Automotive

The Future of Electric Vehicles in Commercial Transportation

April 24, 2012

Dow Kokam was created in 2009 by Dow Chemical, TK Advanced Battery and Dassault to bring technologically advanced and economically viable battery solutions to the industrial market. The company believes demand will quickly grow for commercial vehicles powered by its large-format, lithium-ion batteries, soon to be produced in Michigan. Regular route and local delivery trucks are strong candidates for electrification, says Senior Director Clark Dressen.

Is There a Manufacturing Renaissance in the U.S.?

April 20, 2012

SupplyChainBrain

Prospects are very bright for manufacturing in the U.S., says Raj Batra, president of the industry automation division at Siemens. Batra, who believes that the U.S. now offers a high-end, innovation-oriented manufacturing environment, cites 30 months of consecutive increases in the PMI index and growth in plant capacity utilization as signs that a renaissance is under way.

Comprehensive, Global, End-to-End SC Management Becomes Reality for Leading Logistics Provider

April 20, 2012

Challenge: A leading integrated distribution and logistics services provider specializing in value-chain logistics throughout Asia, North America and the United Kingdom, needed services that would help them to completely manage their supply chain, including rate management, transportation operations, PO management and visibility, accounting and all cargo security requirements.

Fortune 100 Manufacturer Sees 85% Customer Service Improvement in Under 3 Months

April 20, 2012

Challenge: Improving the experience of customers is the goal of every supply chain - and a smooth, transparent order process is critical to that experience. As a Fortune 100 manufacturer known for quality, our client had to ensure their customers had the best experience possible, which meant gaining greater control and visibility over their order process to pinpoint and prevent problems.

Company Fully Automates Transportation/Inventory Management: Net Savings $500K / Year

April 20, 2012

Challenge: Our client chose to take back control of its transportation operations by implementing IBM Sterling Transportation Management System (TMS). The company had used a 3PL but faced slow communication with vendors and carriers and insufficient information about pick-up times was leading to a surplus of safety stock levels.

Specialized TMS Benefits Shipper and Its Multiple Carriers Alike

April 20, 2012

Challenge: An SMC Â³ customer needed to conduct a strategic bid for $20 million in annual LTL freight shipments encompassing 140,000 shipments from four of its operating divisions. The volume of freight data represented 58 origins with 59 lanes out of each origin. The customer also needed to convert from a 13-year old base rate, to streamline the transportation operations from a merger.

Customized VMI Template + SaaS Architecture = Client Success!

April 20, 2012

Challenge: Before our client moved to Datalliance, they recognized that their older VMI system was becoming a limitation as more of their customers became interested in VMI. That system required considerable time commitments from IT, sales, and customer service to bring new customers on board. The client realized that they couldn't expand the program at the required pace. The ability to implement VMI quickly and effectively with a broader range of customers was critical to their success, but we needed to find a better approach.

Integrated Business Software Solution Saves Labor Hours, Reaps Significant ROI

April 20, 2012

Challenge: During their start-up years our client lacked an integrated business software solution to accurately track job hours and material costs. As a result, our client was grossly undercharging for their services, resulting in year-over-year profit loss.

One Excellent Wireless Replenishment Solution, A Lot of Moving Parts

April 20, 2012

Challenge: Our client manufactures six different varieties of transmissions totaling more than one million units per year for several global automotive brands. Serving their broadly dispersed and diverse customer base requires the constant movement of many different parts to the assembly area, which must be well orchestrated to avoid delays associated with excess movement, or the cost associated with storing excess work-in-process inventory.

Importer Makes Good on Non-Compliance Penalties with Product Visibility Support

April 20, 2012

Challenge: Our client approached CDM with a problem related to product visibility and compliance. Our client had just received a penalty notice from CBP regarding non-compliance of importer security filing. Our client had outsourced the importer security filing to a third party and because of the erroneous filings; our client was stuck with handling and mitigating the CBP penalties.