With same and next day delivery options available through many e-commerce sites, Big Box facilities are reevaluating their supply chains and distribution networks. Holiday 2012 sales proved that internet shopping is becoming more prevalent, while also now a viable option for even last minute shoppers given the choice of expedited shipping.

Every week, SAP’s Performance Benchmarking group publishes a short analysis of a hot topic and high-impact strategies. This helps with finding opportunities for improvement within specific industries and companies. The week of February 4 discussed the automotive industry and its inventory management.

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce and the National Retail Federation (NRF), January’s retail sales ended at $416.6 billion, an increase of 0.1% over December and up 4.4% over January 2012. In addition, retail sales starting in the beginning of November 2012 through end of January 2013 increased 4.5% annually.

After a 2.6% decline in October, The International Air Transport Association released traffic results of an increase of 1.6% increase in air cargo volume for November 2012. Together with a rise in business confidence and positive economic developments in the U.S., the IATA believes 2013 will reestablish continuous growth in air cargo numbers.

Most warehouses and supply chain facilities have large machines and other work situations that cause uncomfortably warm temperatures for the employees. To help employee comfort and to follow the OSHA laws, companies have invested in air conditioning and ventilation systems to keep temperatures at 100 degrees or below. This is very high and will affect […]

Additive manufacturing, more commonly known as 3-D printing, seems like something straight out of our favorite science fiction movies. It is an extraordinary invention that will turn traditional manufacturing on its head. This revolutionary printing technology repeatedly adds layers on itself to build three-dimensional products, hence the name additive manufacturing. It allows for personalization and […]

A recent study by Capgemini Consulting found that just 53% of shippers felt their third-party logistics (3PL) providers were equipped for innovation while 89% of 3PLs declared they actually were. How is this incongruence possible?

For companies of all sizes, SAP HANA displays its business value immediately upon implementation. HANA can analyze vast amounts of real-time information in mere milliseconds using in-memory computing technology.

  Last year’s holiday sales contributed to an exceptional fourth quarter for ecommerce businesses.  Holiday sales in 2012 moved toward a record $3.6 billion which is an increase of approximately 16% over 2011. This trend of growth in the e-commerce industry is expected to be continued throughout 2013.

  PwC’s most recent Manufacturing Barometer Business Outlook Report show industrial manufacturing executives are optimistic about their growth projections in the next 12 months. Of those surveyed, 83% expect positive profit growth while only 3% saw negative growth.