January 2003

alliances

• Voice beats paper. Corporate Express, a supplier of office furnishings, supplies and equipment with operations worldwide, has rolled out automated order-fulfillment systems featuring voice picking technology in 22 distribution centers. Siemens Dematic integrated the order-fulfillment systems and used Vocollect’s Talkman automated voice-directed picking technology. The benefits of the installation, according to Siemens Dematic, include an almost immediate 50- to 60-percent increase in productivity over paper-based picking methods.

• Your bags are on their way. FKI Logistex, which provides baggage-handling solutions, has begun installation of a new baggage transportation and sortation system for the recently opened Airside Terminal E at Tampa International Airport. The project is the culmination of joint efforts by the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority, Tampa International Airport, construction manager Beers Skanska Construction and FKI Logistex. The baggage-handling system for the $120 million, 275,000-square-foot airside facility has been fast-tracked for completion, with the entire project requiring only 18 months’ time from groundbreaking to operational handover.

• Finding its voice. Associated Grocers, an independent wholesale distributor, has completed installation of a real-time voice-directed selection system at its Baton Rouge, La., DC. The company serves 200-plus independent grocery retailers throughout its market area of Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. The installation was supported by OMI International, a provider of supply chain management solutions, along with Vocollect, which manufactures voice-directed distribution systems.

• VARiety pacts. SAMSys, a manufacturer of radio-frequency identification equipment, recently signed three agreements with companies that will act as value added resellers (VARs) for the company. VeriCode Systems, a provider of integrated labeling and tracking systems, will integrate SAMSys RFID readers with its Pallet Track and Carton Track systems. SAMSys also signed a VAR agreement with the John Voris Industrial Engineering Group (JVIE), a manufacturing and distribution process engineering firm. Under the agreement, select SAMSys RFID readers will be integrated with JVIE’s radio-frequency (RF) conveyor routing system. Finally, SAMSys signed a VAR agreement with Wallace, a print management service provider. Wallace will integrate SAMSys’ RFID reader products with its RFID applications.

• Making a connection. Integrated Barcoding Systems (IBS), a provider of datacollection technology and services, and FieldCONNECT, a developer of wired and wireless communication software, have established a marketing partnership under which IBS will market and sell FieldCONNECT wireless and Web-based software products to OEMs, reseller organizations and end users. FieldCONNECT’s products, FieldACCESS and FieldDIRECT, enable organizations to connect employees, customers and business partners to corporate databases for critical applications. IBS’s data-collection technology provides users of ERP and MRP systems with tools to automate their data-collection process.