Upfront: Your March 2008 News
News on how to upgrade your WMS, the acquisition market heats up, Intermec renews its focus on printers, and some tips for building green and applying for LEED certification.
By Staff -- Modern Materials Handling, 3/1/2008
Time to upgrade your WMS?
According to a report from Aberdeen Research, nearly half of companies running a warehouse management system (WMS) have a version that's at least 5 years old. “Best in class” companies, however, are almost three times more likely than their peers to be operating the current version of their WMS, according to the report, “Warehouse Management Software: Five Key Capabilities for Every Distribution Center.”
“Companies using outdated versions of a WMS can't take advantage of new functionality in areas like slotting, labor management or speech recognition,” the authors observe. “Furthermore, they may be operating with a system that does not support their own changing business process.”
Acquisition market heating up
The year just started, but industry leaders are already busy making strategic acquisitions.
- Tompkins Associates has acquired strategy consulting firms Supply Chain Executive Advisors and Technomic Asia.
- EMS Technologies, the parent company of LXE, acquired Sweden's Akerstroms Trux, a major supplier of vehicle-mount computers in northern Europe.
- Magnetek, a manufacturer of power control systems for overhead handling equipment, acquired wireless control manufacturer Enrange.
The global investment bank Downer & Company predicts 2008 will be big year for mergers and acquisitions in the materials handling market.
Intermec renews focus on printers
Automatic data capture equipment maker Intermec is attempting to reassert itself in the industrial printing market.
Intermec used to be the country's largest provider of thermal printers, says Tom Roth of Intermec's printer and media division, and the company is now working to gain back its lost market share.
One sign of Intermec's renewed focus on printers is a plan to release at least five new printers in the next two years, beginning with the PB50, a mobile direct thermal printer for 4-inch labels.
Tips for building green
Considering building a new DC and applying for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council? Then Chris Joyce, manager of a new LEED-certified DC for the outdoor clothing company REI, has some advice.
Begin planning early: “It's hard to decide you want a green building once you've started,” says Joyce.
Work with a third party: REI hired 7group, a Pennsylvania-based consulting firm, to help it navigate the LEED process.
Communicate with your community: REI executives discussed their environmental goals with the local power provider, and the power company agreed to help them find sustainable electricity sources for their facility.
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