Supply Chain Management: 5 Areas to Optimize in 2022
Over the last two years, every link of the supply chain has been impacted by disruptions. Factory shutdowns, parts and labor shortages, port congestion, capacity and space constraints, extreme weather events, trade conflicts and tariffs, and increasing delivery delays and costs have caused unprecedented challenges for supply chains. While many people are quick to point their fingers at the pandemic, the real problem lies in the traditional, inflexible supply chain models that are unable to quickly react and adapt to unexpected changes.
Warehouse Management: Navigating the Pitfalls of a WMS Implementation – Part Two
My previous post on warehouse management system (WMS) implementation pitfalls started with the proposition that many WMS implementations end up exceeding the budget, blowing out the planned schedule and failing to deliver the promised results. I went on to examine four common pitfalls that may be encountered when deploying a new WMS. Below are five additional challenges that can negatively impact your WMS implementation, as well as solutions for dealing with each pitfall.
Warehouse Management: Navigating the Pitfalls of a WMS Implementation – Part One
Many warehouse management system (WMS) implementations underperform. They overrun budgets, blow out schedules, fail to deliver promised results and inflict excessive go-live pain. In all fairness to WMS deployments, other business system implementations can fall short too. But as an operations-centric execution system, a WMS deployment is very susceptible to a wide variety of pitfalls that can result in poor project results and potentially a failed implementation.
Tompkins Solutions Names David Latona President and CEO
Tompkins Solutions, a leading supply chain consulting and services firm, today announced that David Latona will assume the position of president and CEO, effective February 28, 2022. Latona will succeed Denny McKnight, who is retiring after more than 30 years with Tompkins.
Transportation is by far the most expensive part of logistics, accounting for up to 70% of a company’s total logistics costs. As truckload (TL) and less-than-truckload (LTL) service rates increase, companies are assessing their overall logistics expenses and seeking ways to cut transportation costs.
Three Key Questions for Site Selection and Facility Planning
Experts predict the U.S. will need to add anywhere from 330 million to 1 billion square feet of warehouse space over the next few years, as companies look to expand their distribution networks to meet growing consumer demands. The increased industrial real estate demand, combined with ongoing labor shortages and extended construction and manufacturing lead times, is creating additional challenges for companies seeking out new facilities.
Selecting the Best Warehouse Management Solution for Your Operations
Recent supply chain disruptions have magnified ongoing trends that continue to challenge distribution operations. Warehouse management system (WMS) vendors have positioned new capabilities and existing features as key tools for addressing these challenges. The applicability and effectiveness of these solutions to an individual distribution operation may have a significant impact on its performance and the overall success of the enterprise.
Ferguson Enterprises, a wholesale distributor of residential and commercial plumbing supplies and pipe, valves and fittings in the U.S., enlisted the help of Tompkins Solutions to develop a new DC that consolidates multiple facilities. Located in Aurora, Colorado, the new facility enables Ferguson to reduce its per unit processing costs and improve service levels.
Redesigning Your Distribution Operations for E-Commerce Fulfillment
Many companies today are experiencing a radical change in their distribution profiles. Retailers that built their networks to support store deliveries in case quantities—or more drastically—manufacturers that built their network to support deliveries to retail distribution centers (DCs) are now delivering directly to the consumer. While this has been good in terms of volume increases, the fact of the matter is that what used to be pallet quantities of a single item are now a handful of different items going to thousands of customers.