Celebrating its 10th year in business, Apex Supply Chain Technologies® deployed a record number of automated dispensing systems for companies throughout the EU, with the intralogistics and logistics sectors in particular, to create innovative solutions to operational challenges.

Apex technology is an example of Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things (IoT) in action. These new trends can initially seem overwhelming, out of reach or perhaps impractical for the more manual and lowtech processes within the supply chain, but Apex demonstrates otherwise.

Technology Innovation Requires Human Collaboration

To help our customers innovate, we collaborate closely with them. Through this collaboration, we’ve recognised high-value opportunities for process improvement in areas our customers have yet to consider.

In logistics, this tends to be the management of handheld devices, including scanners. Using our self-serve locker systems, companies are automating this traditionally manual, inefficient and expensive process. Our customers can now easily manage, track and control high-cost equipment like handheld scanners, or even tools. And they have real-time visibility of equipment status and usage patterns through our cloud-based, inventory management platform, Trajectory Cloud™.

Ongoing Investments in Innovation

Addressing these unmet, even unidentified, customer needs drives innovation programmes that are a focus far beyond 2016 and 2017. Innovation is literally a practice within our company, led by our chief innovation officer. We also have more than 150 engineers researching and developing new solutions to find how our technology can meet the future needs of the logistics sector.

Our investments will continue as innovation inspired the founding of our company in 2006 and underlies our success to date. We will also continue our expansion across the EU, which started in 2011. As the demand for our solutions continued to increase, Apex further expanded its sales presence in France and Poland in 2016, with the support of our offices in the UK, Germany and our global headquarters in the USA.

Automation Technology Extending Beyond Logistics

Apex automated dispensing technology is helping companies expand their continuous improvement programmes to yield operational improvements. And we predict the logistics sector will collaborate even more with suppliers and partners in 2017 as a result.

This demand will extend to a variety of applications, including inventory replenishment and industrial vending of consumables for MRO and PPE. And as consumer demand for convenience continues to increase, automated lockers for click and collect applications in retail and restaurants will ensure this technology will continue to be applied to front of and back of the house processes.

Whether it’s our 2016 success, the coming year’s opportunities or beyond, the common thread is collaboration between great customers and great employees. It ensures we can innovate to stay ahead of customer needs. In fact, we’re already working on technology and solutions to help the supply chain of the future. By Julian Adams, Managing Director at Apex Supply Chain Technologies.

APEX

0800 840 4776

info.eu@apexsupplychain.com

www.ApexSupplyChain.com

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