4Front Entrematic showcases yard and dock visibility solution

At 4Front Entrematic (Booth 4207) its 4SIGHT yard and dock management solution is gaining interest among companies that have advanced, Tier 1 warehouse management system (WMS) solutions in place and working well, but still lack visibility over what is happening in the yard and at docks, said Eric Breen, director of the 4SIGHT product.

4SIGHT offers the benefits of a real-time locating system (RTLS) combined with yard and dock management software, but unlike earlier generation RTLS, it uses low-cost passive radio frequency tags and commodity terminals on yard trucks to read the tags and provide global positioning. This comes at much lower price point than earlier, more proprietary RTLS solutions, says Breen, and when combined with the software, supports precise visibility and management capability over the yard and for each dock.

The solution’s user interface, explained Breen, shows what has entered the yard, trailer status, dwell time, as well as information about each dock, such as whether the door is open or closed, whether the restraint system or other dock equipment is engaged, or whether a trailer is currently loading/unloading. The system also produces metrics and analytics.

“The big shift I’ve noticed at this event versus a couple of years ago are the number of companies that are looking to better manage their yards and their docks,” said Breen. “There are good-sized companies out there who have Tier 1 WMS solutions but lack a solution for visibility into the yard and docks, so they are trying to do it on a white board back in an office, and people running around with clipboards and two way radios to communicate status. So for us at this show, it’s the level of interest we are now seeing from these companies. They want a solution that cleans up that lack of visibility for them.”

Modex 2014 is scheduled to be held March 17-20, 2014 in Atlanta’s Georgia World Conference Center. The tradeshow will showcase the latest manufacturing, distribution and supply chain solutions in the material handling and logistics industry. Modern’s complete Modex 2014 coverage.