online (AOL) want regulators at the FCC to compel the company to make its instant-messaging software available to users of other companies' software before approving AOL's $183 billion merger with Time Warner (TWX).AOL dominates the market for the popular software, which allows real-time text chat. Of the world's 180 million users of instant-messaging software, nearly 85% use AOL's service. However, users of rival services cannot send messages to AOL users, which rivals say offers AOL an unfair advantage in the market. AOL contends that it needs to block users of other services to protect the security of its users.
Also, AOL believes that an attempt by the FCC to force it to open its software to others would be the first step toward government regulation of the Internet. Sources say FCC officials do not want to enter an area in which they have no clear mandate to act, although officials do find credence in the arguments of AOL's rivals.
AOL's rivals, including Yahoo! (YHOO), Microsoft (MSFT), and AT&T (T), say the company's control of the instant-messaging market ensures that it will grow even further in the future because it can attract more customers just by virtue of having more customers. However, a few analysts argue that this is not necessarily so because AOL's rivals are gaining customers and a significant shift in the instant-messaging market may occur at any time.
However, AOL rivals dismiss these claims, noting that AOL has been taking aggressive action to prevent compatibility, a clear sign it does not want an open market. Washington Post (12/29/00) P. E1; Goodman, Peter S.
Broadband Have-Nots Face Life Without E-Business
The digital divide in broadband access exists not only for consumers, but for companies that need high-speed Internet access to leverage e-business.Broadband providers typically focus on the most profitable markets because extending service to new areas is expensive. As a result, providers often pass over densely populated urban areas and rural regions with rough terrain because of the difficulty of deploying fiber in these areas. In addition, asymmetric DSL customers must live within three miles of the provider's central office switch.
Many firms located in areas where broadband is not available are losing customers and revenue as business increasingly moves online. Providers that fail to deliver broadband to businesses are likely to lose these profitable customers to rival providers.
Regional data competitive local service providers and new providers targeting niche markets are currently providing most of the broadband service in rural and suburban areas. However, larger players are also showing signs of trying to extend broadband to more areas. For example, SBC Communications (SBC) in September bought a 6% stake in Covad, in a move that allows SBC to resell Covad's DSL service. tele.com (12/27/00); Wilde, Candee
Do Cell Phones Cause Brain Cancer?
The $800 million lawsuit by neurologist Chris Newman against the cellular industry has researchers and consumers again considering if mobile phone use is safe.Cell phones, like many electronic devices, such as computers and televisions, produce electromagnetic radiation. The FDA is not allowed to regulate devices producing radiation until a potential danger to the public health is clearly established.
Cell phones emit RF energy, which is non-ionizing. Microwaves use the same RF energy but in much higher doses. A cell phone's antenna is the primarily area where a cell phone user is exposed to the radiation. But many experts question if the six tenths of a watt of power produced by a cell phone could cause a brain tumor even if placed constantly against the head.
In the United States, there are about six new victims of brain cancer for every 100,000 residents each year. Scientists conducting studies on the possibility of cell phone radiation causing brain cance, usually use either animal studies or epidemiological studies. But both studies have shortcomings in determining potential cancer risks since some scientists believe that brain cancer resulting from cell phone radiation could take decades to grow.
Meanwhile, the FDA is going forward with plans to join the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association in its efforts to study the potential health hazards of cell phones. Consumer's Research (12/00) Vol. 83, No. 12, P. 18; Nordenberg, Tamar
Swiss Army Handsets on the Horizon
A recent deal between Motorola (MOT) and Lutris Technologies should entice more developers to employ Sun's Java 2 Micro Edition platform for making applications for iDEN phones. IDEN phones, created by Motorola, are set to be introduced during the first six months of next year, reports the firm's senior marketing manager, Rajiv Mehta.The agreement calls for Enhydra, Lutris' open source Java and XML application server, to be provided in combination with the software developer's kit for the iDEN phones. In addition, a hand-held emulator will be provided with the phones for Java developers to test programs designed to operate on the hand-helds. Lutris plans to offer its Enhydra 3.5 with the Motorola iDEN SDK.
The products will be able to use various wireless protocols besides J2ME, including i-mode and WAP, confirms Keith Bigelow, director of product management at Lutris.
Studart Williams, CEO of wireless consulting firm Pervasent, maintains that agreements backing the J2ME platform will shorten the time to market for enterprise applications.
Pervasent is creating a payment method for wireless users. The system is based on The Brodia Group's digital wallet technology and links Web sites with financial institutions to allow instant access to important customer information, such as credit card numbers and shipping addresses. The offering of logistics applications is also expected to pick up once Java becomes more established in the wireless market.
One method William's believes application developers may use in increasing the number of applications available to wireless devices is to burn the applications on smart cards. The applications will then be recorded in the subscriber identity module tool kits that are placed in wireless devices. CRN (12/11/00) No. 924, P. 65; Montalbano, Elizabeth
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