Menu
From the opening of robotic sorting centers in Israel to the pursuit of sustainable solutions for retail business, this month’s news roundup is a glimpse of the future but also a look towards the past as the port of Long Beach broke records just last year.
Here are some of the biggest news items from January 2022:
What's New with SAP?
SAP Discusses Sustainable Retail Business Solutions
The retail industry’s size and scope are two factors that make it central to SAP’s solutions for sustainable business and the company has three efforts aimed at just that. The SAP Intelligent Returns Management solution, developed specifically to process online merchant returns in an efficient, environmentally optimal manner, is one such effort.
The others include SAP’s Assortment Planning application and the SAP.iO Foundries program. The former, an advanced category assortment manager promising the most relevant inventory when your company needs it, and the latter, an integrated network of companies utilizing SAP’s range of solutions, work in tandem to deliver AI-driven sustainability solutions through seamless integration with a company’s current operations.
SAP and Incertis Announce Expanded Business Partnership
SAP will make a financial investment in Incertis to further the two companies' partnership aimed at helping companies more efficiently manage their contract commitments. CEO and member of the Executive Board, SAP SE Christian Klein said of the deepening of ties, “The expanded cooperation with Icertis will help our customers take advantage of market-leading innovations for contract management from Icertis while managing core business processes with SAP solutions.”
“This partnership is a great complement to our portfolio, with multiple touchpoints to SAP systems across ERP, finance, procurement, sales and HR,” he added.
SAP Acquires Working Capital Management Firm Taulia
A huge move on the part of SAP as it looks to further its expertise in company operations management and efficiency with the purchase of capital management company Taulia. Specializing in improving a company’s liquidity through superior cash flow management, Taulia also brings with a robust technology platform as well as a raft of corporate partners to underpin the effort.
What's New in Transportation & Freight?
Walmart, GM and FedEX Partner to Broaden Distribution of BrightDrop Electric Vans
Walmart and FedEx announced a massive expansion of their electric vehicle delivery system with a partnership with GM to put more BrightDrop vans on the road. Walmart will field 5000 such vans for their part while FedEx is promising an order of at least 500. This news comes as the major automakers shift over to the new electric paradigm with many emerging opportunities showing themselves in the logistics and commercial delivery segments.
Port of Long Beach Breaking Records
The year 2021 was one for the history books in more ways than one as far as the Port of Long Beach is concerned. The port reports that, over the course of the previous year, it moved more cargo than it ever has in its 110-year history. The port moved 9,384,368 twenty-foot equivalent units compared to 8.11 million TEUs, a change of 15.7%. The port notes that, of the cargo, the vast majority were imports with exports posting a slight decline.
What's New in Global Trade & Logistics?
Britain, India to Finalize Free Trade Agreement by End of Year
Representatives from the United Kingdom and India hope to finalize a free trade agreement between the two countries by the end of 2022. This is key to Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s expanded trade and foreign policy in the wake of his advocacy for Brexit in order to form better economic opportunities for the UK.
European Union Trains for Cyberattack on Supply Chains & Logistics Network
The EU is undertaking advanced training in preparation for a cyberattack against its supply chains and logistic network in order to refine coordination between agencies as well as develop new counterattack strategies.
DHL Opens Robotic Sorting Center in Israel
DHL gave the world a preview of the future with a robotic sorting center in Israel, capable of sorting 20,000 packages every hour, some five times more than the most advanced centers in Europe according to Reuters.
What's New with ShipERP?
Keep Up with Trends & Professional Development
With the new year of 2022, it's more important than ever to keep up with a rapidly-changing industry in both the SAP and general supply chain spaces. We've put together some helpful tips and resources on how you can get started:
- Supply Chain & Shipping Trends in 2022
- 7 Educational Resources for Supply Chain & Logistics Professionals
