IoT In Logistics....How Connected Tech Is Being Adopted In Warehouses, Shipping, And Haulage

In today’s global economy adopting “smart logistics for a smarter supply chain” makes perfect business sense.

Smart technology enables logistics organizations to accomplish transparency, efficiency, maintenance, automation, freight safety and cost optimization throughout supply chain processes.

For more details read this:

IoT In Logistics....How Connected Tech Is Being Adopted In Warehouses, Shipping, And Haulage

Keep in mind that the critical foundational piece to the success of any IoT application and it’s IoT ecosystem is network connectivity. That said, we are uniquely positioned to source the right IoT connectivity solution for any IoT application whatever it may be....wired or wireless. We can even help with the network design and security effort. All at ZERO cost to you. Simply ask us at the link below....it's as easy as 1, 2, 3.

IoT Network Options

IoT-Enabled Asset Tracking Is Driving Business Innovation

Knowing the location and monitoring the health of your most valuable assets is critical to business operations. Thanks to Internet of Things (IoT) technology, remote tracking of everything from heavy equipment to fleets to luggage, patients, pets and kids can reduce risk, minimize inventory, save money and create new revenue streams for businesses, in addition to making life easier for consumers.

To learn how to take advantage of what IoT can do for your global supply chain and logistics ecosystem read this article.

IoT-Enabled Asset Tracking Is Driving Business Innovation

To learn more about how IoT-enabled asset tracking will benefit your business....and what the best solutions are for your industry to integrate tracking technology seamlessly into your existing business model. ....simply ask us at the following link. It's as easy as 1, 2, 3.

IoT Connectivity

Tip....How To Determine Network/Bandwidth Requirements For Supply Chain Management Systems

Following is a list of information packed articles to help you solve your bandwidth issues with a supply chain management system network design and installation. You'll get tips on what to look for, what to ensure is part of any design package, how to compare providers for any solution you decide upon, and where to find the best deals so you have the best chance at the most cost effective solution.

* What Bandwidth Solution (T1, DS3, OC3) Makes Sense For A Supply Chain Network?

“A company's supply chain network can be a complicated animal. To service this network of constant data sharing and storage requires a high performing reliable network backbone. An important part of the design is the right level of bandwidth support .... T1, DS3, or OC3 bandwidth circuits to be exact. Making the right decision on what circuit to choose means navigating a number of issues.”

* Meeting Your Bandwidth Requirements For Supply Chain Management Applications

"Deploying an Supply Chain Management (SCM) solution that provides the intended return on investment requires that the applications, servers, and enterprise network infrastructure work together seamlessly. This is easier said than done and will necessitate a thorough evaluation of your bandwidth needs to meet the demand."

* More On Meeting Your Bandwidth Requirements For Supply Chain Management Applications

"The key to a successful SCM implementation is a clear understanding of the business objectives and business requirements of the company the SCM primarily supports. This often includes a number of legacy systems which need to be integrated into the solution. From this will come the technical objectives to be met and the technical requirements that frame the solution. Only then will the communication requirements for bandwidth capacity, reliability, resiliency, latency, security, and expandability be meaningful."

More On....Meeting Your Bandwidth Requirements For Supply Chain Management Applications

As I pointed out in a previous article, Supply Chain Management (SCM) is a complex animal. The key to a successful SCM implementation is a clear understanding of the business objectives and business requirements of the company the SCM primarily supports. This often includes a number of legacy systems which need to be integrated into the solution. From this will come the technical objectives to be met and the technical requirements that frame the solution. Only then will the commmunication requirements for bandwidth capacity, reliability, resiliancy, latency, security, and expandability be meaningful.

Here's just 2 such technical aspects.....

Frame Relay

Frame relay initially had several advantages over the alternative solutions for SCM and other multi site and multi company communications networks.

The first advantage was with circuit costs. For a multi site network, the traditional approach was a large number of point to point circuits. Each circuit required a router port, a CSU, and often a circuit monitoring module. With milage based pricing, each circuit represented a significant recurring cost on top of the initial hardware costs. Router sizing was often a factor of ports supported rather than performance capability.

Frame relay exchanged the point to point circuit costs with an access circuit, typically at less than 1/10th of the cost. With port speeds from DS0 to DS3, multiple sites could be connected with a single port at each site. A partial or full mesh, even with full redundancy, could be accomplished with very few router ports and CSU at each site. This represented significant capital savings.

Using fractional T1 and T3 on the access circuits, frame relay made expanding capacity between sites relatively painless. Port changes within the frame relay provider's network was often a configuration change. Expanding the actual circuits was typically a configuration change on the CSU and DACS.

Adding new sites was often accomplished with physical changes at the new site only. The new PVC across the frame relay network and at the existing site(s) was a configuration change. Depending on the routers used and the routing protocol implemented, this might be accomplished without a maintenance window.

The PVC approach allowed for additional security. A given location could be directed to a specific port within the DMZ, limiting the exposure of one's own network to other vendors within the SCM network. Firewalls at each end allowed each company to control its own security. The frame relay network was vulnerable to external monitoring at very few points, and the relationship of PVC traffic to specific customer required specific network design information.

Frame relay offered the ability to have a disaster recovery site support multiple locations. PVC between the disaster location and other locations could be defined in the configuration, allowing dynamic implementation of the disaster recovery network.

As a circuit protocol, frame relay functions independent of other protocols. This segmentation allowed IPX, IP, SNA, and other system communications protocols to be implemented over the same paths. If desired, each of these could have its own PVC and bandwidth, or they could all operate over a common path. Finally, the bandwidth and performance could be established specifically to site pairs on a PVC basis.

For a vendor that participated in multiple SCM networks, frame relay represented real cost savings. Instead of a new circuit for each network, a PVC could be established. Instead of 6 week circuit installation delays, service could be established in hours.

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So why the past tense? The advantages of frame relay are now achieved via the Internet. The timeframes for implementation have been reduced from hours to minutes. Encryption has advanced beyond the security offered by isolated paths. Advances in application based routing can achieve availablity assurances. Legacy protocols have been largely replaced by IP.

There are still times when frame relay is the best choice based on business requirements or technical constraints. But a robust bandwidth network (e.g. OC3 or OC12 bandwidth....perhaps with GigE connectivity) applying IP protocols will enable a seemless flow of information without risking security concerns.

Emerging Technologies

The most notable is Radio Frequency Identification, or RFID. RFID tags are essentially barcodes on steroids. Whereas barcodes only identify the product, RFID tags can tell what the product is, where it has been, when it expires, whatever information someone wishes to program it with. RFID technology is going to generate mountains of data about the location of pallets, cases, cartons, totes and individual products in the supply chain. It's going to produce oceans of information about when and where merchandise is manufactured, picked, packed and shipped. It's going to create rivers of numbers telling retailers about the expiration dates of their perishable items—numbers that will have to be stored, transmitted in real-time and shared with warehouse management, inventory management, financial and other enterprise systems. In other words, it is going to have a really big impact.

Another benefit of RFIDs is that, unlike barcodes, RFID tags can be read automatically by electronic readers. Imagine a truck carrying a container full of widgets entering a shipping terminal in China. If the container is equipped with an RFID tag, and the terminal has an RFID sensor network, that container’s whereabouts can be automatically sent to Widget Co. without the truck ever slowing down. It has the potential to add a substantial amount of visibility into the extended supply chain.

Right now the two biggest hurdles to widespread RFID adoption are the cost of building the infrastructure and the lack of agreed-upon industry standards. But regardless...RFID implementation will be bandwidth intensive to retrieve and disseminate the mountain of information such a tool will provide.

Summary

The answer to how to meet bandwidth requirements for SCM applications is as complex as ever. The addition of emerging technologies like RFID into the mix of legacy point-to-point approaches, the frame relay darling, and the simplification afforded by OCx backed IP protocols....means your IT staff will be pegging their stress meter trying to make a decision. To navigate the aspect involving researching and acquiring the right bandwidth solution....do yourself a favor. Use the services of an independent unbiased consultant such as FreedomFire Communications to navigate the minefield for you. Your IT staff will love you for it.

Meeting Your Bandwidth Requirements For Supply Chain Management Applications

In today's business world it is critical for companies to deploy supply-chain management (SCM) systems to enhance efficiency across the product lifecycle by streamlining procurement, production, fulfillment, and distribution processes. Deploying an SCM solution that provides the intended return on investment requires that the applications, servers, and enterprise network infrastructure work together seamlessly. This is easier said than done and will necessitate a thorough evaluation of your bandwidth needs to meet the demand.

SCM solutions require integration of applications and data across multiple geographically dispersed supply chain partners, as well as internal integration with legacy systems. To ensure success, your organization must deploy robust, end-to-end dedicated bandwidth that delivers highly reliable and strictly monitored QoS (Quality of Service).

An SCM solution is only as strong as the weakest link in the chain. Access to SCM applications and data must be guaranteed for all of your users, inside and outside the enterprise. Your company must provide sufficient bandwidth to support constant data flow between desktops and servers at the company headquarters, geographically dispersed suppliers and partners, manufacturers, distributors, customer service call centers, and for mobile users and teleworkers. Connections between servers and desktops must provide the necessary bandwidth to deliver resource-intensive services, real-time application data to all users, and enable integration of disparate data sources.

At your headquarters office, where corporate Web, application, and database servers reside and WAN links converge, availability and security are key. A redundant backbone switching architecture with Gigabit Ethernet connectivity to servers and access switches is often indicated, along with a modular, enterprise-class routing platform that supports advanced security features and WAN bandwidth management.

In order to ensure availability over time, a successful SCM solution should be built on an application design, server architecture, and network infrastructure that can grow easily as your business grows. This is called scalability. The solution must provide the ability to easily provision more WAN bandwidth to meet peak needs, to scale with fluctuating traffic between vendors and partners, and to adapt quickly as supply chain partners are added or replaced. To accomplish this, the solution should readily accommodate new server connections, partners, and locations. Network routers should provide enough capacity to easily and economically provision additional bandwidth as traffic increases, or to add new locations as the geographic reach of the supply chain expands.

Each location involved in your SCM infrastructure will require dedicated bandwidth to meet the functions conducted at that location. This likely will involve some combination of the following choices and is dependent on the complexity of the deployed SCM system and the size of your organization:

- DS3 bandwidth, also known as a T3, is the reliable, all-purpose, digital connection for extremely high-volume requirements. Operating at 45 Mbps (equivalent to 28 DS1 circuits, or 672 DS0 channels), DS3 can provide a cost-effective solution for smaller locations in the SCM network. With DS3, you can link your high-volume host computers for resource sharing and load balancing.

- OC3 bandwidth is a fiber optic line delivering 155 Mbps (equivalent to 3 DS3 circuits) designed for those who expect constant, high bandwidth requirements. For a mid to large size business implementing a SCM system....this will likely be your choice for infrastructure backbone (e.g. headquarters) bandwidth.

- Gigabit Ethernet is a version of Ethernet, which supports data transfer rates of 1 Gigabit (1,000 megabits) per second. Large scale deployment of SCM systems and larger organizations will likely consider this solution.

The process to determine and than find the appropriate bandwidth solution for your SCM application can be a daunting task. Use of an unbiased professional bandwidth broker will save your IT staff countless hours of effort and headaches while guiding them through the technology minefields towards the best choice for system reliability and cost. I strongly suggest you take advantage of their expertise.

For Supply Chain Management.... IT Infrastructure Is Critical

You are the weakest link - goodbye.

No business is an island, and companies working in fast-moving supply chains are expected to operate in a more joined-up way than ever before. Information is increasingly their lifeblood: modern supply chains are no longer simply about transforming raw materials into finished goods, but about sending information as quickly as possible the length and breadth of the chain. This information controls the delivery of materials, the size and timing of production runs, the particular geography in which production will occur and every detail of the distribution and delivery of goods. It is increasingly used to tune the chain to customers' real-time requirements, so that they get what they want, when and where they want it.

"The pressures now placed on any business which works within a supply chain are immense," explains Gill Hawkins, Marketing Director at Star. "In particular, large multinational companies have more and more power over those who supply them with product." Such companies play an orchestrating role within their supply chains. They are investing in IT infrastructures which facilitate the flow of information up and down the chain. "As a result," Hawkins adds, "they are enforcing increasingly high levels of IT connectivity on the people who do business with them."

The Internet is key to such connectivity. It is transforming the way in which many supply chain processes, such as purchase-ordering, are carried out. Large companies are spearheading on-line procurement initiatives, setting up on-line auctions and e-marketplaces, with which they expect suppliers to connect. They use e-mail, which is fast becoming the standard method of communication among supply chain partners. They are Web-enabling their core business systems, so that their information is available 24/7 to suppliers and customers - and they expect their suppliers to do the same. The expectations which they have of their partners' connectivity are rising daily.

The goal of today's supply chain may be the seamless, end-to-end electronic transfer of information over the Internet, but it is not yet the reality. There are numerous supply chain members without the right level of connectivity between their systems and those of their partners. Most companies will have experienced the frustration of having a supplier with a slow, unreliable e-mail system which throws a spanner into the works of their own stock-ordering process or a distributor with an inefficient, off-line logistics system which is unable to inform its customers of delivery delays.

Then, there are the partners with connectivity, but a cavalier attitude to Internet security - risking compromising the integrity and confidentiality of supply-chain information and risking bringing down their customers and suppliers' systems. Since information is so critical to today's supply chains, any company which lacks commerce-enabled business processes, supported by good Internet connections, efficient IT systems and the right attitude to security, may find itself sidelined from them.

"Most companies will have experienced the frustration of having a supplier with a slow, unreliable e-mail system or a distributor with an inefficient, off-line logistics system."

"Smaller businesses are especially vulnerable," Hawkins points out. Their significant customers are unlikely to wait for the small companies' IT infrastructure to catch up. In a global market, large companies can always find new partners which have equipped themselves with the right level of connectivity to play. If companies are to survive in the Internet enabled supply chains of the twenty-first century, they require the right IT solutions. "If businesses aren't careful, they will find themselves making the wrong decisions on IT investment, excluding them from supply chain opportunities," Hawkins remarks. "Getting the right advice when setting up and maintaining IT infrastructure is a business-critical issue," Gill adds.

"Making snap decisions internally about what software, hardware and Internet services to use is a high-risk game." "You know you've got the right IT partner," says Gill, "if it asks about your business, who your customers are and what those customers expect from you, in terms of communications technology. It should understand your business aspirations before suggesting an IT solution. That's when you can tell whether it wants you as a long-term partner, rather than a short-term revenue win."

A company may fulfil all of its customers' connectivity requirements, but still be perceived as the weakest link in the chain, if it doesn't carry its suppliers with it - helping them to adopt best practice, too. The hard fact is that if a company fails to invest in the right connectivity, it loses opportunities for not only itself, but also its suppliers and customers. No company wants to be viewed as the weakest link by its business partners, because, in today's supply chain, it can mean commercial suicide.

For assistance in finding just the right network architecture and bandwidth solution for your supply chain management application(s)....comparing multiple providers available in your specific area....we highly recommend the no cost consulting services from:

"Supply Chain Management Bandwidth Solutions"