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March 28, 2005 |
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Sponsored by:
This issue of O&F Weekly is sponsored by Ecometry.
WHY CHOOSE ECOMETRY
- Single view of a company's Sales, Inventory,Warehousing, Fulfillment
and Accounting transactions
- Fully integrated, open architecture
- Real-Time, operational application automates back and front-end
functions
- Industry leader with over 420 installations and in business since
1988
- Processes 100-400,000 orders per day
Call or visit ecometrysystems.com
Small Shipper Group
Backs Highway Bill, Opposes Fuel Surcharge
By Rama Ramaswami
The nation's highway infrastructure needs funds, but
mandatory fuel surcharges won't work in a deregulated trucking business,
says the National Small Shipments Traffic Conference (NASSTRAC). The
group supports the new Highway Bill (H.R.3) but not a provision in it
that mandates fuel surcharges in contracts between truckload motor
carriers, brokers, and freight forwarders and their shipper
customers.
The provision mandates a fuel surcharge in truckload (TL) contracts
based on costs exceeding a "benchmark price" for diesel of $1.10 per
gallon. The surcharge may be collected based on mileage, on a percentage
of the rate, "or in any other manner the motor carrier, broker, or
freight forwarder elects." The surcharge would end when the cost of
diesel fell to $1.15 or less. No provision is available for indexing,
and the surcharge could end up being permanent.
NASSTRAC does not oppose voluntary fuel surcharges, and many NASSTRAC
members have agreed to such provisions in their contracts. The fuel
surcharge provision does not apply to existing TL contracts that provide
for surcharges or adjustments, but will apply to all future contracts.
NASSTRAC's position is that fuel costs are a cost of doing business and
that the method of recovering increases in these costs from shippers is
best decided through private negotiations in the marketplace. For more
information, contact Brian Everett, executive director of NASSTRAC, at
(952) 442-8850, ext. 201, or visit www.nasstrac.org.
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Reversal of Fortune: Oracle Wins Retek
War
By Jeff Morris
In the thrilling conclusion to the enterprise software
bidding war we reported on last week, Oracle Corp. announced it had
reached an agreement to acquire Retek Inc. for $631 million, or $11.25 a
share. Apparently, German rival SAP found the price for the maker of
retail-management software too expensive. SAP confirmed it would not
make a third offer for the company. The month-long takeover battle
between the software giants had fueled a 91% rally in Retek shares.
According to MarketWatch, many retailers, loath to make heavy
investments in software because of their thin profit margins,
traditionally have built their own software applications. But as they
look to keep pace with giant retailers like Wal-Mart, retail chains are
updating their technology to better manage inventory. The proliferation
of inventory management systems based on RFID is generating massive
amounts of computer data to be stored and managed, boosting the market
for retail software. The market opportunity for retail software could be
worth more than $10 billion annually.
Oracle's latest move could hinder SAP, Europe's largest software
concern, from gaining a stronger footing in the United States, the
world's largest software market. Some analysts said Oracle's triumph
could set back SAP's plans in the North American market for retail
software by several years. An SAP statement said that the retail sector
remains "strategically important," but noted it intends "to continue to
exercise financial discipline in merger and acquisition transactions."
SAP may look for alternative targets to bolster its retail offering; one
broker cited privately-held Evant as a possibility.
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Sponsored
by:
This issue of O&F Weekly is sponsored by Manhattan
Associates.
Wondering how you can streamline operations,
reduce logistics costs and improve customer service -- all at the same
time?
Let Manhattan Associates show you how. Sign up for our free Web Seminars
on topics like warehousing, transportation and RFID. Or make an
appointment make an
appointment to talk with us at NCOF, April 3-6.
Early to File, Early to Pay
Down Debt
By Jeff Morris
With consumer debt at record levels, many consumers are
looking to try to pay down what they owe using tax refunds. A new survey
conducted for the National Retail Federation by BIGresearch indicates
that half of those who expect a tax refund plan to use the check to pay
down debt (49.9%), and that only one in seven consumers (13.7%) plan to
wait until April to file their taxes this year, with most of them
(64.5%) having filed in January or February. The NRF 2005 Tax Returns
Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey also found that more than
two-thirds of consumers (67.3%), or 147.7 million people, expect to
receive a tax refund this year. (The tax returns estimate reflects the
approximate number of people who will be filing taxes; however, it does
not take into account joint filings, so it does not estimate the number
of tax returns.)
The survey, conducted among 6,366 consumers from February 2-9, also
showed that more than a third hope to put some of the money into savings
(39.0%). Some consumers also plan to use a portion of their refund for:
-- Everyday expenses (24.1%)
-- Vacation (13.4%)
-- A major purchase (9.1%)
-- Young adults are the most likely to plan to pay down debt, with 59.6%
of 18-24 year-olds planning to use a portion of their return to pay down
credit cards and other debts, up 8.9 points over last year.
Men and women express similar desires to use their refund to pay down
debt and put money into savings; however,
-- One in six men (15.1%) plan to use part of their tax refund to go on
vacation
-- Women are almost twice as likely as men to use some of their refund
on a major purchase (11.5% vs. 6.5%)
The IRS announced that the average tax return as of March 19 was $2,259,
up 6.2% from $2,128 at the same time last year.
For more information on NRF, contact Ellen Tolley or Scott Krugman at
(202) 783-7971, tolleye@nrf.com or
krugmans@nrf.com, or visit www.nrf.com.
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Intermec and Symbol Fight
Patent Wars
By Rama Ramaswami
If you were absorbed by the Oracle-SAP battle for
Retek--and are sorry that it ended--here's more technology drama for
those rainy afternoons. Automated data capture pioneer Intermec
Technologies Corp. last week filed suit against Symbol Technologies,
charging the latter with infringement of Intermec intellectual property.
The lawsuit alleges that Symbol products infringe six Intermec patents
related to wireless, terminal, and software technologies.
The patents cover the following products: a coherent, integrated
wireless data capture system capable of distributing data over a
network; portable, battery-powered data-processing devices capable of
running a multi-tasking operating system; and handheld portable data
capture devices with graphical user interfaces (GUI), the ability to
accept handwritten information, and the ability to process that
information. Intermec is seeking damages and a permanent injunction to
prohibit further infringement of its patents.
According to Intermec, earlier in March Symbol had abruptly breached a
supply contract with Intermec for laser scan engines. In addition to its
patent infringement suit, Intermec has filed responses to the earlier
Symbol claim, denying that Symbol had the legal right to end the laser
scan engine supply agreement and asserting that Symbol wrongfully
terminated that agreement. Fortunately (but unfortunately for us
soap-opera buffs), customers won't be affected. Intermec says patent
disputes of this type are typically resolved through negotiations
between manufacturers, without involving end users. For more
information, visit www.intermec.com or call (800)
347-2636.
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Sponsored
by:
April 4-6, 2005
Pre-Conference: April 3rd
Exhibits: April 4-5
Gaylord Texan Resort - Grapevine, TX
www.ncof.com
The Conference Exclusively for Direct-to-Customer Operations &
Fulfillment Management
Information, Solutions, and Networking You Won't find Anywhere Else
It's not too late to register!
What Are You Waiting For? Register Today ...it's only
once-a-year!
Online: ncof.com; FAX: 330-963-0319; Call 330-425-9330 for more
information.
Be Sure to Use Priority Code OF3 when you register.
Co-presented by O+F Magazine and The DMA
RFID In The News:
International Paper Introduces RFID-Enabled Forklift
By Rama Ramaswami
RFID just became portable. International Paper's Smart
Packaging division has made its RFID-enabled lift truck commercially
available. Developed two years ago and deployed in-house at IP's paper
mill in Texarkana, TX, the lift truck has since successfully captured
five million electronic product code reads. "We now offer the forklift
as a product line extension for use with palletized products," says
Scott Andersen, technical director for International Paper's Smart
Packaging business. "The forklift reads electronic product code pallet
tags and tracks every warehouse product movement. Our forklift solution
combines the use of RFID to identify the pallet contents with the use of
RFID and other proprietary technologies to monitor and report the
location and condition of the forklift in real time."
According to International Paper, its latest RFID solution will
integrate with any existing system and can be installed on any forklift.
It can also potentially serve as a less expensive alternative to
warehouse RFID deployments. Customers wanting to improve their inventory
accuracy, reduce lost shipments, and increase overall supply chain
efficiency can do so with IP's RFID forklifts and eliminate the need for
RFID portals at every dock door. The IP forklift has the capability to
identify and track product on board the forklift from loading to
unloading. With an automated shipping and receiving process, forklift
operators can focus on driving the trucks and improving their
productivity instead of manually scanning bar codes. For more
information, visit www.ipsmartpackaging.com.
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Special Message To Our
Readers
This marks the final issue of the O+F Weekly Update. The
O+F Advisor will continue to publish on Wednesdays, under the watchful
eye of Rama Ramaswami.
A fond farewell to all our loyal readers from Barbara Arnn and Jeff
Morris.
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Upcoming Events
Dates: Through May 13, 2005 (see below)
Event: Fridays with Frazelle Logistics Webinar Series,
11:30 am-1:30 pm EST
Location: Online
--Logistics Organization, Design, and Development - April 1
--Global Logistics - April 15
--Logistics Activity Profiling and Data Mining - May 13
In addition, onsite courses are offered at the Georgia Tech Global
Learning & Conference Center in Atlanta.
Information: (404) 894-2343; www.tli.gatech.edu
Registration: (404) 385-3500; www.pe.gatech.edu
Dates: Through May 27, 2005 (see below) 8:00am-4:00pm
Event: Advanced Supply Chain Management Certification Professional
Development Program
Location: John Cook School of Business,
St. Louis University, St. Louis, MO
--Managing Transportation and Warehousing Operations - April 28 &
29
--Lean Principles and Research Project Presentation - May 26 & 27
Information: Claudette Jenkins, (314) 977-3617; jenkinc@slu.edu; cscms.clu.edu
Date: March 29-30, 2005
Event: The Call Center School Fundamentals of Call Center
Supervision two-day seminar
Location: Micro-Tek Training Center, Atlanta
and will also be delivered:
June 14-15, Chicago
September 13-14, Las Vegas
October 25-26, Dallas
Information: www.thecallcenterschool.com/coachingdetailedoutline.htm
Date: April 4-6, 2005
Event: Operations & Fulfillment presents
National Conference on Operations and
Fulfillment/NCOF
Location: Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center,
Grapevine, TX
Information: www.ncof.com
Date: April 6-10, 2005
Event: RESPONSE Annual User Group Conference & Exhibition
Location: Sheraton Safari, Orlando
Information: www.colinear.com
Date: April 17-21, 2005
Event: Customer Contact 2005: A Frost & Sullivan Executive
Summit
Location: Sanibel Harbour Resort & Spa, Florida
Information: (877) 463-7678; executivesummits@frost.com
Date: April 18-21, 2005
Event: MFSA/NAPL Fulfillment Conference
Location: Marriott Key Center, Cleveland, OH
Information: (800) 333-6272; tquinn@MFSAnet.org.
Date: April 21-22, 2005
Event: CSCMP's 2005 European Conference, Coping With Market Dynamics
in Global Supply Chains, a European Perspective
Location: Renaissance Amsterdam Hotel, Amsterdam,
Netherlands
Information: (630) 574-0985 ext.320; CSCMPseminars@cscmp.org; www.cscmp.org
Date: May 1-5, 2005
Event: Warehousing Education and Research Council's 28th Annual
Conference
Location: Adam's Mark Hotel, Dallas
Information: (630) 990-0001; www.werc.org
Date: May 24, 2005
Event: Supply Chain Execution Systems & Technologies Seminar
presented by The Supply Chain Execution Systems & Technology Group (SCE)
of the Material Handling Industry of America (MHIA)
Location: Adam's Mark Indianapolis Airport, Indianapolis
Information: www.www.mhia.org/sceseminars/indianapolis05.com
Date: May 24-26, 2005
Event: The MIX (Merchandising, Innovation & Xcellence) Summit
co-located with Retail Systems 2005
Location: McCormick Place, Chicago
Information: Sarah Abbott, Retail Systems Alert Group, (617) 527-4626
x117; www.retailsystems.com
Date: November 2-4, 2005
Event: ID WORLD International Congress, the annual conference and
exhibition on advanced automatic identification technology
Location: Aurelia Convention Centre & Expo, Rome, Italy
Information: www.idworldonline.com
Back to Top ^
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