Gwynne Richards
A s/c consultant, author & trainer, & Associate Lecturer at the University of Warwick. Written three books on logistics subjects. Other courses can be found at https://appriseconsulting.teachable.com
Location Barry South Wales
Activity
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Gwynne Richards replied to Pooja Malhotra
That's true however Singapore is talking about having driver-less buses, Uber driver-less cars and Tesla driver-less electric trucks so progress is coming although as you say a computer malfunction could be an issue
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Gwynne Richards made a comment
Shouldn't be an issue for freight hopefully!
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Gwynne Richards made a comment
Good answer. How many storage points did you see and can the companies look at alternative means of transport during any of the legs?
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Gwynne Richards replied to Kam Mak
That is true and also the technology will enable companies to react quicker and more efficiently to consumer demand. However there is a moral question here as to what will happen to the existing warehouse operatives who cannot be up-skilled
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Absolutely - there will also be a number of products which cannot be produced in this way!
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I think it's very early days yet! You're right as to how this technology will affect health in the future. Some people are already suggesting that workers are suffering neck problems as they position the camera to take the image accurately.
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Agreed at present however technology is moving rapidly with machine to machine thinking not being too far away!
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Absolutely - unfortunately it will only be a small % of the workforce that we will be able to up-skill. We need to think about other alternatives also!
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Gwynne Richards replied to Pooja Malhotra
Hi - not necessarily - I would suggest we need better handling facilities to move the deliveries on quicker rather than hold them at the ports and multi-modal facilities
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Absolutely see my comments above
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that's an interesting point. Not sure that I totally agree with you that young understand the true cost of delivery. I don't think we educate our children enough in logistics and I certainly find that students who come on our supply chain courses are not aware of what logistics is all about! Technology will increase significantly which hopefully will attract...
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Gwynne Richards replied to Pooja Malhotra
Good point. This is why there can be a transfer of business between 3Pls as they fail to meet customer demands
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Gwynne Richards replied to Jill Stewart
Absolutely - good point
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Gwynne Richards replied to ZARASH NAYER
I think it would be very difficult for a company today to operate its own distribution given the challenges posed by customers in terms of ever shorter lead times
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Absolutely and definitely more environmentally friendly
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Absolutely - a ground-breaking innovation which revolutionised global freight
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Hi Liza, unfortunately I can see a number of drawbacks with drones as follows. 1) not everyone has a large garden where the drone can land. 2) Imagine if everyone in your street ordered from Amazon for delivery at the same time - the drones would block out the sun! 3) There are still a number of safety issues in terms of sharing space with aircraft. 4) There...
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Gwynne Richards made a comment
Thanks Jon - as I mentioned previously I think drones will definitely be used for humanitarian means - not so sure about millions of e-commerce deliveries!
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Gwynne Richards replied to Mari Fancy Pants
Hi thought you might be interested in this as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1L4GUA8arY
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Gwynne Richards made a comment
Good point - thanks Jon.
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Gwynne Richards made a comment
As the first quote suggests a warehouse should be a transhipment point but it's not always possible. It's always something we need to strive for however.
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You're quite correct Jon but how do you put a stop to progress (if that's what we're calling it!). I think it is inevitable and Governments will have to look at areas such as a Universal wage.
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Gwynne Richards made a comment
Thanks William - if only more people could recognise the excitement and variety of work within Logistics!
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Good point Barry - I suspect it's a bit of both. Whichever I think it's still unsustainable!
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Gwynne Richards made a comment
There will be a mix of the two. Products destined for the Northampton warehouse will go direct by container whilst other products will be unloaded at the port. Rather than send all the products to Northampton and then bring them back towards the port it makes more sense to unload some at the port. In the example it looks like they are unloading white goods at...
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Gwynne Richards replied to Doug .
Some of the main retailers have done so recently and Sainsbury have decided to run their own new refrigerated warehouse rather than outsource as they've done in the past.
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I think we humans still believe our bodies are the best robots hence producing robots in our own image. It may be if we leave it up to Artificial intelligence it will come up with a different form!
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Gwynne Richards made a comment
Hi check out the following video link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8noXsIrrEVI
A bit slicker and it combines voice with vision. -
Gwynne Richards made a comment
If we could send everything direct from the factory to the end user that would be the ideal scenario however distance is an issues. However we are now seeing Direct to customer operations where the manufacturers have their own web sites and deal directly with the end user in competition with the end user! Still have warehouses I suppose but managing to reduce...
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Gwynne Richards replied to Doug .
Hi Sumeer - logistics is core business in the majority of companies - getting the product to your customers on time, in full, damage free etc is core to the business - it may not be a core competence. As for losing in-house expertise many companies have recently taken their logistics back in-house. Also you should not fully abrogate responsibility when...
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Gwynne Richards made a comment
Very good - it's amazing how many of my students miss out the port warehouse when they watch the video!
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Gwynne Richards made a comment
There can be many barriers especially in terms of additional handling and therefore potential damage as you mention but also areas such as managing the whole process with many operators involved. There is also the coordination of the journey and if you are crossing borders the added issue of paperwork etc! Certainly from an environmental point of view it is...
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Gwynne Richards made a comment
Dear Jon those examples showed how they failed in terms of logistics not as best practice.
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Unfortunately even if all the manual operators are up-skilled it is unlikely that there will be sufficient jobs available. A universal basic salary might be the answer in the long term.
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Hi note that Waitrose operates its own warehouses (Bracknell, Aylesford and Leyland). John Lewis utilises the Waitrose stores as click and collect points. There is a third building as you say and this will replace the operation in Park Royal as far as I am aware although a smaller operation will remain there. As for location, Milton Keynes is pretty good from...
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Gwynne Richards made a comment
It can certainly help with inventory checking by utilising a left on location check. After each pick the picker is prompted to count the remaining items in the location and speak back to the system. If there is a discrepancy they can be prompted to count again. The system can confirm whether the count is correct and if not will alert a supervisor to check. As...
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Thanks for all the ideas - as you probably read the Denby vehicle is prohibited from using UK roads due to its length and gross vehicle weight.
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Gwynne Richards made a comment
Absolutely
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I have to say that I am not a fan of drones. There are very few homes with enough space for them to land - I can see their use in humanitarian aid deliveries and delivery to very remote areas where it is too expensive to deliver to.
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Gwynne Richards made a comment
Hi thanks very much for your comment - as you say everyone in the supply chain is responsible and we do need to educate children in supply chain.
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Gwynne Richards replied to Jacquie Houston
Thanks Jacquie - you're right we need to explore other modes of transport especially when we see how polluting petrol and diesel can be!
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Gwynne Richards made a comment
Dear all, apologies for the technical issues at times - hopefully you managed to hear all of the main comments clearly. Thanks again for all your contributions!
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Gwynne Richards replied to Jessica Hyde
Rail freight is making a comeback - Retailers such as Tesco, M & S and Sainsbury are building rail connected warehouses. Also refer to the Great Mills Case Study. However rail tends to be used for long journeys such as from the port to the DC rather than direct to store delivery for obvious reasons. There are also companies looking to introduce vehicles which...
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Gwynne Richards replied to Michael Bullen
Couldn't find anything specific however they should be segregating all of their waste packaging and getting it collected by a waste recycler. I did find out that in the Americas they did rent goats to clear some land rather than use machinery! http://www.inboundlogistics.com/cms/article/g75-inbound-logistics-75-green-supply-chain-partners-2016/
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Gwynne Richards made a comment
Dear all thanks again for your comments - enjoy the rest of the course!
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Gwynne Richards replied to Jacquie Houston
You are so right Jacquie - there are many challenges to getting it right
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Gwynne Richards replied to Jacquie Houston
Although not the greatest advertisement for our industry at times!
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These ships are solely for the movement of containers however each container can carry very different types of products. There will be restrictions in terms of hazardous material however if the product can fit into the container then it can be moved by these ships. However even if the items don't fit exactly into a container they can still be transported. I...
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Gwynne Richards replied to Vitor Miranda
Hi in terms of storage I would suggest 1) the container being that it is on the water for 4 - 5 weeks, 2) NYK's port warehouse, 3) NYK's Northampton warehouse, 4) the Argos warehouse and the 5) Argos store. As for transport - ship, forklift, Articulated truck, distribution truck and the consumer's car. There is the potential of moving the product by rail if...
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From a consumer viewpoint would you rather have certainty of delivery (time window and day) or speed of delivery?
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This is very true with the USA spending less on their transport infrastructure as a % of GDP than many other countries. President Elect Trump seems to be suggesting that he will change this.
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Thanks Michael - maybe in future all rail wagons will be fitted with RFID tags so we don't have to manually record the rail wagon number!
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Gwynne Richards replied to Vineesh R
The trade-off here is between cost and flexibility although as mentioned before I don't see drones as a long term fix for home delivery - too many barriers.
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That very much depends on the productivity targets set by the company. There is a big debate at present regarding how much courier drivers are paid for each delivery they make - thus resulting in longer hours being worked - this could be extended to the warehouse picker potentially however productivity tends to drop the longer you work so there will be a...
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Good question - from an operator point of view there are fewer buttons to press and fewer commands to remember. The difference is in the cost of a barcode compared to the cost of an RFID tag.
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Absolutely - the introduction of free delivery and free returns allows the consumer to use their home as a store changing room with no cost and greater flexibility. I'm not sure this is sustainable.
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Gwynne Richards replied to Hugh Dawson
The question is whether Boots can do it more efficiently and cost effectively than a 3PL company. Also many 3PL companies are risk averse and are sometimes reluctant to invest in automation unless the contract is long enough.
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Gwynne Richards replied to Paul Kirby
Absolutely - the term is Cross-docking!
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Sorry Marie-Rose - I disagree - if you slow the truck down it does use less fuel over the same distance. UK trucks are limited to 56 mph. Today's technology also turns engines off when the vehicle is at a standstill again saving fuel.
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Always room for improvement - there is your challenge!
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Gwynne Richards replied to Patrick, Erhiakporeh
You will also have service level agreements with a % of what is allowable. Anything else is recovered from the service provider.
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Gwynne Richards replied to Michael Liew
I'm not sure the women reading this will agree with you. There are many female engineers out there. Also there is still a big gap between male and female which needs to be bridged. Logistics, like engineering are still very male dominated. This needs to change.
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Gwynne Richards replied to GIOVANNI CONTINO
Absolutely
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Interestingly there is a news piece at the moment where a drone missed an Airbus 380 with over 100 passengers on board by 60 feet when on its approach to Heathrow. Pardon the pun but I'm not sure this idea will take off!
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Gwynne Richards replied to Paul Evans
Very good - thanks Paul
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Gwynne Richards replied to Paul Kirby
Glad you enjoyed it.
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Gwynne Richards replied to GIOVANNI CONTINO
No problem - thanks for your kind words and comments!
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Very good - Giovanni!
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Good list Carl - thanks
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It may be that if Donald Trump is true to his word then we will see an increase in near-shoring with production getting closer to the markets at least in the US.
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Gwynne Richards replied to Marie-Rose Bunce
Hi sorry to hear that. The link is still working - are you able to download any other content from the BBC?
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Gwynne Richards replied to Alan Halstead
Hi Alan, I agree totally - Logistics/supply chain should be included in the curriculum
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Gwynne Richards made a comment
Thank you to everyone for your positive comments!
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Gwynne Richards replied to Carl Adekunle
That's great - thanks very much!
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Gwynne Richards replied to Nell Baker
Thanks very much
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Hi Nell we did touch on some of these areas when we looked at the challenges and the environmental aspects however I take your point on areas such as cleanliness and technology issues however I would say that the majority of people will have mobile phones in the future and therefore will be able to order online.
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Hi John Lewis and Waitrose are sister companies who are owned by the John Lewis Partneship. The staff own the companies in terms of shareholding. Follow this link for more information. https://www.johnlewispartnership.co.uk/about.html
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Hi John Lewis use separate warehouses for items such as hanging garments and furniture. The hanging garment operation is automated but not the furniture.
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Hi Carl it's the same person picking using the two different technologies - hence the difference in the two videos. The video is showing how voice can be quicker than scanning as you reduce the number of steps or processes when picking. The main issue is accuracy - did the inbound team put the product in the right location for example.
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Gwynne Richards replied to Isaac Sackey Amanor
Interesting - isn't logistics core? Delivery on time in full if not carried out accurately leads to a loss of customers. I would suggest that logistics is not always a core competence but is still core to the business.
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Hi, it seems the video has been taken down since we put the course together. This video explains how Shutl works. Apologies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KS4itE50T5s
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Don't forget there is a trade off between the use of pallets - easy to load and unload and the loose loading of containers - longer to load and unload but use of greater cubic space for the load itself. Slip sheets go some way to evening out the difference.
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Gwynne Richards replied to Senerath de Silva
Hi, James Middleton Cox once ran for the presidency of the USA. I think his quote is very valid - as Napoleon also said an army marches on its stomach - who gets the food to them - the logisticians!
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Gwynne Richards replied to Nell Baker
Hi Nell I would say it was invisible because the majority of people don't know how products get onto supermarket shelves and this is where schools and colleges need to be more informative and introduce children to the supply chain a great deal earlier. I would also say that the majority of commercial vehicle drivers are highly trained and have their own safety...
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Gwynne Richards replied to Karen Vrtanesyan
Thanks very much I'm glad you enjoyed it!
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Gwynne Richards replied to Ian Rolph
Thanks very much I'm glad you enjoyed it!
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Absolutely - which is why all countries should teach schoolchildren about the importance of logistics and supply chain so that they can make an informed decision before they decide which career path to follow. I do agree with you that the role of supply chain director/manager can be complicated and cover a number of areas. I think it very much depends on the...
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Gwynne Richards replied to Karen Vrtanesyan
Depending on the infrastructure some would put this under Facilities management for example. As for building roads, railways ports etc. I would see these as enablers for logistics.
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That's an interesting observation. Some would say that the movement and transfer of data is as, if not more import than the movement of product. Internal consultancy can be included under a company's supply chain operation as they strive for continuous improvement.
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Gwynne Richards replied to Olutola Akinsolu
Hi this very much depends on the company itself and the roles within that company. Many companies will separate out the following roles within supply chain whilst others will combine some or all of them - roles include - Transport Manager, Warehouse Manager, (together being a logistics manager) Procurement Manager, Inventory manager, IT manager (possibly)...
