Blue Yonder, the digital supply chain transformation solutions provider, has released the findings of its first European Consumer Retail Returns Survey, which examines how consumers across the continent are experiencing and reacting to increasingly stringent returns policies.

GreyOrange Inc. has introduced SoftFence, a virtual shielding technology from its retail software as a service (SaaS) platform, gStore. Designed to enhance store execution through real-time inventory management and intelligent tasking, gStore is already trusted for implementing over 250 overhead RFID-enabled stores, which is a global first.

Rituals, the wellbeing beauty brand, has selected RELEX Solutions, provider of unified supply chain and retail planning solutions to deliver comprehensive, end-to-end supply chain optimisation capabilities.

It has recently emerged that consumer habits amongst Gen Z are changing, with many now turning to social media for retail therapy. Weighing in on this growing phenomenon of social media shopping, Nick Drewe, founder of the online discount platform Wethrift, offers his insights:

Descartes Systems Group has released findings from its 2024 Home Delivery Sustainability Report: The Environmentally Conscious Consumer Under Pressure survey, which examined online consumer sentiment of retailers’ sustainability practices around their delivery operations.

It is becoming increasingly difficult for brands to cut through the noise of the loud marketing trends and tactics nowadays, and to truly connect with the right people. Consumers want more than just a great product – they want experiences that surprise, delight, and feel personal - that’s where the power of unexpected brand partnerships comes in.

The team at fulfilmentcrowd – a global fulfilment provider, driven by technology, for high growth omnichannel brands - shares common pain points for retailers as peak season approaches, offering advice on how retailers can salvage a bad peak, including considerations for switching fulfilment provider during mid-season.

By Philipp Pfister, Chief Customer Experience Officer at Transporeon (a Trimble company)

There’s no denying that the transport sector is a prominent cog across most global industries. As the saying goes, “There is no production without procurement logistics, and no trade without delivery traffic.”

A silent crisis of ‘serial returns’ is eroding retail profit margins as uncovered in the Annual Returns Benchmark Report 2024* conducted by returns specialist ZigZag, in partnership with Retail Economics, accounting for 1 in 10 (11% of) online shoppers that make returns, are generating a quarter (24%) of all online non-food returns.

22 October 2024 – Established trims, packaging, RFID*, and variable data solutions provider Trimco Group announces the launch of its exclusive new FSC™-certified (FSC C137962) and plastic-free RAIN RFID inlay** series – Trimco Group PaperMark. The inlays replace the PET substrate usually used in the RFID inlays with an FSC-certified paper substrate.

As we look ahead to the next year, retailers are focusing on strategic priorities that leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance operational efficiency and elevate customer satisfaction as Rory O’Connor, founder & CEO of Scurri, explains.

Quadient (Euronext: QDT), a global automation platform powering secure and sustainable business connections, has partnered with Co-op in the UK to deliver further parcel locker growth and added convenience to its communities.

A survey by workplace expert Acas has found that 20% of workers in manufacturing believe women do not get paid as much as men at their organisation.

The Great South West Partnership has released its anticipated report on the region’s high value manufacturing sector, positioning the area as a key player in the UK's renewed Industrial Strategy.

IFS, the provider of enterprise cloud and Industrial AI software, has announced that the world’s largest independent renewable energy company, RES, has selected IFS Cloud to support its business as it seeks to align operational procedures and continued global growth.

TotalEnergies, the global integrated energy company, has selected IBS Software to transform its personnel logistics and tracking operations in Iraq through its affiliate TotalEnergies Exploration Production Ratawi Hub (TEPRH).

Portnox, provider of cloud-native, zero trust access control solutions, today unveiled the results of its latest survey, ‘CISO Perspectives for 2025’, revealing critical insights into the challenges faced by Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) at large enterprises.

Alwayse Engineering Ltd has entered a strategic partnership with Rapid Racking Ltd, the UK's leading specialist in shelving and racking solutions, to integrate its precision range of ball transfer units into custom tables for roll-on/roll-off capability.

Manhattan Associates Inc. has announced that Yusen Logistics Co. Ltd, one of the largest global supply chain logistics companies, has selected Manhattan Active Warehouse Management to be implemented at its new, state-of-the-art distribution centre in the UK.

Webfleet, Bridgestone’s globally trusted fleet management solution, has introduced its new EV Charger Monitoring solution, allowing fleet managers to monitor electric vehicles and private chargers on a single platform.

Epicor, a global provider of industry-specific enterprise software to promote business growth, has acquired Acadia Software, a provider of Connected Worker solutions that provide real-time, actionable insights and step-by-step guidance directly to frontline workers in manufacturing and other supply chain industries. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Lancashire-based Rainbow Dynamics has launched RackBot for intralogistics goods-to-person order picking. Due to its streamlined design and straightforward build process, RackBot can be installed and up and running in one-third of the time that it would take to construct a traditional tote-shuttle system.

By Charlie Macdonald, CTO at BPS Global Australia.

Three months ago, cybersecurity platform provider CrowdStrike released an update that caused 8.5 million Microsoft Windows PCs and servers to crash. The glitch had a ripple effect across industries and global supply chains – almost three-quarters of the world’s computers use a Microsoft’s Windows operating system.

PTV Logistics has just launched the ‘next generation’ of one of their flagship logistics planning software, PTV Map&Guide.

Digital Catapult, has announced that leading technology businesses will join the Made Smarter Innovation Digital Supply Chain Hub programme to apply deep tech solutions to bolster the resilience of national supply chains.

By Heico Sandee, Founder and CEO of Smart Robotics.

Pick-and-place automation has become a cornerstone of modern warehouse operations, ensuring that tasks are executed with the utmost precision and consistency. As warehouses evolve to meet the demands of dynamic industries like e-commerce and pharmaceuticals, the role of these robotic systems becomes increasingly vital.

By Jed Spence, freelance writer.

For IT businesses large and small, the power of AI cannot be underestimated. By now, you’ve likely used the technology in one way or another and realised its vast capabilities. But are you using these powerful tools to their full potential?

Confusion around digital transformation is risking paralysis among SME manufacturers, says Made Smarter. Donna Edwards, director of the North West adoption programme, says businesses are hesitant to commit to change because they lack the confidence with technology and digital skills among leaders and employees.

Zebra Technologies Corporation – the digital solution provider enabling businesses to intelligently connect data, assets and people – has introduced a series of advanced AI features enhancing its Aurora machine vision software to provide deep learning capabilities for complex visual inspection use cases.

By Chris Jacob, Vice President, Threat Intelligence Engineering, ThreatQuotient.

In today’s modern digitised environment, the manufacturing industry faces multiple interwoven challenges that can have a serious impact on their overall performance and sustainability.

Teledyne DALSA, a Teledyne Technologies company and global provider of machine vision technology, has launched its next generation AI-powered BOA3 smart camera for industrial automation and inspection.

New global research from SOTI has revealed that transportation and logistics (T&L) workers are each losing 13 hours of productive time per month, as a result of device-related issues. 

Itron, Inc. has released its 2024 Resourcefulness Insight Report (“the report”) that explores the current trends and future expectations of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) on utility operations and strategies.

Compatio AI has introduced the VFD System Configurator Model, specifically built for distributors and manufacturers in the Industrial Automation sector.

Smart machines can provide manufacturers with invaluable real-time insights into shop floor productivity, inventory, and potential quality and maintenance issues.

But buying new machinery to harness the Internet of Things (IoT) can be hard to justify, especially when interest rates remain high.

IFS, the provider of enterprise cloud and Industrial AI software, has boosted its offering in the six hardcore industries it serves to 60+ in-depth Industrial AI scenarios that are available in the IFS Cloud 24R2 release, with more than 300 additional scenarios in the process of MVP (minimum viable product) validation.

Zetes, the specialist in supply chain execution solutions and part of the Panasonic Group, has invested in Robotize, a Danish robotics company known for its cutting-edge Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) to reach a stake of 50%, alongside its founding shareholders.

ACI Group has shone a spotlight on the importance of supply chain digitalisation in response to a Business Continuity Institute (BCI) report which found that almost 80% of organisations have experienced supply chain disruptions over the past year.

Three quarters of manufacturing workers in the UK (73%) are unconcerned about their jobs being automated in the future, according to a study undertaken by YouGov and commissioned by global technology company SafetyCulture.

In June 2024, manufacturing accounted for 8.8% of the UK’s total economic output and employed 2.6 million people – representing 7.0% of the workforce.

Confidence in the sector is rising, with a 1.2% output increase in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the previous quarter, its highest level since 2022.

Based on its recent analysis of the global manufacturing execution system (MES) market for pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and cell & gene therapies, Frost & Sullivan recognises Werum IT Solutions with the 2019 Global MES for Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology, and Cell & Gene Therapies Customer Value Leadership Award.

Priority Software Ltd.,a global provider of business management solutions, has announced that GL Brands, Inc., a multi-national consumer packaged goods company serving the global hemp and CBD markets, has implemented Priority Cannabis ERP, a comprehensive seed-to-sale ERP software solution, to effectively manage the entire plant lifecycle.

Fen Health Ltd and Zulize Ltd have announced a transaction that will see both companies merge to form and launch, Fen Group Ltd.

Recently established 3PL provider, Yantra Fulfilment, is celebrating two new business wins.

Murata ID Solutions reports that it has helped life science giant Bayer’s Italian division, Bayer S.p.A., leverage radio frequency identification (RFID) tracking in the first large-scale application of the technology in the pharmaceutical supply chain.

Lehning Laboratories, the homeopathy and herbal medicines provider, has selected the ZetesAtlas identification solution, equipped MD-9000 automatic marking and tamper-proof labelling stations, to ensure compliance with new Falsified Medicines Directive and to assure its customers of product authenticity.

The new subsidiary of Körber’s Business Area Pharma in Dublin enjoys growing demand for its integrated solutions for pharmaceutical and biotech production in the UK and Ireland.

Covid-19 is straining supply chains around the world, most notably those of pharmaceutical companies. Scarcity of raw materials upstream and overheated demand downstream cause disruptions. Control over their supply chain is a major challenge for all pharma companies today.

Pharma, biotech and cell & gene companies who use Werum PAS-X MES as well as those who are interested in the use of manufacturing IT and manufacturing intelligence to digitise their production are invited to Connext 2021 – the new virtual Pharma Software Summit by Werum Solutions.

With Covid-19 vaccine delivery highlighting the need for resilience in pharma and biotech supply chains, Karl H. Lauri, managing team member at MRPeasy.com, explains that ERP/MRP gives smaller suppliers the backbone required to take part.