Delivering Quality Logistics Information Since 1947
January 1st, 2009 — Innovation, Issue 14 January 2009
Forecasting methods know tomorrow’s demand today
On some days there is just metal on the shelves. A few days later the cash counter rings briskly. Department managers, who can account for each item on their product range weeks in advance, are faced with neither over stocking nor unavailability of stock.
December 1st, 2008 — Innovation, Issue 13 December 2008
RFID is being incorporated in a variety of industries showing just how versatile the technology is.
From its wide use on toll ways, to its extensive use in libraries to track, borrow and return books, to tracking products, improving visibility and also reducing inventory in the fashion industry, RFID is the technology of today and the future.
At the recent Arab-RFID 2008 conference, delegates from a variety of industries converged to share information about how RFID was being used in their respective fields to yield significant benefit and enhance overall effectiveness.
December 1st, 2008 — Innovation, Issue 13 December 2008
The Emirates Group software division is softening up to cargo
Duncan Alexander, Vice President, Mercator
Who would have thought that one day international companies would be using software developed in the Middle East? Innovation coming out of this region, and copied in others, after all, is mostly unheard of. This is not the case, however, for Mercator, the software arm of the Emirates Group, which is marketing its developments to airlines around the world.
November 1st, 2008 — Innovation, Issue 12 November 2008
The region is out-doing itself to be the best in every way possible. Airports play a large role in attaining that position. So what exactly is going on?
The region’s airports are something to watch
These days, the GCC is getting downright dusty. Ever notice how the sky just refuses to be blue, preferring rather an opaque haziness? Some attribute all this dust in the air to “construction induced pollution”. This, they say, is the price of progress. Dubai is no exception, as the colossal undertaking of building the Al Maktoum International Airport is certainly swirling up dust and sand particles. Rather than look to bluer skies, we decided to check out all the new airport construction in the region, to see what’s happening.
October 1st, 2008 — Innovation, Issue 11 October 2008
Forget handbags and shoes. The industry is abloom with stylish material handling equipment. LOC8, Span and FAMCO share their hottest products with us
MINI ME The Mini Rack is a lower cost alternative to pallet racking for heavy and bulky items which are non-palletised and can be hand loaded.
Available at LOC8, 800-LOC8 (5628), +9714 368 1565
September 1st, 2008 — Innovation, Issue 10 September 2008
From top-down to bottom-up, Grand Mills for Flour & Feed Company is harvesting the benefits of a new supply chain
Syed Wajihuddin, Supply Chain & Logistics Manager and Senior Sales Manager, Grand Mills for Flour & Feed Co
If flour and water are two of man’s most basic needs, imagine the demand for these products in the booming UAE market. Perhaps this is the reason for Emirates Foodstuff and Mineral Water Company’s (Agthia’s) financial high. In the quarter ending March 31, 2008, for example, the Abu Dhabi-based entity which includes Al Ain Mineral Water and Grand Mills for Flour & Feed, reported an increase in net revenue of 41 per cent and growth in profits of 104 per cent compared to the same quarter of the previous year.
September 1st, 2008 — Innovation, Issue 10 September 2008
In terms of gross tonnage, efficiency and marketplace importance, it’s hard to top today’s container cranes
Moving millions of tonnes of goods daily, container cranes remain an integral part of global commerce. These massive structures efficiently and effectively load and unload roughly 90 per cent of the world’s shipped goods, in an almost robotic fashion. Operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week, these colossal cranes offer little in subtlety or wastefulness, moving on average 25 to 30 TEU containers an hour, with very little downtime.
September 1st, 2008 — Innovation, Issue 10 September 2008
If 75 per cent of empty containers were foldable by 2010, it would amount to an estimated 50 per cent reduction in ship cargo movement costs
In an age when the whole world is screaming ‘green’ and energy conservation is the order of the day, the benefits of a foldable container need little elaboration. Prof. Anoop Chawla and Prof. Sudipto Mukherjee from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi – Department of Mechanical Engineering, have successfully designed a container that folds to a fourth of its size. Avinder Bindra, an ex-banker, initiated the invention.
July 1st, 2008 — Innovation, Issue 9 July/Aug 2008
Managing the supply chain for any product is a formidable task. What, then, would the procedure be like for a company that manufactures pastries, cakes and ice creams? In this case study by Psion Teklogix, the focus is on these perishable products
Founded in Milan, Italy in 1946, Bindi is world renowned for its imaginative ice creams, cakes and desserts. Over the years, traditional skills and original recipes have been combined with modern production techniques to ensure consistent, high quality products for their customers. Bindi is the prestige brand of the Society of Italian Alimentary Producers (S.I.P.A). The company produces roughly 35,000 pastries per day. It supplies 180 concessions, provides other companies with products for branding, as well as selling directly to the final consumer via its own stores.
July 1st, 2008 — Innovation, Issue 9 July/Aug 2008
Diversification is the order of the day in the UAE. The latest project aiming in this direction is the Abu Dhabi Polymers Park, the UAE’s first industrial cluster committed to the plastic conversion industry
Left: Abdullah Al Darmaki, Vice President, Petrochemicals at ADBIC Right: Abu Dhabi Polymers Park Model
