Companies within the logistics and supply chain industries are increasing customer engagement, market and business intelligence, leads, and more by participating in social media.
Results from a previous Fronetics survey tell us that 100% of responding companies in the logistics and supply chain industries consider social media a strategic tool. So how are they using these platforms, and what benefits are they getting from participating?
Below, find some highlights from that survey.
By the way, if you’re interested in how companies in these industries are using social media, take our latest survey so that we can provide you with the latest results and trends. It takes about 3 minutes, and we’ll send you the new report once it’s completed.
Social media networks popular with the supply chain
According to the survey, the most popular networks are as follows.
YouTube (50%) and Google+ (45%) are networks which are also commonly used within the supply chain and logistics industries.
Reasons for using social media
Companies reported participating in social media for the following reasons.
Increasing the visibility of their company (95%)
Brand image (90%)
Establishing the company as a thought leader (86%)
Attracting new leads and customers (82%)
Top benefits realized from social media participation
Companies reported the following benefits.
Customer engagement: 80% of respondents reported that they agree or strongly agree that by participating in social media, their company has realized an increase in customer engagement.
Market intelligence: 80% of respondents also reported that they agree or strongly agree that their company has realized an increase in market intelligence.
Business intelligence: 73% responded that they agree or strongly agree that their company has realized increased business intelligence through participation in social media.
Other top benefits included increased leads and increased demand for products and services.
You can download the full report below for more information on how your industry peers are using social media. And don’t forget to participate in our new survey so that we can send you the latest information.
The evolution of driverless robotic vehicles continues unabated. But what will it take for them to overtake certain warehouse tasks?
A lucky few have already experienced it — the thrill of taking their hands off the steering wheel and letting the car take care of the driving. As a reporter from the Guardian rode in the driver’s seat of a multi-million euro research vehicle “Jack” by Audi on the autobahn, she observed it carried out maneuvers so smoothly “it felt like the car was participating in a courtly dance with others on the road.”
Despite such glowing reviews and the unabated evolution of driverless vehicles, Jack and many its counterparts will not be available for mass consumption for another decade or so.
AGVs and today’s warehouse
In the world of material handling, the notion of driverless has been around for 60 years since the first Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) appeared in a grocery warehouse. High-tech warehouse operations are already used to the sight of AGVs performing tasks, such as the vertical storage and retrieval of pallets and the loading and unloading of pallets onto outbound trailers.
Driverless robotic vehicles, on the other hand, have generally been assigned to low complexity and repetitive horizontal movement of materials, as well as assisted order picking that involves a high degree of machine and human interaction. Although it may sometimes sound as if driverless vehicles are about to phase out forklift drivers altogether, Toyota Material Handling, which has developed an Autopilot AGV driverless forklift range, notes in a blog post that “there is still value in human operators in an automated warehouse. Human operators are far more capable of identifying issues in the immediate environment and any problems with picking orders. The role of the human operator in an automated warehouse will be more dynamic and varied as the ‘grunt work’ is now tasked to the automated system.”
This argument echoes the challenge that makers of driverless automobiles have expressed: In order for the technology to reach the next level of effectiveness, it has to assume “human” qualities. While the driverless car comes to a complete stop at the sight of a yellow light, the human driver is more likely to speed up to beat the red light, a fact that has been blamed for a number of collisions during testing of a Google autonomous vehicle prototype.
The potential of driverless vehicles
That being said, driverless robotic vehicles hold enormous potential. In an interesting webcast on DC Velocity — which addresses the technology’s role in distribution operations that include horizontal transport and full-case picking applications — two experts tout ROI and productivity gains.
DC Velocity Senior Editor David Maloney and Marc Wulfraat, president of global supply chain and logistics consulting firm MWPVL International, estimate a three-year ROI is possible and that 20-25% productivity gains for order picking are realistic, as long as certain obstacles are overcome. For example, old legacy applications rarely integrate well with newer real-time technologies. If the two are forced together, it may happen at the expense of speedy processes, thus negating the effect of why the driverless technology was introduced in the first place.
Maloney and Wulfraat explain: “In high-density full-case picking environments (e.g., grocery distribution), an order selector can pick 175 – 200 cases/hr or one case every 18 – 20 seconds. If a 5-second delay due to system latency is introduced, then this would result in a major decrease (19 – 24%) in order selection productivity to 141 – 157 cases/hr. In a facility shipping 1 million cases/week with labor cost of $23/hour fully loaded, this would add around $1.6 M of warehouse labor expense to the operation. Clearly, this type of technology cannot add any system latency, which suppliers are working hard to guarantee.”
Another challenge arises when multiple vehicles have to pass within the same operating aisle. Considering the minimum clearance that it takes for a robotic vehicle to pass another without safety sensors bringing it to a halt could pose a problem in distribution centers with narrow aisle widths.
Still, in the big scheme such challenges pale in comparison to how far the technology has already come. When it comes to automating the horizontal transfer of products in a warehouse or distribution center, driverless robotic vehicles are undoubtedly the answer.
What do you consider to be the main challenges to full-scale adoption of driverless robotic vehicles in the warehouse or DC?
Fronetics invites you to participate in a survey on how companies in the logistics and supply chain industries use content marketing.
If there’s one thing we can say about the ever-changing B2B marketing climate, it’s just that: it’s ever-changing. Keeping pace with shifting industry trends, innovations, and challenges can be daunting. But knowledge is power when it comes to creating a vital and robust marketing strategy.
In 2014, Fronetics decided it was time to gather hard data on how logistics and supply chain companies were using modern marketing tools like content. We conducted an industry-wide survey, gathering a valuable snapshot of the marketing landscape.
Now it’s time for another look at the data. So Fronetics invites you to participate in our 2016 surveys on content use in the logistics and supply chain industries. The survey takes about 3 minutes to complete, and no personal or company data will be reported. Additionally, you can indicate your preference to receive the completed report.
Key findings from the 2014 content use report point to companies using content primarily to build brand awareness and generate leads, with blog posts being the most popular content format. While all respondents reported using content marketing for a relatively short time, the majority had already seen a positive impact on their business.
Fronetics is curious to know, two years later, about the ongoing impact of content marketing. In addition, we’d like to find out if the industry is using content in new ways. Has content use expanded? Are blogs still the most popular format? What challenges are B2B companies facing when it comes to content creation and distribution?
The answers to these and more questions can provide vital insights as you shape your company’s marketing strategy for the future. Especially when it comes to modern marketing techniques, knowledge is power.
Take the content survey by clicking on the button below. Be sure to indicate your preference to receive the results. We look forward to your responses!
The shortage of drivers paired with the continued growth of the trucking industry paves the way for driverless trucks.
This guest post comes to us from Rachel Everly, a writer for Cerasis, a top freight logistics company and truckload freight broker.
The trucking industry has been serving America for many decades, and even today it is the main method by which freight is transferred all over the country. Anyone who says the trucking industry is facing a decline or a reduced demand is way off the numbers. More large trucks are coming on U.S. roads, traveling more miles, and transporting more good than ever before.
We have seen more than 3% increases in the number of trucks, which translates to almost 11 million trucks. Also, trucks are still transporting 73% of almost all cargo weight moved in one year. With all these impressive numbers, surprisingly there is a shortage of drivers. That spells both trouble and opportunity for this industry.
Where is there a shortage of drivers?
The U.S trucking industry is facing a severe driver shortage. One estimate shows that around 48,000 drivers are required to move about 70% of freight.
To improve safety, in December 2015, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced that driver hours will be recorded via Electronic Logging Devices by 2017. This becomes mandatory by December 18, 2017. This was introduced because the existing systems of time-logging are purposely made very complicated, thus not allowing one to check how many hours is a driver on the road.
This is being introduced to ensure that driver safety is not compromised, keeping fatigued drivers off the road. According to calculations, this will save 26 lives a year and prevent 562 injuries every year. Not just this, the ELD will save companies the hassle of paperwork, eventually leading the trucking industry to save somewhere around $1 billion due to reduced paperwork and time-savings.
However, this means reduced hours per driver, thus increasing the need for more drivers. Small trucking companies will be hit the hardest, but overall the industry will be in a better position thanks to this rule. It is estimated that this new rule would cost the industry $1.8 billion, but cost savings from reduced accidents and paperwork amount in excess of $3 billion.
The way to driverless trucks
Humans are amazing creatures, but we are prone to human errors. Human errors account for the majority of the road accidents. Plus with the new rule in, companies will need more drivers, adding to costs. Uber has been actively working on getting driverless trucks on the roads, with a project already started in Singapore, and now has turned its eyes on the trucking industry.
Uber has recently acquired the start-up Otto. Otto has made great inroads into driverless trucks. Otto currently has 6 working self-driving trucks, with plans to expand to 15. This year Otto is continuously running tests; trucks are hauling random items from the company’s garage to test how the vehicles respond to hauling weight.
The company is confident that soon they will be moving all kinds of goods for shippers. They have already started forging relationships with big names in the trucking industry. The self-driving trucks have shown that they can easily operate on highways, maneuvering off the open interstate is still a work in progress.
The following infographic outlines some of the benefits of driverless trucks:
Fronetics is conducting a survey to determine the benefits and challenges of social media for companies in these industries.
Two years ago, Fronetics surveyed a number of individuals working in the logistics and supply chain industries, including those employed by manufacturing, warehousing, and transportation companies. The survey’s goal was to find out how these companies were using social media, and if they were realizing any benefits or encountering any challenges by participating.
Interestingly, 100% of respondents reported having used social media for 5 years or less. Despite this relatively short implementation period, the majority (68%) said that their companies had already realized benefits from participation — primarily increased engagement with customers, increased market intelligence, and increased business intelligence.
As things go in the technology space these days, social media looks quite different than it did two years ago. What’s more, companies in these industries have, presumably, been using these tools for longer. Have a better understanding of social platforms and more opportunities for businesses impacted the benefit to users?
Fronentics is conducting a new survey to find out. We invite individuals working in the warehousing, manufacturing, and transportation industries — or those in other supply chain and logistics fields — to participate.
The survey takes about 3 minutes to complete. Responses will be reported in aggregate, and no identifiable information (individual or company) will be shared.
We look forward to hearing about your experience with social media!
An upcoming webinar series will help your business improve its ability to attract, hire and retain top supply chain talent.
This guest post comes from SCM Talent Group, a national supply chain recruiting and executive search firm.
The supply chain discipline has been experiencing a talent shortage that many experts in the field are predicting will only get worse, before it gets better. Baby boomers are retiring rapidly, while the number of qualified candidates coming up through the ranks aren’t enough to close the gap. While macro-level solutions have been implemented, such as the expansion of university supply chain programs, it will most likely take years before any significant progress is made.
A new webinar series, presented by SCM Talent Group, is centered around the talent aspects of the supply chain discipline. The purpose of this series is to provide low-cost, high-impact solutions and advice that employers, hiring managers, and HR partners can implement in efforts to improve their abilities in attracting, hiring, and retaining top supply chain talent.
The first webinar, “Strategies for Sourcing & Recruiting Top Supply Chain Talent,” will take place on November 10th from 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. EST. Participants will learn how to optimize their supply chain recruiting program and processes around industry best practices and discover creative sources and strategies for attracting and hiring candidates for their supply chain job openings.
Future webinars will take place regularly, and cover various aspects of supply chain talent acquisition and talent development, such as:
Create an Employee Referral Program that Drives Results
How to Craft Job Descriptions that Attract Top Supply Chain Talent
Top Employer Branding and Candidate Attraction Strategies
How to Develop a Winning Supply Chain Leadership Development Program
Rodney Apple, founder and president of SCM Talent Group who also serves as the career coach for APICS, will lead these solution-oriented webinars, which will occasionally feature guest speakers.
Through his almost two-decade career in both corporate and executive search environments, Apple has experienced an assortment of supply chain talent acquisition and talent development programs. He will provide informative best practices with the goal of helping employers overcome hiring challenges created by the supply chain talent gap.
