Week of May 11th, 2020
Linking technology news with Dangerous Goods compliance
Business has become increasingly decentralized and organizations are having to adjust processes and supply chain operations to keep pace with this new normal. At times like these, your technical infrastructure can make all the difference.
To help companies keep a pulse on technology trends impacting business and the movement of dangerous goods throughout the supply chain, Labelmaster has launched “Supply Chain Moves,” a weekly report linking the latest technology news to dangerous goods compliance.
Let’s examine the recent supply chain technology and industry news.
TECHNOLOGY
- The Future of Supply Chain Automation: As Amazon continues to set the bar for efficiency by integrating an astounding spectrum of automation technology, it’s becoming increasingly apparent that traditional supply chain models are ripe for disruption.
- How Far Has the Digital Supply Chain Advanced?: Supply chain experts discuss how far we’ve come and how far we still have to go down the path to complete supply chain digitalization.
- Shipping Hazmat from a Home Office? Here’s How to Make it Work: With millions of workers now working from home, organizations need the right technology and processes in place to avoid supply chain disruptions.
- 7 Signs it’s Time to Automate Your Packaging Line: If you are seeing more growth than your current production can handle, it could be time to automate your packaging line.
- Digital Transformation in the Supply Chain: Digitalization is accelerating the pace of business and transforming global supply chains. Executives from ARC and SAP discuss the trends, challenges and imperatives of digital transformation in the supply chain.
3PL TECH
- The Digital Evolution of 3PL Services: Coyote Logistics, UPS, Blue Yonder and EY discuss the digital evolution and changing expectations of 3PL services.
- 2020 Technology Roundtable: Meeting Front-line Challenges: The pandemic has shifted focus to the logistics processes, software and technology tools that are helping to improve e-commerce fulfillment on the front lines.
Technology & Dangerous Goods Compliance
With millions of workers now working from home, organizations at every link of the supply chain are figuring out new processes on the fly. And, as always, dangerous goods make everything more complicated. According to Pierbridge’s Mike Graves, at times like these, your technical infrastructure can make all the difference.
While most of the men and women who work our loading docks and warehouses are still on the job, on-site, many of their managers and support teams are now working remotely at home. While the frontline people may have processes down cold for familiar shipments, new hazardous materials or situations pose a new challenge under these conditions. Key personnel need to be able to access regulatory information and communicate it to the warehouse workers or other employees who may not know something is DG or know the proper steps for packaging, labeling and shipping that particular item.
That’s where a common, cloud-based, remotely accessible platform becomes indispensable. The manager and the warehouse worker can view the same screen – with the same complete information about the same product – at the same time, so both have full confidence that the shipment will be in full compliance.
A cloud-based shipping system is also important when it comes to order fulfillment as the people and organizations on the receiving end of your shipments have been disrupted (and decentralized), too. For example, where you might have once shipped 50 laptops to one office, now you might be shipping 50 laptops to 50 people’s homes.
Graves says, “When you’re fulfilling an order, you need to ask, ‘Will someone be there? Will you be open?’ There’s a lot more thought about scheduling shipments than before. [With a cloud-based system], you have to have a common platform.”
In today’s new supply chain environment, home-office shipping solutions can help employees work from home safely, efficiently, and cost-effectively. “Centralized cloud administration and controlled access to hundreds of carrier services enable safe, efficient no-contact shipping,” Graves says. “With the right systems, you’ll say ‘look how efficient we can still be, even when we’re not all at the office.’”
To learn more about dangerous goods software or how to establish a safer, more compliant supply chain, visit https://www.labelmaster.com.
Have questions about dangerous goods transport? Call the Labelmaster Regulatory Hotline at 1.800.621.5808.
Labelmaster’s Dangerous Goods Information System (DGIS) is the leading SaaS solution to help companies more efficiently and accurately manage their Dangerous Goods shipments. DGIS validates your Dangerous Goods shipment data against the latest regulations, ensuring a more efficient supply chain and reducing friction found in Dangerous Goods shipments. DGIS is a certified partner/validation solution with ERP, transportation and warehouse management systems.
