Essay Instructions: For this case you should really try to have some fun with the readings and additional research to discuss all the wonderful progress going on with respect to technology advances and how they improve the efficiency of global logistics. After you have read all the background articles and other more up-to-date references, write a 3-4 page paper discussing the following topic:
How can technology improve the management of global logistics? Be specific with examples.
Assignment Expectations
Research the topic with information from the background readings as well as any other resources you find on your own. The paper should be 3-4 pages in length and have a cover sheet and a reference page. Clarity of presentation is important, as well as your ability to cover the topic in a succinct, organized manner with research to back up your points. Use at least 3 different sources of information and annotate your sources of information appropriately on your references page and within the text as necessary. You will be assessed on how well you develop this case and demonstrate your understanding of the tremendous impact that technology has on supply chain efficiency. Submit your assignment for grading by the end of this module.
Background:
The following information will give you a good background on how technology is improving the efficiency of logistics. Read the articles linked below to assist you with completing the assignments for this module. Since technology is changing at such a rapid pace, you should also do additional searches and find some very recent articles to support your case write-up and SLP paper as they relate to your specific arguments.
This article looks at some of the challenges of trying to read hidden bar codes and what is being done to improve this capability:
Albright, Brian, 2002, New technology reads 'hidden' bar codes. Frontline Solutions,3(12):47-49.
Abstract: New methods of reading bar codes through paint and other materials - developed by researchers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center - could help solve the problems that some companies face when marked items and parts are covered with paint and other coatings. That ability to read hidden bar codes (and other marks) is particularly critical in industries such as automotive, aerospace and defense, which are initiating direct-part marking programs in order to improve inventory management and to aid in recalls when defects are discovered. The NASA technology effort, now known as the Read Through Paint Project, grew out of NASA's efforts to develop a better way to mark and track parts during the 1980s and 1990s. Researchers came up with five methods of reading hidden codes - magneto-optic, ultrasound, infrared imaging, capacitance and radar - but are initially focusing their efforts on magneto-optic and ultrasound.
Here is an article that discusses staying connected by wireless technology and how it is being used in logistics. It gets a little technical near the end but it gives you a good idea of how this technology can by used.
Teschler, Leland, 2002, Networks in motion. Machine Design, 74(21):58-60.
Abstract: Industrial transactions that today employ wireless Ethernet are largely limited to simple data logging and tracking. But new capabilities promise to make it feasible to expand both the kind of information that wireless networks carry and the distance over which they work. One development in this category comes from telecom vendor Nokia and Opto 22. The idea is to make a cell-phone call to the remotely located Snap I/O panel in situations where a point-to-point RF link is impractical. Among the supply-chain applications envisioned or the new capability is vendor-managed inventory. D-Link Systems Inc. devised what is being called the first dual-radio, 2.4-GHz/5-GHz wireless router. It can simultaneously handle 802.11 a wireless traffic at 54 Mbits/sec, 802.11 at 11 Mbits/sec, and 802.11 b at 22 Mbits/sec.
Here is a good article that gives you an idea of how wireless technology is benefiting the trucking industry:
McCarthy, Jack, 2002, The wireless road taken. InfoWorld, 24(47): 38-40.
Abstract: Leading IT executives in the trucking and delivery industry are pushing a new wireless strategy as they equip their drivers and vehicles with a range of devices to refine their delivery management systems and drive profits. The affordable costs of implementing wireless systems, from GPS-loaded sensors to robust information input devices that can integrate with logistics planning back at headquarters, has made technology for trucking an area of growth and innovation. IT executives at companies with scores of daily pickup and delivery tasks are implementing new wireless devices that give their drivers much more leeway to make decisions and disseminate information during their schedules. As a result, the companies are seeing significant improvements in the efficiency of their logistics management systems.
This article should be particularly helpful for the case assignment:
Cross, C. S., (2007). Everything but the kitchen. Industrial Engineer, Norcross, 39(4), 32-38.
Abstract: Bob Howard, VP of operations, US Foodservice distribution center in Topeka, KN, uses knowledge akin to that of a food scientist to marshal his staff. He retains more information in a day than most graduates do of a full college course. For an entire month last year, the US experienced the spinach scare, instigated by an E. coli outbreak connected to bags of the leafy green vegetable. All of the US Foodservice's in-house supply was put on hold and segregated, says Howard. Once the in-house supply was accounted for and isolated from other produce, Howard's recall team sprang to the task of tracking all the packaged spinach and ready meals that contained the potentially dangerous portions. Meanwhile, Howard notes that use of a new voice-directed handling technology at the Topeka branch has improved staff morale because components are lighter than other types of wearable computers, and the supervisory tracking components nudge employees to be more time-sensitive, diligent, and mindful of their progress