Profile: UPS

UPS is launching a predictive analytics tool that analyzes over 1 billion daily data points to augment employee decision making and improve logistics planning. It will be available to employees via an app on their smartphones, desktops and tablets. In order to properly launch the tool, UPS first had to integrate their vast amounts of data from multiple applications into a single platform. The predictive analytics tool is just one part of a larger $20 billion capital spending plan that aims to solve rising ecommerce challenges and keep them ahead of aggressive rivals such as FedEx and Amazon.

Read more here in the original Wall Street Journal article. Also, see our case study on how we helped a leading global cold chain solutions provider launch their innovation program to more effectively harness technologies such as artificial intelligence for predictive analytics.

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Apple Pushes Sustainability

The technology juggernaut, Apple, is taking a step towards a cleaner, more energy renewable future. The company stated it would invest $300 million through key suppliers to make their supply chain more efficient and cleaner. Furthermore, the project will bring in over 1 GW of renewable energy. This investment is on top of its 25 renewable energy projects it currently runs. As Apple pushes sustainability, it hopefully will encourage other large retailers to begin investing in efficient supply chains. The sustainability movement is in line with the UN’s sustainable development goals, pertaining to affordable and clean energy. Finally, with a target of 1.4 GW of capacity, a project like this among its key suppliers is a step to a better future. Will other companies begin to follow suit? What are ways smaller corporations can invest in sustainability without a budget as large as Apple?

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Cargo Drones

 

Read more here in the original Wired article. Also, see our case study on ___?
____.

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Grocery Ecommerce

FreshDirect has upped the ante in the race to win ecommerce grocery last mile delivery. Their highly-automated, 400,000 square-foot distribution center furthers their aim of providing the freshest food in the shortest amount of time. The facility boasts 15 temperature zones, 9 miles of conveyor belts, software directed order fulfillment, and the ability to receive perishable items such as fish and deliver to customer doors within 24 hours. The total U.S. grocery market is over $700 billion. Ecommerce grocery sales are only a small fraction of that total. However, ecommerce sales of food and alcohol are projected to rise 183% by 2021. FreshDirect is one of many industry leaders investing heavily to capture that growth while cutting order fulfillment times and delivery costs. Amazon, Target, Kroger, Walmart’s Jet.com and others are also expanding and enhancing their ecommerce grocery last mile and warehouse operations.

Read more here in the original Wall Street Journal article. Also, see our case study on how we helped a leading global cold chain solutions provider launch a global innovation program that explored advanced technologies and the warehouse of the future.

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NextGen Cup Challange

Companies around the world are rapidly evolving to meet consumer standards regarding environmental sustainability. With surmounting evidence proving the issue of global warming, industries are beginning to look differently at their supply chains. Two competitors in the QSR world, McDonald’s and Starbucks, are actually teaming up to redesign their cups to be more eco-friendly. The leading initiative is called the NextGen Cup Challenge, and is an unprecedented attempt to reduce a company’s ecological footprint and reduce global waste. The two QSR giants are even encouraging other companies to join in on their quest to a better cup. Within three years, the companies are working together to produce a cup that is completely recyclable and compostable. Along with their new and improved cup, the companies are also planning to incorporate a new lid and straw. Ultimately, these will all reduce plastic, be totally recyclable, and still be functional to the consumer. What steps beyond cups will companies make to promote sustainability? Are McDonald’s and Starbucks ushering in a new era of QSR sustainability?

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Robotic Warehouse

“We believe that the industry is ripe for disruption,” says TakeOff Technologies CEO and co-founder Jose Vicente Aguerrevere. That disruption Vicente Aguerrevere speaks of, is the automated grocery distribution market. The Boston area startup is revolutionizing so-called micro-fulfillment centers.  These centers conduct orders and catering by automatically fulfilling requests directly within supermarkets. Developing a “robotic warehouse” within the stores individuals shop can make the food-to-table process faster than ever. The whole process is expected to need approximately only a  half-an-hour lead time. The company announced a $12.5 million Series B rollout plan to launch in an unnamed supermarket in October. The Takeoff Technologies plans to utilize 10,000 square feet in it’s given 50,000-square-foot space. Leading competitors like CommonSense Robotics out of Israel, Instacart, AmazonFesh, Walmart, and Kroger also are aiming for highly efficient micro-fulfillment centers to roll out in the near future.

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Supply Chain Sustainability

Supply chain sustainability is an essential component of all business today and every company must consider their environmental and social impact a top priority. The key drivers pushing this momentum forward include risk mitigation, compliance requirements and consumer activism, all of which will continue to increase due to accelerated globalization and technology. Companies that authentically and transparently incorporate sustainability throughout their supply networks will spark customer loyalty and drive business growth while also improving employee productivity, reducing costs and mitigating risk.

Companies must holistically embed sustainability across their entire supply network. After many high-profile examples of damaged brand reputation and profits due to poor working conditions, resource exploitation and corrupt management, companies have woken up to the responsibility expected of them. In a world where people are purchasing goods and making career choices based on this expectation, companies can no longer rely on siloed corporate social responsibility departments or ad hoc social marketing programs; they must embed sustainability across their extended supply chain to set a strong foundation for success.

Existing frameworks deployed by industry leaders can help companies more easily design and deploy their own supply chain sustainability strategy. In the past, companies had to start from scratch when creating their approach to supply chain sustainability, with little insight into industry best-practices and benchmarks. However, leading brands, global institutions and industry associations have made critical early strides in establishing actionable frameworks, such as The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), The Paris Agreement, the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC), the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), and The Ceres Roadmap for Sustainability. The common thread across the most effective frameworks is an integrated consideration of environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices.

The key to success is defining an approach to environmental, social and governance practices across the supply network that also drives competitive advantage. From how they sourcing raw materials to how they delivering finished products to customers, companies can reduce costs through a focus on practices such as waste reduction and more efficient usage of energy and water. Smart companies leverage those activities to differentiate their offering and create a uniquely compelling brand experience for customers and employees. Establishing interconnected governance practices, such as sustainability targets tied to performance management and pay for executive leadership, ensures accountability and progress.

Companies that wish to lead in the future must take immediate and strategic action on supply chain sustainability. Doing good isn’t just about feeling good; organizations rating highly in their approach to environmental, social and governance practices outperform the market in medium and long range terms. With rising proof around the business case for sustainability, the time to act is now. Early movers will establish a competitive advantage before sustainability becomes a common and core part of every business.

View our services to see how GoodOps can help you integrate supply chain sustainability and build a competitive advantage. Or send us an email at info@goodops.co to get started today.

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Changing Air Freight

Dronamics, a Bulgarian company specializing in drone specialization, is developing a revolutionary pilotless air-freight system. While many industry leaders race to address the last-mile delivery problem, Dronamics is focused on long-haul freight. The company created a drone that will be able to carry up to 800 pounds over approximately 1,500 miles. The approach has the potential to radically transform the air freight industry. Currently, shipping by air is incredibly quick and convenient, but only takes up approximately 1% of global shipping by volume due to expense. Dronamics wants to carry small packages in large quantities cross-country. While doing so, they project their drone shipping costs to be 50 percent lower than a traditional cargo plane with a human pilot. To add to that, each drone is also expected to cost less than $100,000 dollars to produce, far less than the traditional cargo plane at $500,000, providing a long-term payoff. Is drone piloted air-freight the future of shipping? How will this affect the ground shipment industry? 

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Case Study

Launching a successful private label line for a leading Silicon Valley marketplace.

CHALLENGE

A Silicon Valley startup that was the leading content and commerce boutique shopping marketplace needed to solidify existing operations and better manage their purchasing vs. drop ship, all while expanding to launch their first ever private label line.

SOLUTION

  • For existing operations, attended all industry trade shows, negotiated better pricing and payment terms with vendors, and educated them on our ecommerce packaging and delivery needs.
  • Implemented a strategic decision making process for which “hot” items should be secured into inventory where supply was volatile at the vendor level.
  • For launch of the private label line, designed both products and sourced a new supplier in China that could create initial prototypes as well as handle all replenishment needs and additional product lines.
  • Due to limited startup funding, smartly kept costs down by managing the global process remotely and leveraging the resources of external partners.

IMPACT

Secured volume savings on basic items and ensured sufficient inventory for trending products. The private label items quickly became the number one and number two bestsellers on the website, surpassing the premiere branded items with lower prices and better margins.

View our services to see how GoodOps can help you build a competitive advantage through operating model transformation and new product innovation. Or send us an email at info@goodops.co to get started today.

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Case Study

Designing and launching imports management for the ecommerce supply chain of one of the world’s largest retailers.

CHALLENGE

One of the world’s largest retailers needed to establish design, oversight and management of global imports for their ecommerce supply chain.

SOLUTION

  • First ever to manage global ecommerce imports operations, overseeing more than $65M+ in shipments.
  • Deeply analyzed existing processes and expanded opportunities for sourcing and purchasing.
  • Critical improvements were obtained through innovative collaboration with the Direct Imports team at HQ, and onsite trips to Hong Kong with the buying team to educate suppliers at trade shows on ecommerce shipping and packaging.
  • Led strategy for process and compliance, including factory conditions and housing for workers.
  • Met with logistics partners at the Port of Shenzhen, China (the world’s third largest container port) to expand communications and information sharing.
  • Partnered with buying, planning and logistics teams across brick-and-mortar and ecommerce divisions, obtaining data and creating new essential visibility tools that were used to track inbound orders and open-to-buy commitments.
  • Designed training programs and tools for all departments and vendors, launched integrated systems to reduce risk, and created a global dashboard to manage KPIs.

IMPACT

Designed, managed and improved the ecommerce supply chain and operations for the world’s largest company. Developed innovative strategies that opened new modes of doing global business.

View our services to see how GoodOps can help you build a competitive advantage by designing, deploying and scaling ecommerce operations. Or send us an email at info@goodops.co to get started today.

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