• New White Papers
• New - Ten Best Practices for Motor Freight Management - Excellent
• New - The “Network Effect” in a Collaborative Shipping Model - Excellent
• New - Voice Technology - Good
• White Papers Announced In Last Newsletters
• WMS Cost Justification - Kom International - Excellent
• Dynamic Routing & Impact of Implementation on Trading Partners - Manhattan Associates - Excellent
• Fence Line Security with Yard Management Software - Cypress Int - Very Good
• Voice Directed Picking: Expected ROI
• Utility Powers Up Productivity and Customer Service with a Wireless Solution
• Integrating the Electronic Product Code (EPC) & Global Trade Item Number (GTIN)
• Warehouse Optimization and Warehouse Space Optimization - Part I - Excellent
• Warehouse Space Optimization - PART II - Excellent
• Optimal Pick Area Layout - Very Good
• Fence Line Security with Yard Management Software - Great
• An Introduction to RFID and Tagging Technologies - Excellent
• Voice Over IP: What Lies Beneath - Very Good
• How to License Customized Software - Gigalaw.com - Excellent
• The Essential Guide to the Best (and Worst) Legal Sites on the Web - Book
• Case Studies in Last Newsletter
• Utility Powers Up Productivity and Customer Service with a Wireless Solution
  

IDII News

Event Calendar is now online! - Send us your events to add to the Events Calendar!
Our website has improved! New Home Page and Enhanced White Paper Indexes.

Technology & Software Product News

• Acsis (data collection, SCE) announced Console for PocketPC 2002, a new offering that supports SAPConsole from SAP AG. SAPConsole, wireless technology that is part of the SAP Logistics Execution System (SAP LES), provides a framework for automatic data collection in warehouse management, plant maintenance, quality management, and shop-floor environments. It translates graphical user interface (GUI) screens to the character-based screens used on a wide variety of data-collection devices. SAPConsole allows workers in warehouses, distribution centers, and production environments to capture mobile data online and in real-time communication via the SAP system.
  
  
• ClearOrbit (SCE) announced Connect 4.0. Connect 4.0 allows industrial devices such as RF scanners, bar code printers, scales, carousels, PLCs and RFID tags, printers and readers to integrate directly to the ERP data model in real time.
  
  Connect features a web-based management console for ease of configuration and real-time device control. The web-based console provides highly configurable options and supports a variety of device types that are integral to receiving, inventory, manufacturing and shipping efficiency. Through Connect 4.0, devices can communicate directly to the enterprise data model, providing immediate, accurate information enabling the real-time enterprise. Connect 4.0 provides certified ERP connectivity without proprietary third party databases that significantly increase integration requirements and the total cost of ownership. ClearOrbit has many SAP & Oracle installs.
  
  
• Frictionless® Commerce announced a major release of its Frictionless® Sourcing platform. Driven by customer requirements, Frictionless Sourcing 3.0 includes numerous enhancements including: globalization, integration APIs, contract spend tracking, legal contract generation, and a supplier management portal. Adding to its existing Sourcing Optimizer module. Highlights of New Advanced Modules

  Workflow - A FLEXIBLE workflow solution that can be tied to any desired trigger event throughout the platform. Workflow design is made easy through a simple graphical user interface.

  Demand Aggregation - Provides automation of the requirements specification and quantity forecasting process from multiple business stakeholders/ divisions.

  Bill of Material (BOM) - Offers the ability to import, manage and export BOMs as part of a complete sourcing platform. Also included is the ability to track savings against the target price, to ensure product profitability.

  RFQuick - THE FIRST to allow business stakeholders to run rapid bidding events from their desktops with approved vendors and templates while providing complete visibility to the Purchasing organization. This is a powerful and unique capability that allows companies to increase spend under management and capture additional savings in project-based categories such as print and temp labor.

  Spend Analysis - Advanced transformation, loading and reporting capability built into a sourcing platform. New enhancements include: synonym mapping, on-the-fly error correction, and pivot tables for analysis.

• HighJump Software (WMS) Facilitates Mobile, Real-Time Supply Chain Response With Advanced Event Management and Wireless Access Solutions. HighJump announced that IMI Cornelius is leveraging HighJump's event management and wireless access solutions to achieve bottom-line results. Event Advantage promotes proactive customer service and reduces costs by alerting managers and trading partners to supply chain events and exceptions. Wireless Advantage adds support for wireless personal digital assistants (PDAs) and other hand-held devices, making real-time access to event notifications and other key decision-making information a reality.
  
  
• i2 Technologies (TMS, NASDAQ: ITWO), Launches "i2 Six" Supply Chain Solution Suite. The product suite utilizes standards including J2EE, XML, JAAS, JMX and SOAP. Each i2 application is completely Web Services enabled and in the i2 environment, all applications integrate as a provider of services or a consumer of services. All application functionality is exposed as a service at a level of abstraction and functionality that business users can understand.
  
  
• Radio Beacon Acquires Exclusive Licensing Rights for Kewill’s ReSKU WMS. Kewill Systems (LSE: KWL) announced that it has signed an exclusive agreement with Radio Beacon Inc. to transfer the licensing rights and support responsibilities of its ReSKU warehouse management system. ReSKU is a RF based inventory management system and is a certified solution for Microsoft Great Plains Dynamics & E-enterprise.
  
  
  
• RedPrairie (WMS,TMS, LMS) announced DLx® Dashboard - a web-based executive dashboard that provides a single portal for supply chain information, applications and decision support tools. The Dashboard provides a single web-based framework in which all DigitaLogistix(tm) suite information and applications, as well as data from other applications, is made available to users, configurable to their role and needs.
  
  • Real-time access to supply chain information through RedPrairie's supply chain visibility tools. For example, based on an alert about a late order, a user could quickly drill down into detailed order status information to determine the cause and consider alternatives.
  • Access to multiple DigitaLogistix(tm) applications running within the portal framework to provide unified control over logistics execution and enabling integrated workflows.
  • Personalization of dashboard views through simple configuration of key performance indicator (KPI) information and metrics.
  • Event and exception alerts as they occur during execution processes via real-time feeds from RedPrairie's Event Management System infrastructure to provide immediate visibility and response to logistics problems. Users easily control what alerts they wish to receive through a simple subscription process.
    
    
• RedPrairie (WMS,TMS,LMS) announced a new adapter for its transportation management system (TMS) that will provide integration to PeopleSoft's ERP and supply chain applications. The new TMS adapter will complement RedPrairie's previously developed and certified adapter for integration of its Warehouse Management System (WMS) with the PeopleSoft ERP suite. RedPrairie's PeopleSoft adapters are built using DLx® Integrator EAI framework. DLx® Integrator capabilities:
  • Visual data mapping
  • Ability to integrate using multiple protocols, such as XML, direct table-to-table, HTTP post, flat file, SAP IDOCS, and many others.
  • Ability to send and receive data synchronously and asynchronously to one central point for communication to multiple sites
  • Embedded event management to proactively notify appropriate personnel if a transactional problem occurs
  • Real-time transaction monitor that enables IT organizations to monitor and troubleshoot transactions anywhere across their networks.
  
  
• TrenStar announced the release of Version 3.1 of TrenStarCM, a leading container management solution. Improved security features of TrenStarCM 3.1 enable companies in asset-intensive industries like food and chemical to track the physical status of a container and be alerted if it does not arrive with its content intact. Along with offering clients enhanced security against tampering, TrenStarCM 3.1 provides true integration of container tracking information that links contents with containers. TrenStarCM 3.1 provides a more precise level of content data on each container and is fully Web-enabled to streamline the way the user collects and accesses that data over the Internet.
  
  
• Varsity Logistics (TMS) Releases ShipAudit 1.1. Latest release of Varsity ShipAudit adds key customer-driven enhancements. In addition to electronic data interchange, transportation managers can now automatically extract data from carriers' billing spreadsheets for faster invoice analysis. Additional function keys make ShipAudit even easier to use, and new reports enable the accounting department to allocate shipping costs to different cost accounts. In addition to ShipAudit, Varsity provides FreightAudit, auditing software for freight shippers. FreightAudit automates the reconciliation of anticipated LTL, Truckload and Rail shipment costs with actual billed carrier costs.
  
  

Quotes to Ponder - List of Quotes to Ponder from prior issues.

• Stubbornness is also determination.
  It's simply a matter of shifting from "won't power" to "will power."
  - Peter McWilliams.
  

• "For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower,
  does not first sit down and calculate the cost,
  - to see if he has enough to complete it."
  - Luke 14:28

• www.customs.ustreas.gov - US Customs Service
  
  

Online Book Catalog - Intuitive Categories

Books on E-Commerce, Shipping, Warehousing, Distribution, Operations, WMS, ERP, MRP, CRM, Supply Chain, Customer Service, Logistics, Facility Layout & Design, Metrics & Measurements. Software Providers SAP, Peoplesoft.

IT & Project Management Books: Software Project Management - IT Management - Software Testing - RFP Development - Proposal Writing.

Essential Guide to Peoplesoft Development and Customization Order From Amazon

"Warehouse & Logistics Software Directory" Order From Amazon or IDII

MRP II Standard System : A Handbook for Manufacturing Software Survival Order From Amazon

"Supply Chain Management Based on SAP Systems" Order From Amazon

Valuable Future Events - Event Calendar is now online!

RedShift, RedPrairie's User Conference - April 2-4, 2003 at the Scottsdale Plaza Resort in Scottsdale, AZ. Learn how you can achieve improved logistics results within your company and your extended supply chain at this event. RedShift will be packed with useful industry information, RedPrairie solution updates and plenty of time for networking and fun. For more information or to register, visit www.redprairie.com

National Conference on Operations & Fulfillment (NCOF) - April 13 - 16, 2003 - Orlando, FL. The Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel, Exhibits: April 14 and 15 The Conference Exclusively for Direct-to-Customer Operations and Fulfillment Management.

Texas Instruments RFid Systems is providing a daylong RFID Boot Camp (May 12) Fort Lauderdale, Florida - to educate distributors, systems integrators and VARs about cutting-edge radio frequency applications and the business value and competitive advantages RFID solutions can offer their customers. This event is followed by the RFID World Conference and Expo, May 13-14. For the complete program agenda and RFID World Conference and Expo show details, visit www.rfid-world.com/rfid or call 1-800-608-9641.

Distribution/Computer EXPO 2003 - May 20 - 22, 2003 - Navy Pier - Chicago, IL. The largest Exposition for logistics and supply chain technology including; distribution, transportation, and warehousing. Held in conjunction is the D/C EXPO seminars focusing on the latest trends and advances in logistics and supply chain technologies. Visit our website at www.logistar.com or call our toll free number - 800-338-4112.

2003 Provia Software User Conference - "Do More...Get More" - June 10 - 12, 2003 - Grandover Resort, Greensboro, NC. For more information, visit http://www.provia.com/user_conf/Conf_overview.htm

Material Handling & Logistics Conference - Sep 21 - 24, 2003 - Grand Summit Resort - Park City, Utah. Sponsored by HK Systems and iRista. A gathering of material handling and supply chain software industry experts and users. For more information, visit our website at www.hksystems.com.