Technology & Innovation Issue: Time to take action

Once again we’re using July to fix the spotlight on technology and how important it is to now dive in and transform your operation to keep pace.

In fact, the majority of the editorial in this issue as well as our upcoming 2022 Virtual Summit (July 28) are designed to inspire your operation to grab hold of the technology tools that are right and front of you and put them to work—no matter the size of your operation.

Kicking off our 2022 Virtual Summit we’re honored to have Kristi Montgomery, vice president of innovation, research and development at Kenco Logistics Services. Montgomery will set the table for the summit by explaining how she and her team take action and get technology projects moving—and keep them moving.

Montgomery contends that supply chain evolution is now about “the survival of the innovative,” as the rapid pace of e-commerce growth and the need to optimize our existing labor force are driving new priorities. “Innovation is no longer a buzzword—it’s a necessity and execution is key,” she says. Take two minutes now and make sure you’re registered for this event (supplychain247.com/summit-2022)

And while many have used the disruption of the past couple years to innovate and accelerate their automation initiatives, we’re now getting the message that the current economic environment has pushed some to start pumping the breaks. Starting on page 28, editor at large Bridget McCrea puts context around the findings of Modern’s 2022 Software Survey.

“Since the survey was fielded late spring, as the markets and the tech sector went on a manic roller coaster ride, it’s not surprising that nearly half of the survey respondents [44%] told us they were now ‘cautiously embracing change’ when it comes to technology, while 19% are taking a wait-and-see approach.”

However, McCrea says that while the crazy market movements may have put a little scare into some, the challenges that software can help overcome have certainly not gone away.

On a positive note, 60% of respondents report that their software usage has not changed over the past two years, while 38% say their software usage has increased over that time. “And with more automation and robotics projects happening, we’re only going to see the use of software like warehouse execution systems [WES] and warehouse control systems [WCS] take off,” says McCrea.

Speaking of WES, we’ve been watching its evolution, and this month, senior editor Roberto Michel examines where we are in that journey (page 50). As we’ve reported, you’ll now find WES sitting between traditional WMS and WCS layer that runs automated equipment. You can say that it “orchestrates” all of the automation elements that go into a modern operation—but that may be selling it short.

“The great acceleration of automation projects has certainly found WES gaining momentum,” says Michel. “Perhaps the best sign of the demand for WES is that WMS vendors are building up WES offerings of their own. However, it’s an over-simplification to say that WES acts like a ‘conductor’ for fulfillment centers. To fully understand WES, it’s best to dig a little deeper, and that’s what we do this month.”