Welcome to the 1st November Warehouse & Logistics News. As the clocks go back and the leaves fall, it’s heads down to Christmas in warehouses and distribution hubs around the country. Meanwhile management teams across industry are kept busy juggling the job of running their warehousing and logistics operations from day to day with the equally crucial task of working out what equipment and solutions they need to maximise their operational performance next year and beyond.
To help you make your business decisions, in this issue we have features on Pallet Networks, Warehouse Flooring and Conveying & Sortation. Pallet Networks looks at the major European, UK and regional pallet networks; Warehouse Flooring includes floor preparation, maintenance, mezzanines and area markings; and in Conveying & Sortation we look at Automated materials handling equipment and IT solutions.
Five years on from the dark hours of the 2008 financial crisis, it brightens the working mood to hear that UK unemployment and economic output are improving faster than expected, according to the Bank of England’s policymakers. The October meeting of the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee concluded that prospects for the rest of 2013 now look better than previously forecast in August.
Accurate business information doesn’t have to cost a fortune. As reported on our front page, SaaS (Software as a Service) WMS providers Snapfulfil offer a fully featured WMS package delivered as a managed service, interfacing easily with existing ERP systems and producing results from day 1 in terms of knowledge and functionality and enhancing the control provided by the ERP. Driving cost reduction through improved efficiency, Snapfulfil’s WMS managed service also helps the balance sheet and cashflow with no need for capital expenditure. All the RF hardware, infrastructure, implementation and training, along with the software licence are included on one monthly payment, based on the number of users. The solution can be funded directly from revenue, and once ‘live’ and delivering savings, it becomes effectively self-funding, a departure from traditional software acquisitions.
Last but not least, as we went to press the sad news was announced of the death of Neil Moore. As part of the Bird & Moore agency, for many years Neil looked after the trade PR and advertising for various industrial clients including Easilift and Thorworld. After Neil became ill and was having treatment he carried on working for some considerable time, and his quiet courage will be remembered as an inspiration to the rest of us. We wish his family well.
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