September 2-3, 2009
Chicago, IL
Technology Solutions for Warehousing
Program Overview
Technology plays a vital role in the distribution process, enabling companies to confront risks and opportunities and transform business performance through operational insight. More specialization, more efficiencies and more choices make selecting the right solutions a risk in itself. Today, it is imperative that operations, information technology, and distribution professionals execute due diligence in order to select the technology that will optimize performance in their facilities.
For 1.5 days, attendees will be immersed in new and emerging technologies for the warehousing environment, in a comprehensive new program that integrates an array of learning opportunities and provides an open forum for peer-to-peer discussion. Industry experts will focus on evaluating, selecting, and implementing the latest technology solutions for warehousing and operations management. They’ll share “war stories” and discuss how to apply technology strategies to real-world situations for 3PLs with IT groups ranging from the very small to the very large.
What You'll Learn
• To identify key opportunities to win and keep customers and to boost profits and productivity through technology solutions.
• To understand the ROI of the technologies presented.
• To assess the competitive advantages available to your company through technology.
• To identify how voice-picking, automation equipment, logistics software, EDI, your website, wireless transportation data collection (and more) can improve customer response, warehouse productivity and provide tangible payback.
• To pinpoint the key benefits and requirements for technology-based green workflow, MHE, and physical security in your warehouse.
• To increase your peer network, exchange ideas, discuss industry issues and learn how new information technology developments affect your company.
Who Should Attend?
• IT managers, directors, and executives
• Operations professionals considering a new technology implementation or evaluating third-party logistics providers
• All interested in current and emerging topics in supply chain technology
Program Agenda
1. Leveraging Technology in Warehousing & Transportation
Tim Krauskopf, Tech Innovator, Entrepreneur, & Co-founder of Spyglass
Krauskopf, co-founder of Spyglass, the company that created Internet Explorer (then called Mosaic) and licensed it to Microsoft, will take you through the ins and outs of transportation IT and what it means to shipping and warehousing. Learn about the data that carriers keep and review the current state of shipper & carrier data exchange. From EDI to email blasts to GetLoaded.com, and why some schemes work and others do not because of how carriers measure profitability. Using his experience with managing carriers, running a brokerage, and building the freight zone data exchange technology, Krauskopf will provide both an overview and a few practical steps you can use to better manage how the freight gets in and out of your warehouse.
2. Computing ROI
How can you plan for or project ROI when purchasing and deploying technology solutions in your company? What should you look at before making at decision (customer requirements, operations efficiencies, sales and marketing, hardware and software costs, reporting capabilities)? How do you measure success against your plan? Are there any hard-dollars savings or benefits with technology solutions acquisition or deployment? How do you measure soft-dollar savings and benefits? What resources are needed and what is the best approach to calculate an ROI? O'Leary and Rowe will answer these questions, providing a framework for computing ROI and emphasize ROI calculation importance for any technology investment.
3. Going Green
Brian Death, VP Human Resources & Administration, J.D. Smith & Sons Ltd.
Green concepts receive substantial exposure throughout the supply chain. Death will help warehouse operators cost justify green initiatives and identify solutions with payback to implement initiatives now.
4. Selecting a WMS/TMS
Phil Obal, President, IDII
Selecting new software for a 3PL warehouse operation is complicated. Most 3PLs are now asking for their inventory, billing, and customer operations – but a new trend has appeared: operation managers are now asking for multi-tasking (aka interleaving), labor standards, visibility, and metrics. These items have been in the better private warehouse WMS solutions, but are now appearing in many 3PL WMS offerings. Obal's session covers how one (1) builds a WMS RFP, (2) understands common functions that are missing or different in the marketplace, (3) sets up proper steps to verify a vendor’s claims, and (4) gains insights into parcel/LTL freight software acquisition. Obal will provide a free copy of his book Selecting Warehouse Software from WMS & ERP Providers. Expanded Edition to the first 30 conference registrants (a $125 values) (see http://www.idii.com/sws).
5. Warehouse Efficiency
Moderator: Brian Carlson, VP of Professional Services, Cornerstone Solutions Inc
Panelists: Emerson Judkins, Director of Operations, Interstate Warehousing Inc; Pete Gilstrap, President and Founder, ASC Software
Tools warehouse operators can use to pursue new business, improve operating efficiency including slotting software (labor & space saving), pricing software, labor management/productivity standards and more will be includes. The panel will discuss 3 levels of warehouse efficiency investment, relative to price tags: from ~$30K at bottom level; up to $100k, and up to $500K at highest level.
6. Using Technology to Market Your Company
Kim Gomme, President, ebasedEvolution
Gomme will address a host of best practices for promoting and/or maintaining your brand successfully and responsibly online. She will address topics such as website design, site design optimization, organic search engine optimization, paid search engine optimization, link building, social media marketing, pay-per-click, blogging, company blogs, and industry blogs.
7. Increase Transaction Volumes, Revenues & Profitability of Your Logistics Operation Through Paperless, Integrated Workflow Solutions
Larry Kerr, President, EBE Technologies
Learn how to manage your carrier and shipper network by streamlining and automating processes and managing the time sensitive data and documents necessary to operate profitably. Find out how dynamic workflow technology combined with content management systems improve the management of rate confirmations, regulatory documents and delivery documents to improve your carrier selection capabilities.
8. Trends in Mobile Computing – Driving New Efficiencies through Advanced Technologies
Darryl Ferguson, West Region Manager, Psion Teklogix Corp.
In today’s economy, exploring the latest in mobile business automation technology is critical to your company and warehouse operations. During this informative session, you will learn how recent mobile wireless technologies are offering companies greater returns and more opportunities by extending business applications to the point of work in the warehouse. This session will help you identify best practices in the industry and identify opportunities for improvements that can be applied to your current operations and prepare for a new mobile future.
What you’ll take away from this session:
• Increase the ROI of your technology
• Gain expert management strategies to increase productivity
• Easily deploy or upgrade a mobile solution in your warehouse
• See first hand the latest in mobile computing technologies
9. Creating & Deploying Efficient EDI & Integration Capabilities
Brian Mozhdehi, CEO, Ramp Systems
Mozhdehi will discuss the design and deployment strategies needed to maximize capabilities and speed to market for EDI and related projects on behalf of your customers and partners as it relates to internal systems such as WMS and TMS will be described. Mozhdehi will define strategies for reducing long-term costs associated with these projects while enhancing overall capabilities. In addition, he will discuss current trends and challenges to provide details on the importance of integration and the associated strategies as relate to the business goals of cost reduction and customer retention.
10. Voice Recognition Systems
Ken Ackerman, President, Ackerman Co
Ackerman will discuss how voice systems work, as well as their benefits, costs, and ROI.
11. How Does Your Material Handling System Compare to Other Warehouse Operations?
Ken Ruehrdanz, Market Development Manager, Dematic Corp.
See how some of today’s warehouse operations have engineered their material handling systems to process orders with speed, accuracy, and productivity. This presentation will take a case study approach by reviewing the designs of a variety of existing material handling systems. The case studies will reveal operational metrics in a wide range of configuration types: person to goods, goods to person, manual, mechanized, and automated, as well as discrete and batch pick operations. In addition, this sample review of operations will provide a good understanding of how business drivers affect the material handling system design.
12. What Do Our Customers Want From Technology?
Brian Childs, Director - Logistics, Plumbing Americas, Kohler Co.
What customer's want from technology.
13. Utilizing Technology for Physical Security
Mike Sandes, Co-Owner and Vice President, Ackerman Security
Ackerman will discuss key technology opportunities for warehouse physical security that can leverage common network properties, such as: mail, universal interfaces, and multicasting, into direct benefits for video surveillance, access control systems and more. IP-enabled security devices and systems are migrating from the high-end to the medium-sized and lower-cost systems over time, as more end users understand and place value on the benefits of networked systems. Manufacturers have produced equipment that communicate using vendor-specific formats and protocols. Anyone can purchase virtually any off-the-shelf networking component such as a hub, switch, or IP camera for that matter and those devices can be connected and will communicate with other devices from different manufacturers on the same network or over the Internet. The key issue: that network devices are built to communicate using standard protocols established by the IEEE, and every device can potentially communicate with every other, if programmed to do so. Operators can view and secure remote locations across town or thousands of miles away. The session will include a demo of the power and opportunities available from network and Internet connections in a security system.
14. Driving Technology Change: Machiavelli Was Right
Pete Rector, Senior VP of Strategic Initiatives, Genco
Changing processes by introducing new often untested technologies seems to require either the objectivity of independent wealth, a Teflon vest, or luck. A discussion of organizationally approaching technology, change management, and progress