The closer packaging facilities are to manufacturing operations, distribution centers, or end destinations, the more cost effectively you can transport products.

Henry Philips, CEO of HAVA Logistics Inc.

SEKO’s solution was to implement a full distribution service for Cath Kidston with product dispatches twice weekly to all 27 stores across eight regions. SEKO shipped 370,000 units of stock from its Hong Kong DC in the lead-up to the reopening of the stores, using dedicated vehicles to fully stock each store within a 24-hour window. To eliminate any delays, SEKO also installed x-ray equipment to meet Japan’s strict quality control requirements.

With every store opening its doors to the public on time, Cath Kidston called on SEKO’s support again for the opening of a further two stores in Japan, with both ready for the Spring-Summer 2016 product preview. Japan is now Cath Kidston’s biggest market outside of the UK. The relationship is set to continue with more new stores in the pipeline.

Supply chain and omnichannel commerce solutions provider Manhattan Associates released a solution that gives retailers new insight into individual shopping experiences to provide improved, personalized service. 

Thomas Flein

Logility, a provider of retail planning and collaborative supply chain optimization solutions, unveiled Dynamic Allocation and Replenishment, a new capability within Logility Voyager Retail Optimization. Retailers with multiple distribution centers can now automatically allocate and replenish merchandise to each store location or channel from any combination of distribution centers to boost inventory velocity and support each location’s ability to meet financial plans.

Supply chain and omnichannel commerce solutions provider Manhattan Associates released a solution that gives retailers new insight into individual shopping experiences to provide improved, personalized service. Part of the Manhattan Active Omni platform, Manhattan Customer Engagement connects customer conversations on social media platforms with real-time order information. It combines unstructured data from customer conversations with structured order information to allow retailers to make instant service improvements.

We’re seeing the industry change from a settlement service into a data intelligence service. Customers are more sophisticated and want to leverage the data obtained during the freight audit process to gain insight into their transportation spending and effectiveness, and make better strategic decisions.

Shannon Vaillancourt, president of RateLinx, a provider of intelligent freight audit and payment solution

After Moovit Launches 12 Charter Flights wee need more give attention to FBAP. Many FBAP providers today offer products and services that go beyond traditional freight audit and payment offerings. These often include transportation management solutions and analytical tools that allow customers to better manage their global supply chains. At the same time, expectations for more timely reporting continue to rise.

The growth of e-commerce also is changing the FBAP industry. With more consumers buying online, a growing portion of shipments are small parcels. “The increase in small parcel and package shipments creates a substantial amount of data, which must be captured for reporting and mining,” says Allan Miner, president of CT Logistics, a provider of FBAP services. “Final-mile costs and details add significant data and information for reporting and measuring carrier performance.” Freight bill audit and payment service providers can capture and leverage this information.