DENVER—Sky-Trax Inc., a developer of automatic data collection and location tracking systems for warehouse vehicles, and Genco Supply Chain Solutions, a third-party logistics company, were named first-runner up for the 2008 Supply Chain Innovations Award at the 2008 CSCMP Global Conference in Denver.
The award recognizes the best and most innovative teams that demonstrate excellence and innovation in addressing a significant supply chain challenge.
Larry Mahan, Sky-Trax president and chief operating officer, and Cary Cameron, senior vice president, Strategic Processes and Technologies at Genco Supply Chain Solutions, presented their case study to a panel of industry and academia judges. Their entry, which cited Genco Supply Chain Solutions’ installation of an optically enabled real-time location system (RTLS) that eliminates operator-dependent data collection processes, was among 40 submissions that were then narrowed to a field of seven earlier this year.
Optical RTLS is powered by Sky-Trax’s Total-Trax system, which is said to provide 100% location and pallet identification accuracy along with significant productivity improvements and fast return on investment.
“We are so thrilled to have participated in this competition. Since its inception, the Supply Chain Innovations Award has attracted well known companies to compete for this award. To be recognized in a field that included identifiable names as Cisco Systems Inc., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. and the U.S. Air Force with Booz Allen Hamilton and Morgan Borszcz Consulting is a true privilege,” Mahan said.
Case study results confirmed the system’s capabilities, which included a reduction in driver training time (from hours to minutes) and cost reductions in equipment (fewer lift trucks needed).
Additionally, the complete system automatically collects valuable new operational data that includes lift truck utilization (time traveled with or without product), travel distances (miles and routes traveled), idle time (non-moving time), number of times a pallet is touched, speed of the material handling equipment, percentage of aisle congestion and near-collision information, among other benefits. Genco’s custom software layer provides additional features that enhance existing WMS capabilities and a greater range of data for ongoing analytics and operational improvements.
