Kaizen methods can help continually improve produce cold chain processes, starting by addressing low-hanging fruit problems and then progressing to ever more advanced practices. Knowledge-based systems can provide situational awareness and help workers make smarter, data-driven decisions in real-time, taking into account changing circumstances on the ground, such as expected field harvesting rate/timing, pre-cooler capacity and queue length, and projected reefer truck arrivals, departures, and capacity.
Industry
Industry-specific categories.
Achieving Consistent Produce Quality—Part One
There is an opportunity to substantially improve the consistency of produce quality and shelf life by adopting modern process disciplines and quality management techniques. The produce industry can learn from successful manufacturers who have, for decades, used statistical process control and related process disciplines to continually reduce process variation, minimizing waste and reliably creating consistent products conforming to precise specifications.
Pallet-level Monitoring – Part One
Pallet-level monitoring enables a more intelligent approach to distribution—Intelligent distribution and FEFO inventory management (First Expired, First Out)—as well as providing the data needed to optimize end-to-end processes for maximum shelf life. Implementing these approaches can cut losses in half for retailers and growers.
Green Hydrogen’s Role in Enabling Zero-Emissions Transportation – Part One
Hydrogen is likely to play a key role as we transition to low/zero-emissions transport. While battery-powered vehicles dominate in cars and light trucks, it will be a different story for ocean-faring ships and possibly for long-haul trucks and trains, where the unique advantages of hydrogen-derived fuels are more important.
Last Mile Delivery Excellence – Part Two: Simplicity, Efficiency, Profitability
Perfecting the customer’s last mile delivery experience can be achieved by reducing logistics complexity and increasing efficiency, while controlling costs.
ChatGPT, What’s It Good For?
There’s so much buzz about Chatbots right now. Is this a dangerous road or a high-value tool? Do Chatbots have a place in supply chain applications? We explore the controversies, the technology, and potential applications and abuses of chatbots.
The Value of Foresight: Generating Value Through Integrated Predictive Maintenance
A holistic, integrated approach to predictive maintenance incorporates data, systems, and human expertise from various functions including engineering, manufacturing, field service, logistics, supply chain, HR, finance, and maintenance.
Direct Materials P2P—Part Three
Freshness Wars — Part Three: Leveraging the Cloud to Improve Freshness
Direct Materials P2P—Part Two
In our research on direct materials Procure-to-Pay (P2P) processes, we saw tremendous variation between industries or types of companies regarding how they execute P2P. One major difference is the level of ‘relationship-intensity’ for P2P processes, i.e., how much person-to-person negotiation and dialog is required at each stage of P2P for each industry.
Freshness Wars — Part Two: Challenges and Solutions for Improving Freshness
Maintaining freshness of produce and other fresh products is challenging for grocers and their suppliers. Here we discuss why, and how some of these challenges can be solved.