In a move to bring white-glove asset tracking in house, Southwest Airlines has unveiled Cargo Companion, a cellular-based device that can track shipments as well as monitor temperature, humidity and other useful information. It is being targeted at shippers of high-value perishables, time-critical parts and irreplaceable items.

Nearly one-third of distribution centers are entirely outsourced, according to the survey-based Supply Chain Metrics Report released by the Tompkins Supply Chain Consortium.

The evolution of voice technology now includes an integration of graphical data visually displayed, says John Reichert, TECSYS marketing director. The combination is quicker and more beneficial than one might think.

Honeywell has been involved in supply chain activities for some time, but with its acquisition of LXE, it's become quite active in the AIDC market as well, says Bill Roeder, director of product management at Honeywell Scanning & Mobility.

Among the ways technology is evolving to bring greater productivity to the DC is in providing ergonomic features to forklifts and other equipment, says Bill Pfleger, president of Yale Distribution.

Labelmaster, a manufacturer and distributor of products for complying with rules for the handling of hazardous materials, has released a GHS (Globally Harmonized System) Product Guide, to help companies meet the newly revised Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

HighJump Software Inc. has released a new version of HighJump Mobile Sales Advantage, the company's mobile pre-sales application for direct store delivery (DSD) businesses.

Automobiles are selling again, and executives are confident. The U.S. auto industry is positioned for a global economic recovery - if car manufacturers can avoid repeating the mistakes of the past.

Technology and infrastructure investments will account for 50 percent of Pier 1 Imports' $70m to $75m in planned capital expenditures this year, but the retailer will have a lot of IT-enabled activity to show for its money. Two of the biggest elements are the July 28 launch of Pier 1's new e-commerce site and the planned rollout of its new POS system beginning this fall.

Small-item fulfillment continues to grow, especially with e-commerce orders, but a lot of traditional sortation technology was never designed to handle smaller and lighter pieces, says John Park, product manager, Accu-Sort Systems.