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The manufacturing industry has been experiencing a growing complexity in the logistics of finished goods, posing significant challenges to companies seeking to reduce costs, improve efficiency, and meet the ever-changing market demands. In this article, we will examine the key trends and challenges faced by finished goods logistics in the manufacturing industry, with a focus on sustainability, process efficiency, employee and quality engagement, and digital transformation. We will also explore how data and mathematics can be leveraged to navigate these challenges, gain a competitive edge, lower costs, and improve sustainability.

Organizations that incorporate new technology into their strategies will be the ones to succeed in 2023.

Automation has made a home in the workflows of many warehouses, reducing labor costs via advanced technologies (such as robots, Internet of Things (IoT), RFID tagging, machine learning, deep learning and AI), raising the need for productive workers to oversee such technologies in the warehouse.

Despite these technological advancements, due to e-commerce fulfillment skyrocketing in recent years, the demand for warehouse workers to fulfill orders is still increasing. Moreover, processes within the warehouse are evolving as we move toward a 24/7 economy favoring direct fulfillment.

As in many sectors, the increase in labor demand is exacerbated by a shortage of workers. Many organizations still traditionally turn to contract workers to fill those gaps. However, the need for more skilled workers trained in the specific processes of the warehouse, as well as shifting labor laws make short-term contract work a less viable alternative. Instead of using contract workers as a stopgap, warehouses must find a solution for accurately predicting demand and optimizing their mix of short and long-term contracts.

Optimizing workforce management with advanced software ensures warehouse staffing is always proportional to need while giving employees the flexibility they crave and relieving managers of their manual employee scheduling burden.

In this article, we will explore everything you need to know about dynamic workforce management for warehouses. You’ll learn what it is, why you need it and how to implement it quickly to help your organization thrive throughout 2023’s volatile market.

Read further or download this article as a free E-Guide: '"he Ultimate Guide to Dynamic Workforce Management for Warehouses,'"in PDF.

April 2024

At ORTEC we are dedicated to protecting the privacy and security of our customers by handling their data securely. Through yearly independent audits we test our information security management. At the end of 2023, the auditors approved our processes again. As a result, our current ISO 27001, NEN 7510, and SOC 2 certificates are reaffirmed, indicating that we comply with the (international) standards for information security until December 2024.

Zoetermeer, The Netherlands: Today, ORTEC and HERE Technologies announced a five-year renewal of their more than 20-year strategic partnership. HERE Technologies provides location data and technology to empower ORTEC’s optimization product and services portfolio.

As consumers have changed their habits, they expect their groceries to be delivered to their doorstep just like everything else. How can retailers take up the challenge?

In the last few years, one of the terms that have dominated the retail industry is e-grocery. This is an expected development as e-commerce is growing rapidly in every industry, due to technological evolution, the frenetic pace of life of most people, and, last but not least, the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. By the term e-grocery, we essentially refer to the process of ordering groceries through an e-commerce platform and having them delivered to your doorstep. The convenience of online shopping and fast delivery have won consumers. However, the process of delivering groceries is not as straightforward as other e-commerce deliveries, as it involves a number of challenges and complexities that must be overcome. What can retailers do to ensure that the goods are delivered in a timely and efficient manner, without cutting into margins? Customized software solutions with advanced optimization technology might be the answer to all of these challenges.

As a manufacturer, you need to deliver all types of products (SKUs) with their own delivery and demand patterns to your customers, such as retailers or other manufacturers. How do you determine the right amount of each product to deliver at a specific moment in time, maximizing load utilization and minimizing handling time, while also meeting requirements like transport restrictions, demand, inventory levels, and service agreements? Add to that the added complexity of customer requirements, warehouse picking and loading strategies.

In this article, we'll explore the opportunities to create shipments with high load fill through order optimization and the significant benefits it brings. By doing so, you can revolutionize your shipping policy to your customers. Although optimizing on demand level may not be feasible for all your customers, you can start by implementing it internally for inter-company replenishments.

An article by Goos Kant, Managing Partner at ORTEC and Professor of Logistic Optimization.

Electric Vehicle (EV) sales are rapidly increasing1. This growth is expected to accelerate even further in the coming years, driven by policy initiatives, plummeting battery costs and a growing variety in models. As EV sales grow, so does the market for charging them. Most charging happens at private locations like homes and office buildings. Yet, EV owners who live in apartment buildings or have to drive long distances rely on public charge points at gas stations, shopping centers or public parking lots. However, finding the sweet spot of charge network density is a complex puzzle. Can the infrastructure keep up with EV demand?

This article is powered by Sandra Bronsvoort, Subject Matter Expert eMobility at ORTEC

February 6, 2022

Zoetermeer, The Netherlands – At ORTEC we are proud to announce that our partnership with (re)forestation organization Trees for All is extended for three years: up to and including 2025. Through this collaboration, we actively contribute to a greener and better world by compensating the residual CO2 emissions of our daily business.

Den Hartogh Logistics is a global logistics provider specializing in bulk transportation for the chemical, gas and polymer, and dry food industries. As Luke van de Bunt, Network Planning Manager and member of the Sustainability Working Group at Den Hartogh Logistics is all too aware, implementing short-term sustainability improvements in logistics can be complicated: “If the rest of the industry is not ready, making the shift can be very hard. Everyone agrees that something must be done, that we have to work together and that everyone should do their part, but someone will eventually have to go beyond words alone. Strategic sessions help to chart a general course, but at some point you have to get going."

An interview with Luke van de Bunt, Network Planning Manager and member of the Sustainability Working Group at Den Hartogh Logistics

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