Slow-moving merchandise is one of the many nightmares an online retailer has to consider - and a problem that needs to be addressed. Non-moving inventory stresses both retailers' operations and budgets because it ties up both precious warehouse space and capital that can be used for other products or business expansion.

Order picking is indisputably the most labor intensive job in the warehouse, says Brian Keiger, global IT sales leader-logistics, KUKA Systems. But with SKU proliferation and the retirement of baby boomers, there will be more and more automation.

Old Dominion Freight Line Inc. has opened its second container-drayage facility in California.

New, relatively inexpensive technologies can help you redeploy labor, cut costs, and remain flexible and performance-minded, says Frank Devlin, manager, advanced technologies, at The Raymond Corporation, a forklift manufacturer.

International Asset Systems has released a new set of business-intelligence modules that were designed to improve the ability of users to view and analyze the "big data" generated by everyday equipment repair and dispatch operations.

Crossbeam, a provider of enterprise network security solutions, found it struggled with meeting same-day and next-day delivery requirements mandated in its service-level agreements, says Jim Curley, director, manufacturing & technical operations. It needed automated export compliance from a company with a global footprint, says John Miller, senior vice president, global business development, Flash Global Logistics.

Establishing a local command center, carefully defining and addressing such information requirements as product descriptions, then setting up efficient supply chain lanes are three critical factors to success in Brazil, says John Miller, senior vice president, global business development, Flash Global Logistics. Moreover, the same formula often can be applied throughout Latin America.

Gas and electric utilities may have a number of unique operating characteristics, but they share with other industries the need to emphasize customer service, operate safely, create a reliable supply chain and reward shareholders. PG&E's pursuit of those goals led it to integrate formal sales and operations planning (S&OP) into the organization.

Kuehne + Nagel International AG has created KN PharmaChain, a new service tailored to the needs of the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry.