Viewpoint: Tools for navigation
Mike Levans -- Logistics Management, 5/1/2009
I’m fairly certain that the results of Logistics Management’s 2009 Software Survey that we released last month didn’t surprise a single reader. In retrospect, I wish they had.
Overall, software and technology investment is way down, and in many cases being completely shelved. In fact, 41 percent of respondents to our survey said they were painfully scrutinizing every penny of IT investment before even raising a finger, while a whopping 34 percent told us that they were just flat-out freezing all investment during 2009.
While those big numbers got the headlines last month, this month we’re going to shine the light on the 15 percent to 20 percent who told us they were actually moving forward with some investment or maintaining their plans to upgrade this year—economy and budget cutting be dammed.
In fact, the entire premise of our “2009 Technology Roundtable: Navigating the storm” is built around the idea that there may never be a better time to streamline and automate your transportation operations, optimize loads and routes, and to realize cost savings—especially if you’ve been tied to a prehistoric, paper-based system.
The panel, who you’ll meet on page 24, was asked to put a spark under every logistics professional who feels that they can’t win the investment argument with upper management; but more importantly, they’re looking for some converts.
“We’ve all been recently given a “get-out-of-jail-free” card with respect to transportation costs,” says Aberdeen Group’s Brad Wyland in his section designed to help ease technology adoption fears. “And if people think that freight rates can’t spike again without warning, they weren’t paying attention last year. Now is the opportunity to regain our footing, evaluate our business strategies, layout a roadmap for tomorrow, and identify the areas that need to be improved.”
So, if you’ve been dragging your feet on making your case, the roundtable is this month’s required reading. Adrian Gonzalez from ARC Advisory Group starts us off by explaining why TMS and GTM interest is soaring; Capgemini’s Belinda Griffin better defines the growth of network optimization software, the hottest topic shippers know the least about; Greg Aimi from AMR Research helps readers get more from their existing WMS; and then Aberdeen’s Brad Wyland wraps us up with his call to arms.
And don’t forget, the print version of the roundtable will just scratch the surface. We’re bringing this esteemed panel together for a live webcast at the end of the month to dive deeper into their recommendations, so visit logisticsmgmt.com/tech09 to register for the event—and bring questions.
Our memories tend to be very short; and as Gonzalez mentions, the “good old days” of high fuel prices and tight capacity will surely return. Shippers who implement the proper tools to reinvent their transportation management process will be in the best position once the inevitable recovery arrives.
Comments? E-mail me at michael.levans@reedbusiness.com
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