Sometimes it seems like things are changing so fast that we can hardly keep up with what’s going on around us in the world. For example, doesn’t it seem like smart phones and their current operating systems become “old” almost overnight? Can you imagine the impact of these constant changes on one’s supply chain? Well, if you can’t imagine it, you may be in trouble.

Chris Caplice, executive director of MIT’s Center for Transportaion and Logistics, identifies “Four Trends That Could Redefine Distribution in the U.S.” to help us organize our thoughts on the subject so that we can try to anticipate some of this. If we don’t, they can certainly create lots of inefficiencies in our current distribution networks. The four trends are:

Densification of Products—Back in the early 1990s household products companies transitioned to concentrated “ultra” laundry detergents, while portable computer storage has gone from floppy disks to thumbnail drives. This evolution has enabled companies to reduce the number of containers, trucks and railcars used in distribution networks and in some cases, potentially shift to other, faster modes such as air.

Diversification of Sales Channels—Omni-channel retailing has grown as e-commerce has taken off, where traditional retailers bundle online, mobile and traditional channels to compete for sales. This has resulted in omni-channel distribution to support this process. Products can be ordered online and shipped directly to the customer or in some cases “shipped to store” for customer pickup versus the traditional retail model. In some cases, stores have become distribution centers to supply e-commerce orders directly to customers. This has a significant impact on the distribution network structure and capacity.

Decentralization of Production—In the past, economies of scale were key, where massive manufacturing plants supplied your entire customer base. Now, with the global economy, and improvements in technology and processes, production can be decentralized into smaller, regionally-based manufacturing facilities (owned or sub-contracted) closer to population centers. This has had a significant impact on transportation and shipping patterns as well as lead times.

Digitalization of Products—There has been a long trend of movement from physical to information-based products, and not just books, music and movies, as it is now starting to happen to more traditional products. Think of the potential impact on Crayola on their “Color Alive” line of products, where a special app and crayon transform coloring by activating a virtual experience complete with color effects. This could drastically reshape their distribution needs as there becomes more of a reliance on digital technology and less on physical crayons.

So the disruption from these types of changes on our distribution networks and entire supply chains will dramatically reshape our current logistics models. The real question is: Will you be ready for them?

Technology Adapts to Minimize Impairments

New approach to warehouse management solutions aids visually impaired.

Peter Fretty

Nov 06, 2019

Often when organizations embrace new technology, the goal is to realize a new competitive advantage or improve the bottom line. However, some technology deployments serve a far more altruistic purpose. Consider, for instance, the new technology helping the visually impaired workers at North Central Sight Services (NCSS), a manufacturer that provides employment opportunities to the blind and visually impaired.

NCSS’s mission is to provide exceptional products, services and employment opportunities to the blind and visually impaired. The organization employs 29 visually impaired workings including its CEO, and it needed a flexible platform to accommodate worker needs. NCSS workers count, package and ship AbilityOne office supplies, flash drives, labels and CD/DVD packs as part of a program under the U.S. AbilityOne Commission.

Addressing impairments

The visual impairment creates challenges when using non-adapted computing tools in the warehouse environment, explains Joe Tosolt, president of CSSI Technologies, a Zebra registered independent software vendor. “For this reason, CSSI worked with NCSS to create a set of screens specially adapted for the users. We selected large fonts and carefully chose colors to provide plenty of contrast. The NCSS team found these adapted screens on the Zebra MC3300 to be much easier to use,” he says.

Integrating CSSI's warehouse management solution (WMS) with Zebra’s Android-based mobile system made the most sense because NCSS also needed to transition away from Windows CE as technical support ends in 2020. In addition to using large characters and color coding, CSSI added voice-directed picking to further help employees succeed in challenging environments.

“The solution has helped us modernize our warehouse from a manual-based process to an automated one that has increased worker productivity and picking accuracy which has led to the near elimination of returns,” said Terri Kio, NCSS industry operations manager. “Working with companies like Zebra and CSSI who are committed to helping visually impaired staff has made a measurable difference in our business with the technology and by making our staff feel supported in their careers.”

Personal connection

Zebra’s Global Director of User Experience Design, James Morley-Smith, has been instrumental in company’s purpose-driven design philosophy. He found inspiration with his son Fintan, who lost his sight when he was very young due to cancer. By watching how Fintan adapted to his environment without his sight, Morley-Smith realized that warehouse workers might face similar challenges – dimly lit conditions and protective goggles that impair their vision while they work. He drew on this experience in designing tools for these front-line workers, developing larger buttons and other design modifications that compensate for the harsh warehouse environment and help the users perform their jobs better and with fewer risks for error.

“The biggest lesson reinforced here is that we need to keep the voice and needs of the customer in front of us,” says Tosolt. “In this case, by involving NCSS throughout the project, we were able to create a winning solution with NCSS, CSSI and Zebra.”