A plethora of market trends continue to impact the global supply chain including automation. In PwC’s “Global Supply Chain Survey 2013,” the market research firm found that 54 percent of companies surveyed in the retail and consumer goods industries listed automation as high importance with an additional 5 percent listing it as high importance by 2015. With the growing importance of automation, manufacturers of direct store delivery (DSD) solutions are developing new products and software that can accommodate its impact on distribution practices.
“In today’s competitive world, where retailers require efficient, on-time delivery of volumes of different products to meet customer demand, automation is absolutely essential,” says Brian D. Beans, senior account manager of strategic accounts for Broomfield, Colo.-based Brother Mobile Solutions. “That has led to the rapid adoption and growth of supply chain management and DSD software systems designed to coordinate warehouse and direct store delivery activities using handheld electronic devices and mobile printers.”